Expert: Mrs. Priscilla Lyons - 1/31/2010

Question
THIS IS FOR REAL I'm not sure if you can help, I 'm contacting church's in your area tring to find someone I don't know and have never met. All I know is she is a Minister or Pastor of a church in your area and is from Franklin Furnace, Ohio area. I met her father about Jan. 28,2009 at a truck stop and I felt led to talk to him about my daughter who had been in a very bad sleeding accident and was in a coma with a shattered skull and  very little hope of recovery. Her father, whos name I can't remmember told me he would call his daughter and have the church pray for her. The Lord has laid it on my heart several times to try and contact her and the church but I never knew were to begen so this is it, if you can help it would be much appriciated I would be happy to share the story with your chuch as well, if you are interested please let me know.                                                                                                                                             THANKS AGAIN & MAY GOD BLESS YOU, BILL

Answer
I don't know the person you are looking for, but your situation reminds me of the following update we received from a friend of ours yesterday.  No matter what happens in this short physical life, God has provided a perfect eternity for each one of us who trusts Him enough to surrender our life to Him through Jesus Christ and His perfect sacrifice for our sins.  

May we reflect His glory now and forever!  Priscilla

"Pressure has built on Cindy’s brain to the point that it is a threat to her brain stem.  The brain stem, as has been explained to me, controls issues related to blood pressure and breathing.  Cindy’s loss of breathing is an indication of the brain stem’s decline.  It has also been related to me that her heart activity is not related to brain or brain stem health, according to contemporary medical research, and contrary to popular misunderstandings.  

Today, Saturday, Cindy was given a thorough exam to determine if she has any remaining brain activity or response.  This was the second exam late this week, which based on the first was expected to result in a “brain dead” declaration.   The doctors were VERY observant trying to find any reaction to a series of efforts to stimulate a response.  In the end they were able to get a very weak eye muscle response, from one eye only.  Yet this barely detectible response indicates a minuscule bit of life in her brain stem.


Apparently, medical science, and certainly law, allows fairly broad discretion within the health care field for “brain dead” declarations.  In fact, this is at the very heart of Cindy’s professional passion and advocacy. Having her medical nursing qualifications, she has focused on brain dead patient nursing and care.  She worked very hard to achieve her latest degree in bioethics and was pursuing additional training just to advance her passion to advocate for those who are falsely labeled or who receive inferior care/treatment as a result of subjective medical analysis in light of objective measurements and facts.


Yes, to quote Cindy’s husband Stan “she is hanging on by a mere thread, and that thread is frayed”.  But we know what Cindy would say – there is life, life is sacred, God is the giver and sustainer of life, God is not out of control, therefore we have a stewardship obligation to protect and defend that life.  Stan will not allow Cindy to be declared “brain dead” based on subjective reasoning, rather he will wait upon the Lord to provide objective evidence.


The prognosis is not good for Cindy.  Although anything unexpected could happen, she is expected to continue to decline.  At this point the family has authorized me to say that Cindy’s life on this earth has all but come to an end and she is clearly not expected to make it much longer.  


This means her service to the Lord is almost done and she will be going home soon.  However, Cindy has not yet left us and she would be the first to say that she wishes to fulfill her mission of bringing glory to the Lord.  This is a time of both emotional challenge and a time of spiritual challenge.  I do not mean a time of questioning God.  We know that suffering and death are a result of sin.  We live in a fallen world and we will all die a physical death. Cindy never failed to use challenging times in her life for her own self-examination.  She always focuses on the spiritual health of herself and family because she understands the connection between our trials and our spiritual needs.  


The more you know Cindy the more you know that she does not need to speak any words – you know she expects you to use your thoughts of her as a trigger to examine your own spiritual health.


If you have never committed your life to the Lord, NOW is the time to do so.  No other response to Cindy’s situation could please her more, and no other response could bring more joy to the Lord as well as Cindy’s many friends.  God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for your sins.  It is because of our sin that we are separated from God and through Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross we can be brought back into fellowship with the Lord.  Yes, we will all still die physically, but only those who have accepted a redeemed relationship with the Lord will experience a heavenly reunion.  To die physically without Jesus Christ is to step into eternity separated from God and His grace.  Just remember that Jesus paid the entire price for your sins and you need only receive His hand of fellowship with a simple prayer:  Admitting to yourself and the Lord that you are sorry for your sins, ask for His forgiveness, commit yourself to Him as the Lord of your life, and thank Him for saving you from the ultimate results of your personal sin.  


Thank you for your continued prayers."