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.