When I had my last child, 25 years ago, I almost died. I was in the labour room, she'd come fast and I was bleeding out. I had explicit faith in my doctor having grown up under his care and respect, plus he'd already delivered my other two children. I was dying. They couldn't get an IV line started to get the meds in to start my uterus contracting, in order to stop the bleeding. I was floating around above them ,watching with a sense of detachment, noting that it was my body they were working on. I remember being coherent for a moment, long enough to say to him, "Am I going to be okay?" I heard his strong, yet gentle voice, say "Yes, Kathleen, you will be fine."

That was all I needed to hear. I had complete and utter faith in him and his abilities. Shortly after, I was back in my body, came to, and realised things were starting to get under control.

Did my faith have anything to do with my recovery? I believe it did. I've worked in the health care field and I have seen the apathy of patients who do not feel as though anyone cares about them, or that have no faith in their doctors. They are the ones who have given up, who have no faith in anything. In one instance it didn't matter what kind of medical means we used to help a person, she gave up and died, for no good medical reason. I am positive, to this day, that had I not had the faith I did in my doctor, I might not have fought so to live, to hang around while they worked on me. Sure the meds and procedures helped, but there was some time there where I believe I was living through faith, alone, while they frantically tried to find someone who could get a line into my collapsed veins. My doc said I'd be okay and I believed him and so it was.

There are many, many instances, written in books by medical doctors and others, which document the importance of some kind of faith, in the healing process. It is to our detriment if we do lend it credence, imo.