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Be Not Afraid sufferingreclining wheelchair, her body so weak that she couldnot support the weight of her own head and arms.Even then, however, she refused to give up.Debilitated as she was physically, she remainedmentally and spiritually alert. Refusing to play the partof a helpless invalid, she insisted instead on contributingsomething in return for the nursing care she received,and put in several hours a day – until a week before herdeath in 1982 – proofreading manuscripts for a localpublishing house.Coming from a large family and a close-knitcommunity, Deb enjoyed a security and comfortthat many do not have – especially nowadays, whenloneliness, neglect, and poverty make untold numbersof the disabled and elderly feel that they are a burden,and the once unthinkable idea of a “right to die” hasbecome an attractive, if morbid, dream for thousandsof them.But quite apart from everything that was done forDeb, there was her own attitude: her resilience inthe face of infirmity, her awareness of others whodidn’t have the care she received, and last but notleast, her humble acceptance of her dependence onothers – which did not come without struggle.Deb’s view of her suffering is summed up in her replyto a well-meaning visitor who told her, near the end ofher life, “If you ask Jesus, he can make you well again.”10