Hospital Tonic
I had one of those wonderful afternoons when a visit to a sick parishioner in hospital cheers you up so much, that you come home feeling a hundred times better than when you went.
Mind, this lady is exceptional. Aged 92, she went into hospital last week with symptoms of acute heart failure, and was found to have a defective valve. The options were: do nothing, in which case she would never be able to go home, and her quality of life (although nearly blind, she has been very active) would be very poor; or perform an operation to replace the valve, which 'at her age' is quite risky, with only about a 50% chance of survival.
The consultants and surgeons are reluctant to operate: having people die in theatre or recovery must affect their batting averages (or whatever the equivalent is). But this lady is a retired academic who has outsmarted chancellors and vice-chancellors and Government ministers in her time. If she makes up her mind on an operation, then an operation she will have.
Her account of this process, and her observations of goings-on and fellow patients in the cardiology ward, are unfailingly entertaining. One neighbour earlier in the week was really pretty low, hardly speaking or answering (partly because she was sans teeth); but after three days of my friend 'she was much better'. I'm not surprised. I was nearly fully recovered after half an hour.
Since becoming blind, she has relied on audio-books, and was enthusing about War and Peace. She had realised how much she just skipped when she was sighted. When you listen (in real time) you have to get every word. And she lapped it up: she just loved Tolstoy's philosophising, his descriptions of battles, everything. Almost made me want to re-read it; but I think on reflection I'm too old (and too young) to have the time.
Question to the Emerging Church people: By catering primarily to interested groups and individuals - and it's often pointed out that new ways of doing and being church are much more homogeneous than the old parish model - will you ever be able to enjoy, learn from, be blessed by, the life-experience and faith of people like this dear friend of mine?
Mind, this lady is exceptional. Aged 92, she went into hospital last week with symptoms of acute heart failure, and was found to have a defective valve. The options were: do nothing, in which case she would never be able to go home, and her quality of life (although nearly blind, she has been very active) would be very poor; or perform an operation to replace the valve, which 'at her age' is quite risky, with only about a 50% chance of survival.
The consultants and surgeons are reluctant to operate: having people die in theatre or recovery must affect their batting averages (or whatever the equivalent is). But this lady is a retired academic who has outsmarted chancellors and vice-chancellors and Government ministers in her time. If she makes up her mind on an operation, then an operation she will have.
Her account of this process, and her observations of goings-on and fellow patients in the cardiology ward, are unfailingly entertaining. One neighbour earlier in the week was really pretty low, hardly speaking or answering (partly because she was sans teeth); but after three days of my friend 'she was much better'. I'm not surprised. I was nearly fully recovered after half an hour.
Since becoming blind, she has relied on audio-books, and was enthusing about War and Peace. She had realised how much she just skipped when she was sighted. When you listen (in real time) you have to get every word. And she lapped it up: she just loved Tolstoy's philosophising, his descriptions of battles, everything. Almost made me want to re-read it; but I think on reflection I'm too old (and too young) to have the time.
Question to the Emerging Church people: By catering primarily to interested groups and individuals - and it's often pointed out that new ways of doing and being church are much more homogeneous than the old parish model - will you ever be able to enjoy, learn from, be blessed by, the life-experience and faith of people like this dear friend of mine?
posted by Tony at 9/02/2004 06:29:00 pm
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