Young Leader on the Road to Recovery and Helping Others

[Jo Best]

I may be wrong (my memory and thinking skills are in a worse phase atm) but I think that people whose ME or CFS started with glandular fever are among those most often with a relapsing and remitting course, which fits with the Leah describing glandular fever at 3 years of age as the trigger of her illness, with a fluctuating course over the years, and as people often feel at their worst before starting to feel better, it seems understandable that she was prayed for at her worst and would attribute improvement to this (I notice the journalist put "healed" in quotation marks) partly through religious belief, but possibly mostly out of gratitude and kindness towards the people who cared enough to pray for her at that time. It's probable that loved ones prayed for her many times over the years, but it's only when the prayers coincide with recovery or remission that it feels as though the prayers were answered.

I agree that, aside from any upsetting inference that religious people may make - that people aren't praying hard enough for them or wondering why their prayers for recovery aren't answered - it's good that Leah is quoted as saying, "It's a multisystem autoimmune disease – well, thought to be – which is incredibly debilitating,".

 

[adreno]

It has Unfortunate Implications: that other religious people who are afflicted just haven't done the right religious practice in the right way, or haven't yet learned the lesson God wanted to teach them via their condition, or that God in some way favors the recovered person.

This is the most problematic aspect of it. It suggests there is an A-list and B-list of people. Some just aren't worthy of receiving healing from God, it seems. Not very nice is it.

 

[ScottTriGuy]

This video is only for the rabid atheists among you who don't mind Tim Minchin or serious swearing. If you think you might be offended, you probably will be, so don't watch it.

Tim Minchin?

Never heard of him.

I couldn't hear him the first few minutes because I was OCDing about combing his hair.

Totally worth the 10 minute video.

I've just dropped god, and now I believe in Tim.

Thank you for facilitating my conversion.

 

[TiredSam]

"I was prayed for and then I started improving at that point."

I am delighted that the Almighty decided to take a personal interest in her case, and hope that her miracle will be everlasting.

We need to find out what was in those prayers. The psycho social club has been preying on us for years but no-one's been healed yet, they must be doing it wrong.

 

[TiredSam]

Would it be inappropriate to ask why God created M.E., gave it to 19 million people, and then healed just one of them without bothering to tell us how?

Probably best to leave God out of it. I wish she had.

All we know is that she had M.E., went into remission, and decided to use that experience to trumpet her religious beliefs. Sure, it's because she's a special chosen one upon whom He has decided to perform a miracle, due to the virtuous prayers of her fellow believers. I find that explanation tiresome and unhelpful, and wish she would take her holier than thou shit elsewhere.

Sorry, I usually avoid discussing religion, but I find a fellow M.E. sufferer waving it in my face particularly annoying.

 

[JaimeS]

preying on us

I see what you did there.

 

[Mithriel]

Well, at least people praying for you has a bit of style about it. When the neurologist told me there was nothing wrong with me and I didn't need a wheelchair he just sat behind his desk and looked disapprovingly at me

Herpes viruses get "controlled" by the immune system, like chicken pox returning as shingles decades later. Over the years I have noticed that people who experience a complete recovery - the ones who go on to climb mountains and such like - usually had glandular fever. They are very ill and disabled for years but get a really good remission.

Sadly, I think that classic ME, as found in the epidemics, often starts quieter but is relentless and usually life long. I suspect that the aerobic respiration system is damaged early but if you do not cause more damage by overexertion you can achieve a fairly reasonable life.

That is why I wish there was a test that could show the damage early, then people could manage the condition, like diabetes, say, where the disease is still there but you can keep it under control.

Mithriel

 

[herpesbaby]

Do you really think it took her 16 years to recover from grandular fever? @Mithriel

 

[Mithriel]

I think it is more likely than a miracle It could be that she has ME and her exercise capacity has gone up, in which case I hope she doesn't overdo things. It is when people start to feel better that they (me!) get overexcited and end up worse than before.

I did know a very religious woman who was sent home from hospital with terminal illness.She arranged guardians for her son and put her affairs into order, but then she started to get better and recovered completely. She believed it was a miracle and who could gainsay her.

Mithriel

 

[JaimeS]

This video is only for the rabid atheists among you who don't mind Tim Minchin or serious swearing. If you think you might be offended, you probably will be, so don't watch it.

I was taking a break -- hadn't had time to watch that before. I'm blown away by his skill on the piano and his scathing sense of humor! But it does make me breathless just to listen!

 

[the_phscale]

I'm just a few months shy of my 21st birthday! Better get prayin'!!


In seriousness though, I am personally religious (reform jewish, if anyone is curious) and I believe that God is much more likely to heal through science than through miracles. If God "wants" me to get better, then eventually I'll get better regardless of if I pray or not. Of course this prompts the question, does my illness mean that God "wants" me to be sick? I have no good response to this right now, so nobody ask me that question .

I find more comfort in praying for things like patience and gratitude than miraculous healing. Consciously cultivating self compassion is a good idea in weather both stormy and fair.