Brian L Beeks - In Our Darkest Hour: Hope: Our Journey with Guillain-Barr Syndrome

In Our Darkest Hour:
Hope

Our Journey with
Guillain-Barr Syndrome

BRIAN L BEEKS

Copyright 2016 Brian L Beeks.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-5833-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5835-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5834-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016916385

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/21/2016

Contents

To our son, Benjamin, whose life has been shaped for the good because of his GBS journey, and to my wife, Bootsie, who is my partner in life and in ministry.

Straight talk from those who have come through some of lifes great challenges will always be treasuredand their courage admired. Life holds few more challenging tasks than parenthood. This remarkable book is written from a truthful heart and is helpful, encouraging, and educationalespecially concerning Guillain-Barr syndrome.

In Our Darkest Hour: Hope is a powerful demonstration of passing through tough, discouraging times without a Do as I say stance, but rather saying, Here is what happened and here is how we survivedand ultimately thrived.

Faith, prayer, and spirituality play very personal and key roles in In Our Darkest Hour: Hope . In our dark hours, our best human instinct is to seek hope and to open our hearts. Seven words of Samuel Beckett come to me: I cant go on. Ill go on. These are also quoted by the dying Paul Kalanithi in When Breath Becomes Air.

My own healing crises passed when I learned through experience how my thinking impacts my healing: as long as I kept telling myself I was ill, I remained so. It wasnt until I changed my thoughts and prayers to those of healing and health that I indeed became healed and healthy.

It has been my privilege to work with Pastor Brian Beeks by doing some editing on this manuscript. I can easily visualize anyone sharing this heartwarming book with any family members or friends who face their own challenging times.

Jo Ann Lordahl

Writer

Its been said that everyone experiences a train wreck at some point in life. We all hope that the train wreck will happen to someone elsethat our smarts or abilities or planning or resources will protect us, keeping us immune from the troubles and difficulties of life.

Well, even if thats how we hope life will unfold for us, eventually we learn that we have been living in a bubble of denial and make-believe. Every one of us, at some point or another, suffers heartaches, illnesses, setbacks, or defeats. In fact, many people are surprised to discover that Jesus promised that hard times would arrive. The night before His crucifixion, He made this statement to His followers: In this world you will have trouble . But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33, emphasis added).

And so troubles are not optionalbut our response to trouble is.

I have known Brian and Bootsie Beeks nearly forever. My wife, Sandy, and I were the matchmakers who introduced our best friends to each other. And over the years, we have seen their delightful son, Benjamin, grow into a strong, confident, Christ-centered young man.

In the pages that follow, you will read about how a rare disease threatened to shred their lives and relationships into unrecognizable tatters. You will also learn how their faith was stretched, challenged, and strengthened. Their story is one well worth knowing and reflecting upon. Their journey inspires all of us who dare to venture out in genuineness and faithfulness.

Kris McPherson

Spiritual Care Coordinator with Heartland Hospice

Fort Wayne, Indiana

When our son was hospitalized, I had been a United Methodist pastor for more than twenty years. I had walked with numerous families through life-and-death crises. My sons illness made crisis much more personal.

The challenges families and caregivers face when a loved one deals with an extended illness and recovery took on a new level of significance for me. As we faced our challenges as a family, I sensed a prompting within my spirit that we would need to share our story with othersnot only those who share the same diagnosis as our son, but especially those with extended hospital stays and long recoveries.

At first, I thought the book would be a collection of short devotionals that also described our journey, but as I began writing, the narrative unfolded more logically as a story that includes spiritual reflections.

This is not intended to be a medical textbook about Guillain-Barr syndrome, but it is a description of our experiences and our understanding of what we went through.

I began writing this book about five and a half years after our sons initial diagnosis. Time has helped us to evaluate some of the lessons we learned. We were able to recall many details because my wife journaled for several weeks until it became too painful for her to continue. We also reviewed email communication as well as medical records. When reviewing these documents, we were surprised by the intense emotions we relived.

It is my desire that through the story of our journey, others might be able to find hope in their darkest hour.

I would like to thank the people of Monticello United Methodist Church who loved, cared for, and nurtured me and my family through our difficult journey. The church was also gracious enough to work with me to develop a three-month sabbatical for my wife and me in the spring of 2015. The sabbatical allowed me to step away from my responsibilities at the church so I could reflect, process, and write about our journey as a family.

The sabbatical was underwritten through a generous grant to Monticello United Methodist Church by the 2013 Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Program for Indiana Congregations, funded by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. and administered by Christian Theological Seminary. This was one of the twenty-two awards made to Indiana congregations in August 2013. I am very appreciative and humbled that I was able to be the benefactor of one of these grants.

I want to give special thanks to the church staff who not only supported us on our journey when our son was recovering, but also took on additional responsibilities when I was away on my sabbatical.

Thank you to Jo Ann Lordahl, who acted as my writing coach and primary editor, helping me to tell our story in a compelling way. I also appreciate the numerous people who have read the story at various stages in the writing process and have given their suggestions and encouragement.