It was one year ago last night that Janet and I had the scariest moment in our almost 50 years of marriage. We had cancelled dinner plans with a friend of ours. Janet felt a little under the weather so we decided to do carry out. As I plated dinner, we turned on the TV, as we usually do, and ate. When we finished, I got up to clear the plates and noticed that Janet hadn’t eaten very much. She said that she was finished – then I turned and asked if she wanted me to save it for later. She couldn’t answer me… yes, she moved her mouth, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying. It happened that fast – she had suffered a stroke.
Thank God I was there. I called 911 and help arrived within several minutes. Janet could walk and function in almost every way except her speech. She was brought to the trauma center and immediately attended to. Little did we realize that what had just happened would define our lives for many months to come. The CT scan confirmed that she had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke – a bleed in her brain. Presumably, that is what impacted her ability to speak.
Janet was admitted to the Neuro floor that evening and during the next several days, she had every kind of brain and heart scan that could be done. The biggest surprise for us came when the neurologists asked when she had suffered her first five strokes! Of course, we had no idea that there had been any prior problems. And we knew from a CT scan earlier in the year that her brain was in perfect shape. So… from April 1st through the night of July 20th, Janet suffered six hemorrhagic events. There were traces of the incidents still present in the scans.
Janet was released several days later and I had, naturally, stayed with her throughout the ordeal at the hospital, sleeping in a chair each night. It was a very scary time for us. Yes, we knew that God was in control and His will would be done, but we had never had an experience like this in our entire life together. The thought of life without her was unthinkable to me.
All three of our children were helpful beyond words. They visited, took care of the house, fed and walked Hank, our dog, and did everything else they could do so Janet and I could focus on her health. We were blessed with knowing the lead nurse on the Neuro floor and the staff of the hospital was great. We were fortunate that the recommended neurologist, a legend in Indy, agreed to take on her case.
Janet eventually had something like 64 blood tests (they collected 24 vials of blood in one sitting) and every single test showed that she was in great health, save for her longstanding issues with rheumatoid arthritis. The medical community couldn’t determine a cause for her strokes and to this day, they remain perplexed. While we understand their confusion, we are grateful that a year later Janet has returned to normal.
She has her speech back, no paralysis or weakness, her memory is fine and she has passed every cognitive and neuro evaluation they have given her. In short, it is a miracle… Very few people go through what she experienced and come out the other side with the incredible reports that she has received. Sure, once in a while, it might take a moment to come up with a word, but who among us doesn’t struggle with that from time to time.
Our entire family is blessed beyond measure. At Thanksgiving, I am sure that you can imagine that our biggest blessing for the year was Janet’s return to good health. We did miss our 50th anniversary trip last August 24th, but in the scheme of things, that was minor. Within the last several months, we are back to planning the trip that we were unable to take last year.
Janet is the glue that holds this family together. We all depend on her love and voice of reason in times of struggle and stress. These strokes drove home the blessing that we have in Janet. Her RA is getting worse, but that is minor compared to the impact a series of strokes could have had. Even her doctors think we will never know why they happened. Janet is pronounced completely healthy as far as modern medical science can determine. We have enough faith to understand that is enough… we don’t need to look any further.
Our verse for tonight is a simple but powerful verse from the psalms. It is a straightforward grateful worship of God for deliverance. But it accurately reflects the prayer our family had during Janet’s road to recovery. Simply, the psalmist tells us, in Psalm 30:2, “O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” Period… God healed Janet. Why? Because her life here on earth isn’t finished yet. There is more to do. And in accordance with His will for her life, God chose to heal her and keep our family together.
My encouragement this evening is that petitions of prayer, in accordance with the will of God, will be answered. We are told to pray without ceasing. And miracles are a part of everyday life. My prayer this evening is one of grateful appreciation for God sparing Janet a year ago. While we live life expecting miracles, this miracle was beyond our wildest expectation. A year later, it is evidence of the greatness of God and the will of the human spirit. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…