{"id":1740,"date":"2025-01-18T15:56:22","date_gmt":"2025-01-18T15:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?p=1740"},"modified":"2025-01-18T15:56:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-18T15:56:22","slug":"swami-kriyananda-as-we-have-known-him-lou-gehrigs-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/swami-kriyananda-as-we-have-known-him-lou-gehrigs-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Swami Kriyananda — As We Have Known Him: Lou Gehrig’s Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Told by Hassi)<\/em><\/p>\n

My husband was forty years old when he was diagnosed <\/strong>with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease. He was a carpenter\u2014a big, robust man. We have four children; the youngest was three. I knew the medical facts but I still found it impossible to imagine that my husband would never get better, that this disease would weaken him, paralyze him, and then take his life.<\/p>\n

A couple of years later, reality had set in with a vengeance and I was beginning to see what I was up against. Every week I drove my husband to the doctor. He had long since lost the ability to drive himself. Afterwards we would stop at a local bakery and have coffee and a treat. If he felt well enough, we\u2019d sit inside. If not, I\u2019d bring things out in a bag and we\u2019d eat in the car.<\/p>\n

On this day, he wasn\u2019t feeling well and I went in alone to place the order. As it happened, Swamiji was standing in line in front of me. I was about at the end of my rope. Every part of me was screaming, \u201cThis is too much. I can\u2019t do this! Nobody could do this. I want to be a wife, not a nurse. I want a husband to help me raise these children, not an invalid I have to push around in a wheelchair.\u201d I am not proud of how I was feeling, but, well, there it is.<\/p>\n

When I saw Swamiji I thought, \u201cMaybe he could talk to Somebody!\u201d God? Master? I didn\u2019t care Who, I just wanted Somebody to do<\/em> something. There were so many things I wanted to say to Swamiji, but all that came out was, \u201cI don\u2019t think I can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swamiji looked at me with such compassion and said simply, \u201cYou\u2019ll get stronger.\u201d In other words, don\u2019t try to swallow the whole thing at once. Just take one teaspoon at a time. It was the perfect advice for me. I know how to put one foot in front of the other.<\/p>\n

Several years after the diagnosis, when my husband was really sick, he asked Swamiji, \u201cHow should I pray?\u201d The question behind it was, \u201cShould I accept this as God\u2019s will or should I ask to be healed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Swamiji answered, \u201cDon\u2019t pray for <\/em>anything. Just pray. Be in a state of openness and communion with God. Put your life in His hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swamiji\u2019s answer was a huge relief. Adding to the difficulty of the disease itself was the lingering thought in my husband\u2019s mind that he had to do<\/em> something about it. Now Swamiji was telling him, \u201cJust be with God.\u201d<\/p>\n

I did get stronger, as Swamiji said I would. And the last years of my husband\u2019s life were the sweetest years of our marriage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Told by Hassi) My husband was forty years old when he was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease. He was a carpenter\u2014a big, robust man. We have four children; the youngest was three. I knew the medical facts but I still found it impossible to imagine that my husband would never … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSwami Kriyananda — As We Have Known Him: Lou Gehrig’s Disease - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda recalls how Swami Kriyananda helped her as her husband fell fatally ill.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/swami-kriyananda-as-we-have-known-him-lou-gehrigs-disease\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swami Kriyananda — As We Have Known Him: Lou Gehrig’s Disease - 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