The Power of Prayer

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

                    ~Philipians 4:6-7

        I have always believed in the power of prayer. Do I have a full understanding of it? Absolutely not! I don't understand why it appears God answers some prayers and not others. What I do know is that he does listen and respond. I also believe we as Christians have a responsibility to share with others when prayers are answered. If you're unfamiliar with the situation regarding our son's health, read the post below entitled, "But He Looks So Healthy." 

        I wrote that post out of sheer desperation to find a specific diagnosis and treatment plan for Shawn. Last week, we received a letter stating the insurance company had denied coverage of the only treatment plan his doctors feel might keep him healthy. Without insurance, it would cost us about $2000 per month, which is more than our mortgage! We have been trying to connect with parents in a similar situation as us (possibly facing a diagnosis of Primary Immune Deficiency), and I had been thinking about using a public blog for that very purpose. Then the denial letter came and I was at a whole new level of desperation. We had been told to expect the appeals process to take several months, and we were unsure how we were going to pay for his treatments in the meantime. I had even called the insurance company and tried to talk to the poor representative "mother to mother," which ended up making her cry (still not apologizing for that). I was told to just start getting everything together in preparation for the appeal. 

        That blog post about our situation was viewed over 900 times from Saturday morning through this evening. People we don't even know sent us messages stating that they didn't know how to help, but that they would pray. Our family has been added to countless prayer lists over the last couple of days. It's impossible not to feel the love. As if that is not enough, I received a call from our patient advocate this afternoon saying the insurance authorization came through. She has no idea how as they have not yet submitted paperwork for the appeal. I called the insurance company to confirm that this was not a mistake, and she had no explanation other than, "your advocate must have pulled some strings." I do not believe in coincidence, but I do believe in the power of prayer. Thank you to those who continue to pray for our sweet boy. He has surgery and an airway biopsy on Thursday, and we will hopefully have a specific diagnosis soon! In the meantime, at least we will have medical insurance to help pay for his infusions. In the next few weeks, we will take him off of the antibiotics to see if the treatments are helping.