Walking through the Valley
Diary of a Hospice Chaplain
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Ellen's mind ws numb; she struggled to comprehend and digest the message just received form her medical doctor. His words, "You have terminal cancer; there is nothing more we can medically do for you." Her thoughts raced back over the start of her symptoms; she remembered having pain in her stomach but it was fleeting. Never in a 100 years did she think those were sysmptoms of a terminal disease. What had she done to deserve this? She was going to die "3 to 6 months to live..." the doctor told her. What was going to happen to her after death; was there an after-life; was there a God? If so, how could she connect with him? All these questions and more remained unanswered as she slowly climbed into her car and began the long drive home...
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About the Book
Walking through the Valley explores terminal patients’ struggle with life, death, and spirituality at the end of their life journey. Medical research reveals prayer does make a difference: healing, physical remission, and peace of mind occur through prayer. There appears to be a paradox: many believe that healing can only be of a physical nature, when, in fact, healing exhibits itself in different perspectives. Walking through the Valley is a compilation of true stories about patients living with a terminal illness, some of whom have found their healing by discovering a pathway through faith in a Higher Power: God, as they have come to know Him.
About the Author
Dr. Curtis E. Smith, an ordained, non-denominational minister, has worked with terminally ill patients for twenty-five years. He holds graduate degrees in marriage/family counseling, religion, and human behavior, with post-graduate degrees in psychology, religion, and human behavior.
“Dr. Curtis,” as he is fondly known by colleagues and patients, has extensive experience in both acute hospital care and hospice settings, with Brea Community Hospital, Brea, California, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America, which occupied a wing in Brea Community Hospital. He currently works with Gentiva, a national healthcare agency.
For twenty-plus years, Dr. Curtis was in private practice as a clinical pastoral psychotherapist. This work on hospice is the second edition to Dr. Curtis’s first book, When It’s Time.
Other books by Dr. Smith: See, Point, and Say, a communication guidebook for use by individuals with speech, hearing, and writing handicaps; A Hospice Guide Book, designed to introduce the general public to hospice care, which follows the terminally ill patient from referral to discharge, addressing everything you need to know about hospice care programs.