Jeanne is an older lady with whom I spend quite a bit of time. She recently began feeling ill, and the hospital treated her for a serious infection. Later, she also tested positive for sickle-cell disease.

Before the sickle-cell diagnosis, she would tell me all about her strange symptoms. Her way of describing what was going on in her body included lots of hand motions and sound effects. I couldn’t make any sense of it.

Then one day, God brought it to my mind that most of the pain and stomach problems Jeanne was experiencing were caused by sickle-cell. I made her a large container of herbal tea. While it cooled, I explained to her how sickle-cell disease works. In the middle of my explanation, she looked at me strangely and asked if I was a doctor. What I was describing was exactly what she was experiencing. As she started sipping the tea, I told her what happens when the body doesn’t have enough water, how the blood vessels constrict and the blood thickens, reducing blood flow and causing pain. Of course, I told her all this in the simplest French trying to make it understandable for someone who has no medical knowledge. She looked down at her arms. Sure enough, her veins did not stand out. By the time she had almost finished the tea, her arm veins had visibly expanded. Now that she was hydrated and warmed, I asked her if her insides hurt. She said the pain had gone away. It was quite a lesson for her on the importance of drinking enough water. The effect was like magic—quick and dramatic. I told her to be sure to keep drinking water and stay warm. I gave her some clothing and showed her how to layer it to keep warm. I will also soon get her some folic acid supplements.

Please pray for Jeanne.

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