Cellular

What a piece of work is a man, How noble in
Reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving
how express and admirable, In action how like an Angel!
in apprehension how like a god, the beauty of the
world, the paragon of animals. and yet to me, what is
this quintessence of dust?
- Hamlet, Act II scene ii, William Shakespeare

The miracle of complex life:  thousands and thousands of tiny cells working together, their sum far greater than their individuality.  Neurons, epithelium, endothelium, sensory, stem, immune system - I cannot properly pick even a few examples of the more then 200 types of cells within a single organism.  And the building blocks for the cells - DNA, RNA, ribosome, protein, endless complex machinery to maintain.  It is no surprise when things go wrong.

The fat dog of the family, Thor, has suddenly and quickly become noticeably thinner.  The vet suspects diabetes.  Pancreatic islet cells failing, going awry.  We will know more when the lab results come back.  Oh, Thor, you are stalwart, unwavering in your devotion, a loving furry soul.  We will do the best we can for you.

A lovely woman, very close to Herself's heart though distant geographically, got a call after her first mammogram because of a 'suspicious area.' Follow-up tests appeared to indicate papilloma, likely benign.  Nevertheless, there will be biopsy and lumpectomy to be sure.  Herself is worried; so often are women defined by their biological attributes that even a likely harmless aberration of cells in a breast strikes fear into every female heart.  Lovely woman, you are a beautiful wife, mother, friend -- all that Herself aspires to be -- and you are in our thoughts constantly. 

An extended family member who has recently successfully undergone cancer treatment has received some disconcerting follow-up lab results.  Biological markers raised.  What could those cells be doing?  We cannot even begin to speculate.  Kind, patient, marvelous man -- our prayers go with you through every upcoming test.

Please, Universe.  Help us to do what we can for those in need.  Give us strength to face what we must.