Friend's moral dilemma

[K. Ayato]

Hi. Could you all pray for my best friend Alex? He's one of the fellow Christians I met while I was stuck in Fort Jackson, SC while trying to get into the Army.

Here's what's the problem. I was at work today, visiting with one of my guys when my phone rang. Turns out, it was Alex who called. He said he needed some advice about a moral dilemma he was facing. Sunday, I believe (he said it happened on the way to church), Alex got in a car accident. He wasn't injured but the front of his car was messed up. Thank the Lord Alex was driving slow 'cause he told me if he were going any faster, the driver side would've been hit and he would either be seriously hurt or killed.

He took the doctor's (and his father's) advice and went to see a chiropractor to check if he was suffering from whiplash. He told me they took some x-rays, and found out that his spine is crooked in two places. One is just below his neck near the shoulders, and the other is on his right side, near the pelvis. However, as stated before, he suffered no injuries due to the wreck. Yet, he was unaware that his back had this kind of problem and would still be unaware had the accident not taken place.

He needs prayer and advice on this. He's been told that the other person's insurance company is offering to cover all his medical bills in regards to his back. Alex does agree that this is a good offer, since he's unable to pay for any further procedures on his own. However, he can't shake off the feeling of guilt if he goes through with this, 'cause even though the other insurance company would be covering for his injuries and back problems, none of them were caused directly by an accident, and he feels that if he accepts this offer, in a way he'd be stealing from this person. I don't blame him.

Please keep Alex in your prayers. He has been praying about this too and just needs assurance that God is in control. Pray that he gets his back problems fixed as early as possible, while he's still young. And also pray that, whatever method the Lord offers him, he has peace about it. One last thing: Pray that the Lord calms his nerves. I could sense that he was shaken about this whole thing in taking someone else's money and feeling guilty. He has 3 more appointments with the chiropractor next week. I told him to relax and put it out of his mind for the moment.

I'm glad he called. He needed my encouragement while we were stuck in the Army going nowhere. He said I'm one of the few friends he can talk to and trust. Again, please keep him in your prayers. Thanks.

[goldenspines]

I'll be praying for him and you.

[SP1]

Perhaps he could get another check by a spinal specialist, as opposed to a chiropractor.

I applaud his feeling that asking the insurance company to pay for his care (which pre-dates the accident) is wrong. Actually, it's illegal, and he is wise to worry about it. At some point, the insurance company is going to want a statement from him about whether the medical condition was pre-existing, which will put him in the position of lying on an official document. Definitely avoid going there.

I will pray that he recovers and gets help from an honest source that won't challenge his ethics.

[K. Ayato]

I called him up after I was done with work. I think he's not going to take up on the insurance company's offer. As said in my first post, Alex has 3 more chiropractic sessions to go to, then he said something about seeing an actual medical doctor and taking it from there.

He didn't say anything about having any back pain currently, but he does agree with me to get this fixed as soon as he can. I told him he's better off wearing a brace (if it comes to that) now while he's young than get further complications later on.

[holysoldier5000]

I can't really say clearly what is the right thing to do here. But I will pray that the Lord gives him wisdom in what to do next.

[K. Ayato]

If somehow they can prove that the accident had nothing to do with the way his spine is, then maybe this offer will drop. Pray that they can clear this up.

[Tenshi no Ai]

It's interesting how he would've have known that unless the accident happened... How "coincidental"... I'll for sure be praying for him...

[K. Ayato]

Oh, he's had back problems before. Even during the time we were both stuck in Fort Jackson. Guess he'd not seen actual x-rays of his spine 'til not too long ago. Thanks again for all your prayers. I'm sure he'll keep me posted about this, and I'll be sure to update accordingly.

[Mithrandir]

In situations like this, it's *very* dificult to know if the accident is "what pushed him over the edge" so to speak. If he hadn't had the accident, he could know with clarity that any pain was not caused by it.

It's certainly an area that conjures up a plethora of moral implications. We'll keep praying.

[ChristianKitsune]

ouch I can see the problems this arises.. However, even if he wasnt hurt by the accident..Could it have done more damage? They say that after an accident happens your adrenaline is too high for you to really sense anything wrong. I was in a car accident once, and I was fine, but my driver had whiplash and was taken to the hospital. It's hard to tell...O.o

I will be praying.

[K. Ayato]

I did get to talk to Alex briefly yesterday. From what little we talked about (and I could be wrong), his family is still upset about this insurance situation. Thanks for all the prayers, guys. Alex expresses his thanks as well. Keep 'em coming!

[MidnightWalker]

I hope and pray he is feeling better

[K. Ayato]

He has one more chiropractic appointment tomorrow. Pray it goes well.