The Family Doctor

[Dr. Shane]

At age 71 he is still active in the ministry he founded. He has had a full recovery from a heart attack, a major stroke and prostate cancer. It is hard to say God hasn't intervened in there some where.

[Dr. Shane]

Here is a hint.

On December 2nd, 2006, my wife’s aunt collapsed in her home. I will call her “Alice” to protect her privacy. She was 90 years old and legally blind, but managed to care for herself independently since the death of her husband in 1979...

As Alice’s condition worsened and death seemed imminent, we wanted to leave no stone unturned. There is nothing in life more important than knowing that the names of our loved ones are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and that eternity in heaven is assured. Therefore, we called Rev. Lyle Williams, the pastor who had led Shirley’s 90-year-old stepfather to the Lord during his last days on earth...

Rev. Williams agreed to visit Alice as her physical condition waned. He sat at her bedside, talked to her about heaven, and led her in a prayer, which she repeated. Alice was ready to die. That was the last day she was capable of responding to the message...

Let me share one more aspect of Alice’s story that will warm your heart. There is a 10-year-old black lab named Bella that lives at ManorCare. She has arthritis in both hips and can hardly walk. Sometimes she falls over when her hind legs give way. Bella was about to be put to sleep by the Humane Society when she was rescued and adopted by one of the nurse’s aids at the Manor. Now, Bella has a job to do in comforting elderly people. She is loved by the patients and visits or sleeps anywhere she pleases. For some reason, the dog’s favorite resident was Alice. I think it was because Bella understood intuitively how seriously ill her friend was. The nursing home staff eventually pulled the dog’s bed into Alice’s room, because she would not leave except for quick trips “outside”. She lay near Alice’s bed observing every move.

Whenever Alice was having a tough night, Bella watched warily and panted. Dogs do that when they are anxious. She also reacted somewhat aggressively when anyone came near whom Bella didn’t trust. Sometimes she blocked the door with her body and more or less ushered that person out of the room. Before I made friends with her, she watched me suspiciously. One day I was scolding Alice mildly because she had not eaten in a week. I told her emphatically that she couldn’t get stronger if she wouldn’t take nourishment. Apparently, my tone did not please the dog, because she looked at me intently and uttered a sharp “Woof!.” I said, “Okay, Bella, I get it.”

There were times when Bella was so upset by the medical procedures being performed that she lay down on the other side of Mary’s bed, watching from underneath. She was panting. It was eerie to see how perceptive this old dog was, while suffering her own discomfort. I am certain she knew the end was near and almost seemed to be grieving over it. When it came, she took it hard.

The day after Alice died, Bella sat close to the empty bed all day. Who knows what sadness she was experiencing, but all indications were that she mourned the loss of a dear old friend. She had been through it before. Don’t tell me that a dog can’t teach us humans something about compassion. I saw it with my own eyes. And I believe the Lord sent this loyal pup to comfort a woman who desperately needed encouragement through her long ordeal.

We will miss you, Alice. You were a great lady, and we will be with you on the other side.

Thank you, everyone, for letting me share a highly personal story with you this month. Occasionally there are just some things that need to be said. May I suggest that you make time for someone in life’s final chapter, offering emotional support and spiritual counsel? The need for that loving touch is enormous. There were numerous patients in Alice’s nursing home, and in every such facility, who are never visited by anyone. They have outlived their contemporaries and their families are too busy to care. These sad people, who once brimmed with life and laughter, now have no one to help them get through the long days and lonely nights. Some of them have to depend on a sympathetic old dog for comfort. Could you be a “Bella” for a needy person in your world? The Lord will bless you for doing it.

[Taylor]

Awww that is a very neat story! Thanks for sharing it!

[Dr. Shane]

I thought it was amazing that Dr. Dobson has survived a heart attack, stroke and cancer. Hard to deny divine intervention there.

[D. Allan]

Dogs are amazing. People are nice too, (sometimes).

One evening my wife fell on our hardwood floor and broke her hip. Our little sheltie, ran to her and laid down with her and began whinning. Somehow he knew it was not an ordinary fall.

Whenever anyone was sick he would stay on the bed with them all day. I miss him.