Russell M. Nelson Story

I came across an article in the Deseret News that caught my eye.  After reading it, I decided to share one of the stories in the article with you.

Elder Russell M. Nelson, of the quorum of the 12 apostles--who also was a world renowned heart surgeon until his call to the apostleship -- recently spoke to the graduating class at the University of Minnesota medical school.  This is one of the stories he told:

"Then he spoke about prayer, saying, “Those patients who are coming to you for an operation are praying for you, so why don’t you pray for your patients and make yourself ready to receive heavenly help as you perform your operations?”

He said that in his early years as a surgeon, he declined to operate upon a man who had come to him. “I didn’t know how to help him,” Elder Nelson said. The man had problems with the mitral and the tricuspid valves. Elder Nelson said he knew how to repair the first, but didn’t know how to fix the second. The man later came back, miserable with chronic heart failure.

“I declined again, saying I didn’t know what to do with the one valve and told him he wouldn’t survive the operation unless we could repair both valves at once. He scolded me, saying, ‘I’ve prayed for help. I’ve been referred to you. God won’t give me that inspiration, but He will give you that help if you pray for it. Have you prayed for help about this?’ I said, ‘Well, no.’ He said, ‘Pray for help about how to help me.’

“I prayed for help and I got nothing. But the man said, ‘Operate on me and God will tell you what to do.’ ”

Elder Nelson said he did not receive the answer — reduce the circumference of the ring -— until the operation was underway. “Then, in my mind, there were dotted lines shown on this ring that holds that tricuspid valve: ‘Take a pleat here, a tuck there.’ It wasn’t perfect, but the patient enjoyed a great result.”

The procedure the young Dr. Nelson used in 1961 subsequently became a standard for that kind of surgery.

“Don’t forget to pray,” Elder Nelson told the graduating doctors."

-- excerpt taken from an article in the Deseret News: June 16, 2014, Elder Russell M. Nelson counsels new doctors, by Gerry Avant

I really like this story as it shows the need for, and power of, faith and prayer even in highly trained surgeons and their patients.  It also exemplifies Elder Nelson's humility and faith in the Lord.

That's my two cents.