For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:13
This Fall, in the space of one month, my father died and my husband was stricken with progressive muscular weakness on his left side. In just a few weeks he went from walking with assistance to needing a walker to being wheelchair bound. He began losing control of his bowel and bladder. For weeks the doctors were not sure what was causing this. Days before surgery to repair what the doctors believed to be the cause of the weakness, severe cervical spinal stenosis and a herniated disk, he was unable to cough deeply or raise his torso from a chair. Up to that point it was pretty scary but we encouraged each other in the Lord. My husband also had his scriptures that he prayed over and prayer partners and I had mine. The night that his body flopped back onto the sofa because he had no strength in his core muscles, I became terrified. I did not want to show my fear so I left the house for a drive. I started driving and crying. I had been holding onto the scripture, “For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not be afraid, I will help you” when all of this began. As I prayed that scripture , cried and talked to God, the most miraculous thing happened. I stopped breathing for myself(I was in the midst of a panic attack) , and my breathing became steady and even. A calm overcame me and my mind was clear and focused. I began to identify the things that needed to be done to get to Friday morning when the surgery was scheduled. This was Tuesday night. I slept downstairs with Ben that night, to help him when he needed to urinate. The next morning I called the company that had provided a lift chair for my dad and they delivered one to our home by midday. I was able to get a wheelchair. We also needed to check into a hotel, because he could not climb the stairs of our home and the first floor only has a powder room. I found a hotel that had a shower that was wheelchair accessible. I even drove to the hospital the day before surgery to make sure I knew where I was going and how I would get him to registration. On Friday morning as we drove to the hospital, I knew that God was with me(us) guiding our steps, and that the most important thing was we had to keep trusting and believing in Him. After 5 hours for what was supposed to be an 1 hour procedure, the neurosurgeon came out and said it went as well as could be expected. When I asked what that meant, he said “well you know like Christopher Reeves, when you damage the spinal cord”. Well quite honestly I did not know what he was talking about or what to say. It was not until the next day that we learned that Ben had fractured his neck. Ben recalled that he had been told by the surgeon in recovery that he was picking out bone fragments, but because he was still somewhat sedated from the anesthesia this did not make sense until the next day. The next day he was sent for an X-ray of his neck and he learned that he had actually broken his neck. He had gone over 30 days with a broken neck! The progressive decline could have easily resulted in him being paralyzed for life, but today, he is walking with a cane. He has regained strength and dexterity in his left hand. His bowel and bladder control returned as well as his core muscles. His physical therapist predicts he will regain 100%, and said after reading the surgeons medical note, she would say it is a miracle. But God!! There is so much more. While my husband was having this health crisis my dad was laid to rest. He was 93 years old! I miss him very much, but I am so grateful that although I was not with him when he passed, the last expression on his face showed him to be at peace. Suffice it to say that I am humbled by our Heavenly Father’s love, grace and mercy! The LORD our God is good!