I had done a post back in January about my brother in law who was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/medical/170540/1/DOES-ANYONE-KNOW-ANYTHING-ABOUT-MYELODYSPLASTIC-SYNDROME
On this Thursday past, they got the worst news imaginable: It's turning into leukemia. This is not regular leukemia, but what is called Acute Myelogenous Leukemia which is far, far worse than regular leukemia. At present, there is no known cure but there has been some success with a stem cell transplant. We were all set to have his family members tested to see if any of them are a potential match, when it came to light that the only way they can do the stem cell transplant is with a blood tranfusion (along with chemotherapy). All of his blood counts are way down except his white counts which are starting to climb, and there's no way he'd survive the chemo with his blood in the condition that it's in. So his brother, his sister and the rest of them all said there was no point in being tested for the bone marrow match because obviously he can't have a blood tranfusion.
Fortunately, my sister and brother in law (both fairly dedicated Witnesses) are not that blinded by the religion. My sister said "I will do whatever I have to do to keep him alive". I was able to talk (cautiously) about how wrong the Society's view on blood transfusion is. Without going over everything here, I was able to get her to see that the only reason the Israelites weren't supposed to eat blood is because it was supposed to be used as an atonement for the life they'd just taken. I was also able to get her to reason that Jesus put the life of the person ahead of the Law and that he said "I want mercy, not sacrifice." I also told her that the WT would almost certainly be making the blood issue a "conscience matter" in another 5 or 10 years and they only reason they haven't already done it is because they know they'd have their asses sued from all the Witnesses who died needlessly in the past.
So they are willing to take a transfusion or transfusions if there's any chance it could save his life. While this is a relief, it's still very depressing. The stem cell transplant is only successful in about 30% of the cases and there's a high chance of this filthy rotten disease coming back. We are all trying to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best, but it's hard. I love this guy like my own brother. I was the one who answered the phone when I was 9 years old and heard him ask if my sister was home. Even though he knows I don't believe this is "the Truth" anymore, he's never treated me any differently. He has not a selfish bone in his body and is loved by most everyone who knows him. The thought of him not being there is horrifying and I'm truly afraid that my sister might not survive his death, but simply die of a broken heart herself.
At times like this, I truly hate God for letting this happen. I know that everyone has to eventually face death, but it seems that my family is frigging well cursed as we've had to lose far too many before their time. My brother in law is only in his early 50s and far too young to die.
I know there's not a lot anyone can do, but sometimes it just helps to vent.