There is more buried under the word Va'eschanan. It has a gematria of 515. Chazal tell us this is a hint that Moshe prayed to H' 515 times. It makes things happens. Someone in the family gets sick ,chas v'shalom, and so you pray that they should be well.
Prayer is the means' to achieve health.
It doesn't necessarily work that way. OR, He might make you or someone close sick or suffer a serious financial loss, ch'v'sh, in order to get you to talk to Him. Any family with at least 2 kids can tell you how one causes trouble when the other is getting all the attention. Hopefully, when health and finances are restored, it won't be taken for granted and the lines of communication will continue. Most people don't appreciate that the prayers giving thanks should be at least as intense as were the prayers asking for something.