LEHI, Utah, Nov. 25, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Reno Mahe has asked for fasting and prayers following the devastating results of his young daughter’s MRI.
A miracle would be wonderful, said Mahe, Brigham Young University’s running back coach and a former NFL running back. But if that is not to be, Mahe and wife Sunny are hoping their fasting and prayers — added to that of willing friends, family and supporters — will give the family clarity and the grace to accept God’s will for 3-year-old Elsie.
On Tuesday, Elsie caught her neck in a mini-blind cord, and cut off her air supply for an unknown amount of time. After Elsie’s playmate alerted Sunny, she performed CPR, and called medics who rushed Elsie to Primary Children’s Hospital for assessment and care. The toddler has remained there ever since.
“Ofa Atu to you all!,” Reno Mahe posted to the Mahe Update Facebook page, which has more than 4,000 followers. Afa Atu means “Love you” in Maori, an Eastern Polynesian language.
“We received bad news from Elsie’s MRI. While her base brain is able to perform basic functions, (breathing, coughing, reacting to pain), the upper lobes went without oxygen long enough to be devastated. There is nothing more that they can tell us about that. We will continue to hope for a miracle for Elsie, but in the mean time we have opened a family fast.”
Reno and Sunny Mahe and their eight children are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reno Mahe’s post goes on to explain the concept of fasting for a spiritual cause.
“For those of our friends and family who are not LDS but would like to join us, I will give a brief overview of what fasting is. It is voluntarily going without food and drink for a period of time, replacing hunger with prayer. It helps us to feel closer to Heavenly Father and more able to know His will.
“We would specifically ask our family and friends to pray to help us know the will of the Lord. We are willing to do whatever the Lord wants, but we need clear minds and pure hearts to know what that is. If He would like to take her home, if He would like her to remain with us but with disabilities, or if His miracle is one of healing for her. We know that He can do it, but we don’t intend to try to force our will to be His.
“Love, the Mahes!”
Within two hours of Mahe’s post, which went up at about 6 p.m. Friday, close to 200 messages of support had been offered.
“Tonight, we are all Mahe’s,” one post read. “Your prayers are our prayers. We are united in faith. We are ONE. May God’s will be both known and done. Love you all.”
To view a GoFundMe page put up by a friend on the Mahes’ behalf, click here.
