Mike
and Joanne are the parents of James and Samuel, identical twins born 8
years ago. James is currently suffering from acute glomerulonephritis,
kidney failure. James was originally brought into the hospital for
complications associated with a strep throat infection. The spread of
the A streptococcus infection led to the subsequent kidney failure.
James’s condition was acute enough to warrant immediate treatment.
Usually cases of acute glomerulonephritis caused by strep infection tend
to improve on their own or with an antibiotic. However, James also had
elevated blood pressure and enough fluid buildup that required temporary
dialysis to relieve.
The attending physician suggested immediate dialysis. After some time
of discussion with Joanne, Mike informs the physician that they are
going to forego the dialysis and place their faith in God. Mike and
Joanne had been moved by a sermon their pastor had given a week ago, and
also had witnessed a close friend regain mobility when she was prayed
over at a healing service after a serious stroke. They thought it more
prudent to take James immediately to a faith healing service instead of
putting James through multiple rounds of dialysis. Yet, Mike and Joanne
agreed to return to the hospital after the faith healing services later
in the week, and in hopes that James would be healed by then.
Two days later the family returned and
was forced to place James on dialysis, as his condition had
deteriorated. Mike felt perplexed and tormented by his decision to not
treat James earlier. Had he not enough faith? Was God punishing him or
James? To make matters worse, James’s kidneys had deteriorated such that
his dialysis was now not a temporary matter and was in need of a kidney
transplant. Crushed and desperate, Mike and Joanne immediately offered
to donate one of their own kidneys to James, but they were not
compatible donors. Over the next few weeks, amidst daily rounds of
dialysis, some of their close friends and church members also offered to
donate a kidney to James. However, none of them were tissue matches.
James’s nephrologist called to schedule a private appointment with
Mike and Joanne. James was stable, given
the regular dialysis, but would
require a kidney transplant within the year. Given the desperate
situation, the nephrologist informed Mike and Joanne of a donor that was
an ideal tissue match, but as of yet had not been considered—James’s
brother Samuel.
Mike vacillates and struggles to decide whether he should have his
other son Samuel lose a kidney or perhaps wait for God to do a miracle
this time around. Perhaps this is where the real testing of his faith
will come in? Mike reasons, “This time around it is a matter of life and
death. What could require greater faith than that?”
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