HOW PRAYER SAVED MY LIFE

STROKE!

Five years ago today a friend of mine woke up in the morning and felt a nudge to pray for me. She prayed for me all morning. Then, at around 11:00 a.m., it happened. I had a stroke.

I went to put something in the refrigerator and suddenly felt something was very wrong. I lay down on the living room couch. At least I tried to. I was lying half on and half off the couch and was wondering why I couldn’t lift my leg to get the other half on. I remember Rick trying to talk to me, but I couldn’t respond. It turns out I was having a major stroke brought on by atrial fibrillation in my heart .

I have no memory of being picked up and ferried by the ambulance to Lake West Hospital. I do remember someone asking me there if I knew my name. I said I couldn’t recall it at the moment. They gave me a multiple choice: Smith, Jones, Peterson. I chose Peterson.

I remember being loaded on a helicopter to be life-flighted to University Hospital in Cleveland. Rick told me they put me in a bag to do this. Unaware, I had this strange sensation that I was like a lemon-filled jelly roll being squeezed in amongst other jelly rolls. Looking back, I’m glad I had this illusion, as I tend to be claustrophobic. Much better to be a lemon roll than a body in a mummy bag. The next I remember was waking up in the ICU at UH, unaware I’d just had a life-saving surgery to remove the clot from my brain. The doctor told Rick the next 24 hours would be critical to my survival.

My immediate family was spread out when they heard about my stroke–Columbus, OH, West Virginia, and Virginia. To their credit, they all dropped what they were doing and rushed back to Cleveland. Beth and Michael had lost his mom less than a year before and his dad three weeks before. So this was quite a blow to them. “We can’t lose another parent!” they cried.

The next day my family were all in my ICU room around my bed. (I’m sure they were breaking all kinds of hospital rules–seven visitors in ICU, including a rambunctious two-year-old and a six-year-old.) I seemed to have made an amazing recovery. I like to say I was the “life of the party” that day, ordering off the menu, cracking jokes and laughing with my family. At one point they all gathered around my bed at my request, holding hands to pray that God would bring a testimony out of this.

SETBACK

Then the bottom fell out. I’m not sure if it was the more than twenty brain bleeds that resulted from my treatment or what, but my body crashed. The gaiety that had pervaded the atmosphere in the room was expelled like a suddenly deflated balloon. Have you ever walked by a hospital room and seen someone lying in their bed, head tilted to the side, eyes closed, mouth sagging open, with tubes coming out everywhere? That was me. For days. My family didn’t know if I was going to make it.

I can’t tell this next part without crying (so much easier to write), but my hard-working, ever-active son sat by my bed holding my hand. For days. I will never forget that. I will also never forget his leaving on a quest to find a banana smoothie because that was the only thing I craved. (It was the best smoothie I ever had.) I am touched by my daughter who juggled her job and family and somehow managed to be there daily for me.

Both of my children went to bat for me, asking the doctors so many questions they thought my kids were in the medical field.

My husband became an expert at steering the teaching doctors and their students out into the hallway when they discussed my case. I set the rule early on: “Spare me the details.” How could I focus on getting better when I repeatedly heard all the bad things that could have caused this and that could happen to me? In fact, through the whole ordeal Rick was my tireless advocate, my cheerleader, my errand runner and my ever-present companion.

THE JOURNEY BACK

Thus started a journey that was, at the same time, very difficult and yet full of God’s grace. I had to learn to walk again. To talk clearly. To balance myself. To climb steps. (When I bounce up the one step onto our front porch now, I remember how I needed assistance just to get up that one step when I first came home.) Through it all, I felt His Presence buoying me up.

I was also overwhelmed by the many encouraging visits, cards, flowers, and meals (for many weeks after I came home from the hospital). God’s people truly stepped up.

I’d like to think, also, that Rick and I ministered to a few people who served us. We saw each person who entered my hospital room or brought food to our home as being sent by God. In addition to receiving from them, we did our best to encourage them, listen to them, and offer to pray for them.

PRAYER SAVED MY LIFE

We saw God’s hand time and time again. Prayer was the biggest part of my recovery.  Prayers went up, as I mentioned before, even before I had the stroke. That first morning when Rick saw my symptoms, he called my sister-in-law, who is a nurse, and she told him to call 9-1-1. The minute she hung up, she got a random phone call from a Christian organization saying they were calling people to see if they had any prayer requests. So there was prayer from the start. My cardiologist told me he thinks those prayers saved my life.

So many people prayed for me across the country. So many people visited me and laid hands on me in prayer in the 25 days I was in the hospital. I will forever be grateful for them. In fact, the doctors are amazed at how well I’ve recovered. It’s all due to prayer.

So here I am, five years later, feeling grateful. Today I have a two mile circuit I like to walk. Two miles. Five years ago I couldn’t walk two feet.

There’s still some recovery to go. But I’m so thankful for all that God has brought me through. And if you are one of the people who prayed for me, visited me, called me, or brought food, I say thank you.

GAINING PERSPECTIVE

As a result of my stroke, I learned the importance of putting God first in your life and the precious gift of family and friends. When your life is on the line, the everyday concerns that you thought were so pressing fade away.

When it first happened, and my family didn’t know if I would live, I felt God’s peace. Thanks to Jesus Christ and his loving sacrifice for my sins on the Cross, I knew that when I faced God, I would be embraced by Him. Not because of anything I had done to deserve it, but because of what Jesus did on the Cross for me. (“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8)

WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT

Lying in my hospital bed made me realize that the things I thought were so important really weren’t. What is really important is what we do with God’s Son Jesus. When we die we will be asked by our Heavenly Father, “What did you do with my Son Jesus?” “I tried to live a good life” will not get us into Heaven. Even if we’ve lived an exemplary life, our very best according to Scripture is as “filthy rags” compared to God’s holiness. No, we need a Savior. Someone who can take the punishment due to us, upon Himself. Thank God, He provided one for us in the Person of Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“The person who has the Son has [eternal] life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have [eternal] life.”  I John 5:12

This eternal life is available to anyone who believes in Him. My stroke was sudden and unexpected. Life is fragile. Are you ready to face God?

I invite you to pray this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the Cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

(Taken from The Four Spiritual Laws)

I’m so thankful God brought me through five years ago. But I’m even more thankful for the peace and joy of knowing His Son. Jesus Christ has made all the difference in my life. May you experience the joy of knowing Him.