New life for my sister

I'm glad to report that my sister, Betty, has had a successful liver transplant and is now in recovery in the ICU. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers that have held us up and carried us through.

As we waited for a donor organ to be found, we watched Betty's condition deteriorate. About ten percent of transplant patients die before a match can be found, and so we were anxiously waiting and praying. 

When we found out yesterday that a donor liver had been found, the first thing Betty asked was to pray for the donor, which we did. All we know about the donor is that this person was Betty's blood type, about Betty's size, and was a young person who lived somewhere outside of Denver.

Organ transplants are truly miraculous, and the skill of the medical transplant team is amazing. Betty's condition was especially bad before the transplant, and it took eleven hours of surgery, finishing about 8:30 this morning. 

As my family contemplates the gift of life that came from a young person's death, we are in awe. We don't know how this young person died, but surely it must have been difficult for their family. I hope the family feels that something good came out of their tragedy. We're acutely aware that out of their child's death has come life for another. And isn't that the Christian belief? This is really a resurrection story.

Betty has a long recovery ahead, and we ask for your continued prayers as her body accepts the new liver and heals from the surgery. I'm deeply thankful I was able to be with Betty before surgery and to pray with her as she went into the operating room. 

I'll return home next Thursday, May 30, after spending more time with Betty and my family, looking forward to Betty's years of new life. Again, I'm grateful that Craig is present to cover for me while I'm away.

Thanks be to God!

Visiting my sister in the hospital

I'm writing this from my sister's hospital room at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver. My younger sister, Betty, has had liver disease for over twenty years and it has finally come to the point where she is at the top of the list for a liver transplant. Now we're waiting for a donor liver that's a good match for Betty. Betty is jaundiced and weak but she's pretty cheerful, considering everything she's gone through. The doctor said that the waiting is the hardest part, but she assured us that a donor liver will be found, even if it takes a week. As a parish priest, I've made countless visits to hospital rooms and prayed with countless people and their families. Now I find myself as part of the family in a hospital room, and it feels very different. My heart is so close to Betty, and I'm waiting and praying, trying to be fully present to her and my family. It's emotionally taxing. So this is what it's like to be the family member. As I wait with Betty, I'm especially aware of the mystery of life, the wonder of medical science, and the knowledge that the end of one life will be the means of saving another. I'm impressed by the warm and caring support Betty's getting from the staff at the hospital, from the doctors to the housekeepers. I'll be here for some days yet, but I'm happy to say that Fr. Craig is covering for me for Sunday and also for any pastoral care needs. I'm thankful for his willingness to step up while I'm away. Please don't hesitate to call him with any questions. And you can reach me anytime by cell phone (360-620-8086) or by email (billfulton2001@yahoo.com). Thanks for your support and encouragement. Please keep Betty in your prayers, asking God for strength, patience, and healing. Thank you. Bill

Not officiating at a wedding

This week I attended the wedding of Chad Reeder and Mary Kate Repetski, at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral in Spokane, WA. Because I was a guest and not the officiant of the wedding, I was able to simply enjoy the wedding ceremony and the festivities.

Although it doesn't seem like it to the casual observer, weddings are a lot of work for the clergy. From the paperwork involved to the pre-marital counseling to the stress of the wedding ceremony itself, it wears a person out. Don't get me wrong -- I love doing weddings -- it's just that they're a lot of work.

So this wedding was a pleasure for me because all I had to do was sit in the pew and enjoy the reception!

The groom looked dashing in his new dress uniform (he was just commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army), and the bride was gorgeous in her wedding dress. The soaring stone arches of the cathedral made an elegant setting, and the ceremony used the classic language of the Prayer Book: "For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, until we are parted by death." May God bless their marriage and enrich their life together.

Here are a sketch and a few photos from the wedding. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

 I made this sketch of the cathedral before the wedding started.

 The bride and groom at the altar at St. John's Cathedral.

 The newly married couple leaving the cathedral under an honor guard.

The bride and groom and the reception listening to the toasts.

 Myself, the Rev. Dick Scott, the groom, Spencer Reeder (brother of the groom), and Bill Reeder.