June 4, 2004: On Saturday, May 30, Janet and I drove to the  hospital to spend time with my father, fearful of what we would find and what the future held for us, now that we had committed to do whatever it would take to provide for mom and dad.

Click Here to read Ralph and Janet's updated story about how he is dealing with his dad's recent stroke on May 23, 2004.

Read the other chapters of our Baby Boomer  Saga concerning our aging parents by Clicking Here.

We were hopeful but, when we first saw him again we were stunned.

Dad barely moved. His eyes appeared glued shut. The left arm and leg just lay there immobile. The left half of his face was slack. The feeding tube going in the nose and down the throat was taped to his skin. The catheter tube drained urine mixed with blood into a clear plastic bag.

Sometimes, life seems like you are trapped in a horror movie.

With all the tubes, vigilant machines whirring, blinking and beeping it seemed like a science fiction movie. Unfortunate humans were hooked up to all manner of machines. The hybrid mechanical-computerized devices appeared to have a life of their own. Each communicated with the others with strange squiggly lines of computer code. The tubes attached to the human bodies like snakes, sucking the very life out of them. A scene from the first "Matrix" movie flashed across in my mind, with the main character hooked up to myriad numbers of tubes, providing power to run the destroyed world.

The hospital environment was surreal, a nightmare of intense images.

The quiet whispers of visitors, wondering if their loved ones would recover and by how much, sounded like millions of cockroaches scurrying across the floor, in search of food at any cost. To see my dad in this predicament broke my heart. Janet and I forced back tears of sorrow. We bravely put on happy faces, just in case dad would open his eyes.

Communication was difficult...almost impossible.

"Dad, dad, can you hear me? It's Janet and Ralph." I said quietly, with reverence. He opened his eyes slightly for a second then closed them. He mumbled something we could not understand. We could see he was in pain. What could we do to help ease his suffering?

What can you do to help your loved ones immediately recover from tragic events?

This is a real challenge. You do not want the nurses and doctors freaking out! You cannot take into the hospital any advanced technology. It does not matter even if you are a internationally recognized expert.

The first thing we did was lay our hands gently on his body and prayed that God would heal him and stop his pain.

When you feel powerless, prayer often appears to be the only option. After many years treating patients in doctors offices, the power of prayer cannot be underestimated. Recent studies show dramatic improvements in patients when people pray for them, even if their are on the other side of the world.

Then we each held one hand, as tears rolled down our cheeks.

Human touch is so powerful and calming to patients. After studying energetic medicine for over 20 years, it is my firm belief that healthy people transfer healing energy directly into sick or injured individuals directly through through touch.

At every opportunity we would touch my father and transfer healing energy into his system.

For those of you familiar with the reflex energy points on the hands, feet and ears, you know the power of human touch. Massaging the hand, feet and ears can have a very beneficial effect on individuals.

Life Field Polarizers are also very powerful in helping to balance the subtle energy of the body.

These strange looking white, cone-shaped devices are powerful antennas that absorb energy and then convert it into a form that strengthens the energy fields of living systems. I decided to bring one on the next visit to place directly on my dad's body to speed his healing.

After a couple of hours our shift was up.

Dad was sleeping so we quietly left the hospital room. My mind was racing at an incredible speed, thinking of things we could do that would help dad without drawing unwanted scrutiny from the doctors and staff.

To Be Continued...