Walking Through Shadows: Finding Hope in a World of Pain by Wieland Carl & Ham Ken

Author:Wieland, Carl & Ham, Ken [Wieland, Carl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: RELIGION / Christian Life / Death, Grief, Bereavement
ISBN: 9781614582755
Publisher: Master Books
Published: 2002-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

Part Two

Sickness, Suffering, and Death —

"Normal" in an Abnormal World

Ken Ham

Chapter 1

A Cruel Fate

On the telephone 10,000 miles away, my sister described my brother’s physical appearance this way: “Do you remember those TV programs that showed those horrible pictures of prisoners from the concentration camps? Remember how thin they looked from starvation? Well, in a way, Robert reminds me of them.” This was the result of a degenerative brain disease, a type of dementia.

I wanted to see my younger brother at least one more time. He was so young — early forties — how could this be happening to him? I boarded a plane for 20 hours of flying — lots of time to reflect on the past and contemplate the future.

A few hours after arriving in Australia, my heart began to race as I walked into the nursing home with my mother after my surprise visit. I hadn’t seen Robert for a few months and I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I would not be prepared for what I was about to experience.

It was a pathetic sight. I gazed around a room of a dozen or so mostly elderly people. One lady whistled continually, while another kept saying certain words over and over again. Periodic groans were heard from another, and beside her another lady kept moving her legs and body in a peculiar continual motion. Some sat motionless, their contorted faces and glassy eyes glued on the television. Only one person seemed aware of my presence and spoke something unintelligible.

Inside, my heart was breaking. I thought about the fact that I was looking at someone’s wife and mother, a husband and father, a son or daughter. As I entered some of the rooms, on the walls I saw pictures of some of these people before the horrible sicknesses overtook them. The contrast was so stark it was hard to believe I was looking at the same people.

This was a Christian nursing home. Most of these patients were dedicated Christians — maybe Sunday school teachers or deacons. One 78-year-old man in a room nearby had been an active evangelist. His family was gathered around him as he was breathing his last after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Then I saw Robert. He was lying there, hardly moving. He showed very little (if any) signs of any recognition of his mother and eldest brother. Mum tenderly stroked his forehead and then began the arduous task of trying to get him to swallow a special drink she had prepared for him. Increasingly, his swallowing ability was disappearing. His food had to be put through a blender and fed to him teaspoon by teaspoon, or through a drinking cup.

He would swallow and then choke. Mum would wipe his face and wait for the next opportunity to get him to take another sip. At times, tears would run down my mother’s face. She was so patient and so loving, talking to him and caring for him just as one would for a baby.

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