PRAYER AND MEDICINE

photo by Angie Wagner, Sunset Images Photography

PRAYER AND MEDICINE WORK TOGETHER FOR A MODERN MIRACLE

As the author of a mystery novel series, Sandra Bretting is skilled at intricate plotting and subtle clues that lead to the murder suspect. When explaining how she beat the odds and survived a near-death experience with respiratory failure and sepsis in 2018, she says there is no mystery at all.

Bretting credits the power of prayer and God’s intervention with saving her life. The miracle began with a chain of events that led her to the emergency room at Houston Methodist West Hospital instead of another health care facility in the Katy area. “I truly believe that was the place I needed to be,” Bretting says. At one point during her stay in the intensive care unit — where Bretting was on a ventilator because her lungs filled with liquid and her body started shutting down — a doctor told her husband, Roger, to summon family members to say their goodbyes. Throughout the ordeal, Bretting notes the prayers of friends and family and the comforting words of Houston Methodist West chaplains sustained them.

Now, the Brettings say they want to share the healing power of prayer. This past year they made a gift to the Houston Methodist West Spiritual Care Fund, which supports the Spiritual Care team who serve patients, families and hospital staff— including front-line medical workers. “Those chaplains have seen a lot,” Roger Bretting says. “They know what to say and when to say it. If we could share that comfort with another family, it would be such a gift!” The Houston Methodist West Spiritual Care team provides thousands of patient visits and prayer huddles each year. These visits can include counseling families who have recently received heartbreaking diagnoses, praying with exhausted nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic or lending a listening ear to anxious patients.

Philanthropy helps recruit and train future chaplains by supporting Houston Methodist’s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program, a fulltime, year-long hospital chaplain certification process that offers the kind of interactive, formative experiences in ministry that only a faith-based hospital can. Upon completing the program, CPE chaplains have assumed a wide range of careers in ministry, including serving as hospital chaplains, church pastors and hospice workers. “The Brettings’ incredible generosity will help Houston Methodist West continue to set the standard for integrating faith and values into modern medicine,” says Wayne Voss, CEO of Houston Methodist West. “Their commitment will reach far beyond the walls of our hospital and will help strengthen the community’s spiritual life for future generations.” After making a full recovery, Bretting authored a book about her ordeal and what it taught her about prayer titled “Shameless Persistence: Lessons from a Modern Miracle.”

Bretting says she appreciates the skill and determination of the medical team that saved her, but she notes it was their compassion and kindness that really impressed her. Since becoming more involved with the hospital and joining the Houston Methodist West Board of Directors, Bretting’s admiration only grew. “Everyone at Houston Methodist is great at their job. They also understand the role God plays in their jobs,” Bretting says. “It feels like a community of faith, and that faith and compassion permeate everything they do. Even at board meetings, we always start with prayer and ask God to bless what we’re doing.”

The Brettings say they hope their gift sets an example for others who understand how faith and modern medicine work together to provide hope and healing.