KINGWOOD, Texas – A community joined hands in prayer Tuesday, in the parking lot of a hospital, to hold vigil for a woman who has battled COVID-19 for over a month.
Sandy Summers was admitted into HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood Hospital on Dec. 18. For 37 days, Summers’ husband, Sarge, has prayed outside her hospital window.
“I pray for my wife to walk out of this hospital and come back home. I call her baby doll. She’s my baby doll,” Sarge Summers said.
Prayer is paramount to the Summers family.
Sarge Summers has kept thousands abreast with his wife’s journey through social media. His efforts have created a virtual prayer circle -- people from around the country writing him with prayers of recovery and sympathy.
“I think it’s important to my family,” Summers said.
The couple, married nearly 50 years, has three children, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
“I think it’s important to our friends. I think it’s important to others who are going through the same thing. They need to know that God is still on the throne and they need to know that God still heals,” Sarge Summers continued.
It’s a message that’s resonated with friends and strangers, alike.
Kevin King, a member of Rig Riders Houston-chapter, a faith-based motorcycle club, helped to organize a larger vigil for the Summers — a family he didn’t know until recently.
“I’d never met Sarge. My cousin reached out to me and told me his story and I sent an email to our group,” King said.
What happened from there, King said, is a testament to the power of prayer: a group of roughly 20 bikers from several clubs rode into the hospital’s parking lot to join arms in solidarity.
“I think prayer pits people in good spirits. It helps them realize that there’s somebody else, besides you, fighting this fight,” King said.
People like Sandy Summers.
“She’s sedated. We haven’t been able to talk to her since the 18th of December, although we have a FaceTime with our family from all over the country,” Sarge Summers said, before adding his prayers are meant for everyone. “If you’ve got a loved one that’s in the hospital, I’m praying for you. May not know you, but I’m praying for you.”