Transcripts: Our Organization

Transcript: Hospital Liaison Committees How Do They Assist?
[Christopher Mavor. Helper to the Service Committee]
Christopher Mavor: Have you or a loved one faced a medical emergency or prepared for a serious medical procedure? If so, you know how stressful this can be. Psalm 41:3 promises that ‘Jehovah will sustain us on our sickbed.’ How does he do this? Not through miraculous cures, but by lovingly providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support. One means of support is the Hospital Liaison Committee arrangement. Today, more than 16,000 brothers serve on or coordinate some 2,000 Hospital Liaison Committees around the world. How do they assist?
[Stephen Whiteman. Hospital Liaison Committee. Canada]
Stephen Whiteman: Our role is to help doctors and Jehovah’s Witnesses to come to a consensus on how to treat the patient without breaking God’s law.
[Jukka Helenius. Hospital Liaison Committee. Finland]
Jukka: Once, we visited a big hospital with two other brothers, and when we went in, we had 25 doctors waiting for us and more doctors were listening through a conference call. When we stepped into the auditorium, one of the doctors said to us, “Now you have entered a lion’s den.” Well, that was not an easy start. We were able to present our hospital presentation, answer their questions, and provide some medical articles.
[Zenon Bodnaruk. Hospital Information Services. World Headquarters]
Zenon Bodnaruk: These are medical articles that are carefully screened and reviewed by a panel of doctors for accuracy and for credibility. Those are the articles that are provided to the Hospital Liaison Committee brother to show to the doctor to try and persuade him or her that this is a valid and effective treatment strategy to use that can avoid blood transfusion.
[L C Cotton, JR. Hospital Information Services. World Headquarters]
L C Cotton: Now doctors understand that patients can make their own choices regarding blood and say, ‘I have to respect the choices patients make.’ They now understand that they can treat patients now without the use of blood.
[Dr. Jeannie Callum. Transfusion Medicine Specialist. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Toronto, Ontario]
Dr. Jeannie Callum: Our surgeons got incredibly fantastic about doing procedures differently advanced technology to do procedures that now didn’t require a blood transfusion.
[Dr Fraser Rubens. Professor, Division of Cardiac Surgery. University of Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario]
Dr Fraser Rubens: We embrace the idea that we should treat respectfully the wishes of the Jehovah’s Witness patients. Serious medical situations are stressful, and decisions often need to be made quickly, including those involving blood. The Hospital Liaison Committee arrangement provides comfort and help at the right time.
[Randall Carter. New Jersey, U.S.A]
Randall Carter: For the past year, I’ve been going through an extremely difficult trial. There were some false starts and a misdiagnosis, but I finally got diagnosed about a year ago that I had oesophageal cancer.
[Photo of him in bed]
I know that Jehovah (in this present, evil, wicked system of things) won’t snap his finger and say, “Cancer be gone.” I know that, and I’ve never asked him for that or prayed for that. But what I have prayed for is comfort, for not only myself but for my family. It’s an answer to my prayer. I pray for help, and they show up. He has delivered tenfold what would be expected.
[Photo of him smiling in his wheelchair at the hall]
Stephen Whiteman: ‘Jehovah will sustain him on his sickbed; during his sickness you will completely change his bed.’ Sometimes there’s a sick patient in bed, fighting for their life, and they’re surrounded by family and friends, and the strongest person in the room is the person in the bed, and it’s this scripture being fulfilled. Sometimes they’re the one encouraging everyone else; they’re the ones telling everyone else: Don’t cry; it’s going to be OK. Everything is going to be fine. And that’s Jehovah sustaining them on their sickbed.
Randall Carter: Receiving the benefits from the HLC during my times in the hospital makes me believe something about the HLC that’s very special: It’s all based on love. It’s based on love first and foremost for Jehovah and appreciation for what he’s given us. The health that we have and to be privileged to receive that love and to give that love is a privilege that I’ll never forget.
Presenter: Each of us also plays a vital role by doing two important things: First, by having a current, completed, simplified durable power of attorney (DPA) card. Second, in advance of any medical procedure, ensure that your doctors will support your health-care decisions.
[A sister hands her completed DPA to a Doctor]
Christopher Mavor: How grateful we are for the Hospital Liaison Committee arrangement and the thousands of brothers working tirelessly on our behalf! This is truly evidence of Jehovah’s loving interest and care.
[Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2020 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania]