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HEALTH NOTES
Farewell and Blessings

This will be my last sharing with you in these Health Notes. Thank you for all of the support and encouragement you have given me over these many years. I have greatly appreciated your love and you response to these notes. I thank my God for all of you.

Most of you already know that I am going through the very difficult process of dying, so I am asking my husband and daughter to finish the June letter sharing the thought I have
jotted down for them. I have never been afraid of death, looking forward to being with the Lord, but the process of getting there is a bit more difficult than I had hoped for. You
know, going out with a “bang” was always my goal. But we are always in God’s hands and by God’s grace I will be in the presence of our Lord when you read this.

As I said, I am not afraid to die, especially in this Easter season when we keep on celebrating the resurrection. As I have noted in these notes, I have been struggling with Celiac disease, and what we
believed was a neurological problem related to it, for some time now. That may still be part of the whole problem, however, what the Mayo Clinic discovered is that I have an advanced case of ALS (Lou Gerhig’s disease). Somehow the signals my brain gives to my muscles do
not get through. I have difficulty in swallowing and speaking, and already only the top lobes of my lungs still function. Fortunately I can still communicate by writing, but there is no guarantee how long that will last.

So, dear friends, I am in the difficult process of being born into God’s presence, we call it dying, and it is every bit as being born physically. Right now I am at Pikes Peak Hospice where I keep on knocking on the door waiting for my Lord
to open it and let me in. You know, our bodies just do not give up easily. It is the way God made us.

One can say with their mind “OK I’m ready, let me go”, but the body keeps on functioning. As difficult as taking a breath might be, it goes on. I am comfortable and have no pain. I have loved ones at my side who pray with me and sing hymns and I keep looking forward to the time that I, who could never sing very well, will be able to add my voice to the heavenly chorus.

Don’t mourn me, but rather rejoice that I am with the Lord... as it is engraved in my wedding ring “The Lord has done great things for us whereof we are glad.” (Ps 126:3)
Please give Molly Rock, who will continue this letters the same support you have given me.

With all my love,
Lorraine.
1 Peter 1:3-9

Lorraine Spruth, RN, AIM
Health Ministry Coordinator
Ascension LC, Colorado Springs

Parish Nurse Resource
Team Members

Co-Chairs:
Rev. Dr. Keith Hedstom, D. Min.
Pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church
Colorado Springs, CO

Lorraine Spruth, RN, AIM , Health Ministry Coordinator/Parish Nurse
Ascension Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO.

Members:
The Rev. Emily Cardin, Pastor, Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, Broomfield, CO. Experienced professional nurse. Liaison from Church in Society Board (Ex-Officio member).

Rachel Elger, RN, Coordinator of Caring and Healing Ministries/Parish Nurse, Trinity Lutheran Church, Boulder.

Karen Setzer, RN, BSN Parish Nurse/Health Ministries Coordinator, Faith Lutheran Church, Golden, CO.
The Rev. Dr. Erwin Spruth, D. Miss. Retired ELCA Pastor

Dr. Marilyn Stember, RN, PHD, FAAN, Professor Emeriti, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; Faculty, Colorado Parish Nurse Education Consortium; health Ministry Committee, Augustana Lutheran Church, Denver, CO

Pricilla Nielsen, RN, Parish Nurse, King of Kings, Pueblo, CO