By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

    When Naomi MacDonald learned that complete strangers
were praying for her husband Josh’s recovery from a serious illness,
she realized a need to connect people through a network of physical,
emotional, and spiritual support. During an interview at the South
Portland apartment all four share, MacDonald and co-founders Darrah
Velazquez and Patrick Hamlin discussed their vision for bringing people
together via their non-profit organization, the Circle of Love and
Healing or COLAH.

        “We wanted to give back how
much we had been given,” MacDonald said of their inspiration for the
group. The three friends were a source of strength for each other when
Josh was sick and they were blown away by the support they received
from others.

        Born with a rare medical
condition, MacDonald said, Josh’s heart was upside down and backwards.
In Feb. 2005, Josh was admitted to the hospital for a blood clot in his
lungs. His doctors’ prescribed blood thinners, but three months later,
he was back in the hospital for another clot. To make matters worse, he
also developed a blood infection.

     Although his doctors had repeatedly postponed
risky surgery, by 2006, they decided he would have to undergo
open-heart surgery. Everyone thought the surgery had been successful,
but within a day of the surgery, Josh suffered internal bleeding on the
left side of his chest. His health began to steadily decline.

    Hamlin said the beginnings of COLAH came about as
doctors identified Josh as the sickest man in Maine. He said the three
were in contact constantly via online instant messaging programs as
Velazquez was living in Colorado at the time and he was in Old Orchard
Beach. MacDonald recalled the doctors’ reluctance to give her any
positive information that might lead to false hopes. At one point, the
doctor said, “You need to start praying now. Pray to whoever you
believe in and don’t stop.”

        Miraculously, MacDonald
said, Josh’s health began to improve. She said she noticed an almost
immediate change as Josh began moving and blinking. She said she could
feel positive energy radiating around him.

        Today, MacDonald said Josh
is “almost completely back to the man I married.” Although she said he
may never be that same person, she is okay with that. She said, “Josh
is very happy that he’s stubborn and that we’re stubborn.” Even when
the doctors had given up hope, MacDonald kept telling them they were
wrong.

        “Josh made a promise that he
was not going to die until I got life insurance,” she said,
demonstrating his ability to joke at such a frightening time. “If you
can laugh at even the darkest times, [they] don’t seem so dark and
lonely. Laughter is the best medicine out there.”

        While visiting Josh in the
hospital, MacDonald met a woman who was looking after her son who was
about to undergo open-heart surgery. MacDonald said she would ask her
friends to pray for him. Velazquez got to work sending out prayer
requests on various online communities and when the COLAH Web site was
up and running, the group put out more requests. So how is the man
doing today?

        “The last I heard, he came
out of surgery just fine,” MacDonald said. “Her grandson will still
have his father [and] that’s all I need to know.”

        Although the three said they
are spiritual in an unconventional sense, they said their group is more
about collecting support for those in need. During their monthly
meetings, the group invites any member of the public, regardless of
their beliefs, to participate in a prayer circle.

        At their first meeting, they
established a board of eight members to oversee the logistics of the
operation. MacDonald said their first meeting was loud and
enthusiastic, but they have since learned how to bring some structure
to the meetings.

    Although they are trying to operate on a smaller
scale as they wait for the paperwork that designates their non-profit
status, MacDonald said they had 20 people attend one of their recent
meetings. At their next general meeting, they will host a potluck
dinner, which they believe creates a sense of togetherness.

         The group hopes to
reach a wide range of people and not just those dealing with a loved
one’s illness. Velazquez spoke openly about a difficult time in her
life as both she and MacDonald spent time living on the streets and in
shelters.

        “No one would work with me
and help me because I wasn’t mentally ill and I wasn’t a mother,” she
said.

    Eventually the three founders want to network with
other groups and be a source of information for people willing to offer
a service or for those in need of a service, whether it be a place to
stay, a meal, or just someone to talk to.

        “No need is too big or too
small,” said Hamlin. He added that nothing is expected of anyone at the
meetings and if people only wish to offer their presence, that is
enough.

        For MacDonald, COLAH is a
family affair as her grandmother, aunt, and six-year old son, Ricky,
are active participants in the group. MacDonald described her
grandmother as a “definite Catholic woman” and said there was some
apprehension between the two of them when she decided to attend a
meeting. In the end, however, MacDonald said she was proud of their
creation and she makes an effort to bring prayer requests to the
attention of her church group.

        MacDonald said Ricky is the
young leader of kids’ COLAH as she said the best way to reach a child
in need is through another child. After dealing with his father’s
illness, MacDonald said he has already been through a lot more than
most kids his age. MacDonald said her son is eager to use his knowledge
from that experience to help other kids.  COLAH also has a youth
advisor, who will be available to work with teenagers. 

        “We want [COLAH] to be about
family and community,” MacDonald said. “We would like to bring that
sense of community to what it once was-people working together to
better each other.” She said she believes many people want the same
thing, but don’t know where to start. She said people should start
small by doing something as simple as helping out a neighbor.

        For more information about COLAH, visit COLAH.org or call 899-0406.