A while ago, my family was struck with this unweclome visitor, and it shook us all to the core. What gave me chizuk was a comment a friend made to me.
He said that all Hashem wants is our tefilos. But He wants sincere tefilos. But people being people tend to slide into a rut, and our tefilos get stale. So He sends us a reminder, to wake us up.
Know that the same way the problem appeared, it can disappear! Never give up hope!