A TESTIMONY IN THREE PARTS – PART TWO
In summer of 2005, my daughter asked if she could go to a church camp with her friend. Following that trip, she started regularly attending church with her friend and her friend’s family. And after a while, my daughter started asking me to go to church with her. It took a few attempts, but she finally convinced me to go with her. So I went and then found myself attending on a regular basis. I felt it was time for me to reconnect my relationship with the Lord and get my life back on track. As several months passed, and as we continued going to church, my daughter and I both decided together to get baptized. Being baptized helped me feel like I was truly starting to get closer to God.
A few years had since passed, and I decided to get married again. Unfortunately, this relationship only lasted for three years until it ended in divorce. At this point, my daughter was a sophomore in high school, and I felt my relationship with the Lord was slipping again. I started doubting Him and doubting myself. I struggled again for a little while; but once things settled down, I found myself refocusing my life back to Christ. My kids and I managed to get through the divorce, as well as the trials that followed in the months to come.
Fast forward, and Melissa was graduating high school. By this time, I had met another woman. After we began a relationship, I found myself moving to Myrtle Beach to be with her. Not realizing it at the time, I was beginning to have medical issues with my heart. My heart rate had dropped down to 10 percent ejection fraction during this time frame. I was diagnosed with heart failure – a result from my past chemotherapy. In the meantime, my relationship with the woman I moved to Myrtle Beach for, was beginning to fall apart. Yet again, my faith in Christ began to waiver.
By August 8th, 2013, I was sent to MUSC in Charleston to have a defibrillator put in for my heart. That same year, December 23rd, I also had a right hip replacement – another result from my past cancer treatments. I was still lost in my spiritual life with God, and I didn’t know how to get it back at this point. For the next 6 years, I had a defibrillator to essentially keep my heart going. In those 6 years, I had met with a cardiologist that said I was eventually going to need a heart transplant. By the time 2015 rolled around, my relationship with the woman I was with in Myrtle Beach had ended. I decided in March of 2015, after the relationship ended, to move down to Florida where my mother lived. She was by herself and needed someone there to take care of her. And in the meantime, my heart was continuing to fail.
In December of 2018, I visited my kids and grandkids, who live in South Carolina, for Christmas. When it was time for me to head back home after the holidays, I was in bad shape. On my way home back to Florida after the new year, I stopped off in Georgia at a welcome center to take a break. I felt like my energy was completely zapped, and I could hardly move. Still, I had gotten back on the highway to continue my trip and started getting tunnel vision. I was feeling a lot worse after leaving the welcome center.
Praying to God, I asked for Him to help me get somewhere safe. So, I chose a mile marker on the side of the interstate to stop. By the time I stopped, my body was barely functioning. I was able to think clearly, but that was about it. I called my son, Kris, to let him know what was going on. As soon as I finished talking with him, he told me I needed to call 911 immediately. It felt like forever before the ambulance showed up, so I started to panic. I prayed again and asked for the Lord to give me strength to get through this situation. By the time the ambulance showed up, I feel like my panic had resided and I know it’s because I had reconnected with Christ and felt His peace.
(Editor’s note: See Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.“)
I was taken to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia called St. Joseph’s. After arriving, I called my kids to ask if they could come and pick up my truck from the side of the road. They drove about 4 hours to get to my truck. By the time they made it to the hospital where I had been transported, I had already been discharged and was walking out the door! Come to find out, the problem was that I had become severely dehydrated. Once the medical staff were able to get enough fluids into my system, they felt it was safe to send me home. Once I got to my kids, I took them to dinner to thank them for coming all that way to get my truck for me. And then I called my mother to let her know what was going on. I told her I was planning to spend the night in Georgia before driving the rest of the way home. I was exhausted. Finally, I did manage to get home safely.