Interstitial Lung Disease

The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life (Job 33:4).

We all need to breathe to live. Being diagnosed with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) is not fun! Back in June 2010, chest X-ray results showed that there was stuff in my lungs which were not coming out when I coughed. CT-scan revealed what is medically termed 'ground glass opacity' which is what you would expect in the lungs of someone working in a mine or exposed to asbestos. I was neither. So where did it come from? My lung capacity was down by 75%. I was in Montreal in July and the Pulmonologist was advising me not to go on an airplane. Why? I needed to get back home and had no choice. My oxygen saturation was dropping below 70% and she was not sure I could breathe on an airplane. Well, I made it back home to BC with no incident. My oxygen saturation has improved slightly but on a bad day, it is very low. Low oxygen means there is not enough to feed the muscles which leads to muscle weakening and eventually deterioration. The body is a very complex machine, how we take for granted the way the whole thing works. Well, it's hard work keeping the muscles alive and staying alive as well! Daily exercise without exertion is a struggle. It is difficult to climb stairs or walk any distance. From being a mountain climbing hiker to being breathless at moving around the house is still unimaginable. The prognosis for ILD is bad, I need a miracle to get out of this one!

Ezekiel 37:1 - 14
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.