Dear Praying Friends – we are asking you to pray for Irene Orrick, Jim Orrick’s wife.

She has been suffering from congestive heart failure and declining health and strength for quite some time now, but was recently hospitalized with a rapidly increasing weakness and dehydration that left her just too weak to take care of herself.

In fact, the week we hosted our Spring Missions Conference, Brother Orrick came to Lexington just long enough to attend the Directors’ Business Meeting that Monday afternoon [2 April], and then had to return home to be with Irene.

Here is her present physical status:  over the past two weeks+ while she has been hospitalized, the doctors have conducted all kinds of tests to determine the source of her present weakness.  They have discovered the positive presence of cancer cells in her body, but they don’t know at this time where it is coming from.

They have also discovered a couple small spots on her liver, and the attending physician says that from his experience, he is pretty sure it is cancerous;  but again, he is not certain where the cancer originated.  They conducted a biopsy a couple days ago, and they are waiting now for the results of that biopsy to try to determine exactly what kind of cancer it is.

She is very weak and sleeps much of the time.  She has no appetite and they are trying to coax her to at least drink her Ensure supplement drinks to sustain her.  But, frequently, just drinking the Ensure makes her sick on her stomach.

They also are saying that the physical stress of these most recent illnesses have further damaged and weakened additional portions of her already-diseased heart.

Humanly speaking, the Drs are not giving them an encouraging prognosis…maybe as short as 2-6 months If they choose to treat the cancer on her liver [if that is what it turns out to be], they can administer treatments by way of pills that might lengthen her life by a couple months – but she has already rejected any suggestions of any kind of chemotherapy, and she is still weighing the pills option if that is what they choose to administer.

But, as Brother Orrick told me, “It doesn’t look good from here, but we are also talking with the Great Physician, and we haven’t yet heard from Him what His definite will and plans are.”  And, of course, they all know they are in His loving, gracious, and healing hands.

She is presently in Baptist East Hospital in Louisville – but she is so weak and exhausted, she wants to expend what little strength and energy and waking time she has to visit with her family members who are constantly attending to her.

You may send messages via email to jimborrick [at] gmail.com.

They are very grateful for the many kind expressions they have already received from many of you and others of their friends.

Please continue to intercede for them to God.

Grace and love to you all.

-Dave Parks

[Read an update from May 2]
[Irene Orrick went home to be with her Savior on May 9, 2012.]