TheBanyanTree: thank you, God, may I have another?

[Julie Anna Teague]

This is about my baby brother, J. (He's 18 months younger than I am.) He was
diagnosed with rhuematoid arthritis about four years ago. Since then he has been
in so much pain it's amazing that he can continue to work at his high-stress
medical engineering job every day, much less maintain a home and play with his
kids. He has also been on steroids and a very harsh treatment called Remicade.
Here are some of the charms of Remicade:

"Autoimmune hepatitis has been diagnosed in some of these cases. Severe hepatic
reactions occurred between two weeks to more than a year after initiation of
Remicade. Some of these cases were fatal or necessitated liver transplantation."

"New advisory that Remicade may be linked to Lymphoma. The company says the
lymphoma incidence rate was six times higher among all patients who took the
drug in completed clinical trials."

Lymphoma? We know about lymphoma. We're full up on lymphoma and will pass on any
more of it, thanks. The medicines also suppress the immune system, and so he's
had rounds of pnuemonia, plueresy, you name it. He has looked extremely unwell
lately. He has trouble controling his eating, but probably because it is one of
the very few things he can actually enjoy doing. Consequently, he is very
overweight, has dangerously high cholesterol, and looks like he's going to have
a heart attack at any moment. My mom and I worry ourselves sick over him, as
does my SIL. Things this summer have gone from bad to worse. His pain is
intolerable, but the treatment for the pain is killing him.

But the real story I wanted to tell is that he went to see the Amish faith
healer who my partner, L, went to see (see some past story or other). I think he
and my SIL are at the end of their rope and are willing to try anything. We are
hearing more and more stories of complete healing happening with this man. Word
is spreading rapidly and people are coming from all over the country. People who
were "healed" are now bringing their parents, their children. I don't know, God
moves in mysterious ways. So they went this past weekend, and I talked to him
last night. The healer, Solomon, touched various joints, told him it was
genetic, that it was his 18th chromosome that was damaged. Told him he had to
eat less, which J has been working on. Gave him four months worth of yucca and
calcium, explaining what they would do in his body, and told him he'd be well in
4 months. J asked him if he had to keep taking the herbs. Solomon said, "Nope,
four months and you'll be well."

Well. It would be a miracle. Just like for L, I want to believe in a miracle so
hard I could explode, because if we don't get a miracle, I don't think my
brother is going to be with us for a long life, and that is something I simply
can't contemplate. That is not acceptable. He is my brother and he has to be
here for as long as I'm here, and that is the way the world is supposed to work
from my perspective here at the center of Julie's Universe. Am I over my limit
on expecting miracles? Please, just one more.

Julie