A patient named Irene Brignall was diagnosed with breast cancer.She has had multiple treatments for her cancer for many years. Her and her husband have been coping with her cancer for some time now, and it has not been any easier through the years (Brignall 1999).

The latest dark moment of Irene's life is when she was admitted into a hospital for a month.  "This is when my faith became of paramount importance to me; I had no other resources of my own to lean on." During her stay at the hospital, she realized that she was placed in a ward with many patients who were terminally ill.  Irene adds, "I literally handed myself over to God and asked Him to help me."

Because of her faith in God, Irene was able to reach out to those patients who were alone and near death. Unselfishly, she took control of her situation to be a mentor to people in her ward so that they would not be alone.

"Everybody needs somebody, something to sustain them through the bad times.  For me it is my Christian faith.  I cannot imagine a life without spiritual dynamic.", Irene claims. "Though my faith is central to my life, I recognize that others may well not feel able to exercise faith or to pray when the going gets tough."