Prayer Request from Brian & Pamela Ward

Dear Friends and Family:

Brian and I would like to ask you to join us in praying for Phil Calderwood. His wife Jade is Brian's coworker at Bechtel in Frederick (MD). Phil and Jade live in Rockville (MD). Phil is 36 years old and currently at Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C. in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, having just had his 4th open heart surgery a week ago.

He was born with several heart defects and has survived open heart surgery at age 1, 9 and 18. His case is so rare, that no known adult in the US has survived his condition past age 1 year.

Jade and Phil are not believers and describe themselves as agnostic. Yet they welcome our prayers and the prayers of others. We are trying to be "the church" to them and have tried to share the Gospel with them on a few different occasions. We have also served them with housecleaning, errands and meals prior to surgery, as well as a visit and meal at the hospital this past Sunday.

Phil remains sedated. As a result of previous open heart surgeries, he now has liver damage. Due to his pre-surgery weakened liver and the surgery medications and blood transfusions, his liver is failing while he remains in CICU.

We are praying for God's mercy in sparing his life so that he (and she) will respond to the Gospel. We are praying for complete recovery and healing, and that GOD will receive the glory and praise through this. His case is resulting in an increasing level of interest among medical professionals associated with the hospital. As of today, there were 20 health professionals as part of his care team, and liver specialist doctors and neurologists are being added to his case. Already, his medical team has told Phil and Jade that it is a miracle that he has survived into adulthood and has had a "normal" life complete with a career and a wife. Sadly, Phil and Jade do not acknowledge God to be the author and sustainer of life, or to be the Great Physician, as of yet.

Thank you. Tonight we sensed it was time to "call in the troops" for additional prayer support for this family. We realize that many of you have not heard from us since our move to Maryland in June, and for that we apologize. For those of you living locally in the Washington D.C. area - if anyone would be available and interested in joining us on a weekend visit to pray over Phil and with Jade, we would certainly welcome your prayers and presence. We are pretty sure Jade would as well.

Also, if you know any Christian family member/friend who works at Children's National Hospital, or National Hospital nearby or the V.A. Hospital, who might be willing to go and meet Jade and pray with her and over Phil, I'm sure that would be another source of encouragement and witness to this family.

Sincerely,

Brian and Pamela