Monday, April 19, 2010

FAITH IN ADVERSITY - DANA M'S STORY!



Every once in a while, a story of great Faith (in the Lord your God) really stands out, especially when the testimony is day after day. Our wonderful friend Dana M.is such a living testimony. The young mom of four wonderful children from 7-21, Dana was widowed in her thirties three years ago today (April 19, 2010) when her late husband died after a fall, and left her in charge of three corporations. The trauma, as you can imagine, was unbelievable.

If you know anyone who has gone through this kind of grief, it can be unbearable to the point (many times) of questioning the point of your own existence….even if you are a Christian and even if you are a strong believer! Just look at the book of Job in the Bible! Sometimes you think God is there for everyone else but you. And what about your four young kids! The Bible is firm about the Perseverance of the Saints and ours is the kingdom of Heaven, that is, if we endure to the end.

Dana has since happily remarried a great guy named Wes, a patriot and good man in every sense of the word (seen in photo here). Since then, her life has been seemingly overwhelmed by pain, caused by certain health issues. What those are is not as important to this discussion as her response to it! I can only describe it GRACE! Great Grace! I was so impressed and blessed and not amazed, but reassured by her posts about her upcoming Surgery this Thursday, that I sought permission to post some of them on this blog.

Here are some of them. Read them, be blessed by them, see the heart of a saint – a true woman of God- – as she seeks after the Heart of the One True God in Heaven, Jesus Christ! Also please share with a friend or family member, whom you know is having a difficult time with any adverse situation in life!
God bless (Bernie Lutchman).

DANA ~~Thank you all. I'm doing my best, eating properly, taking my meds, sleeping often & letting God love me through my family, friends & our beautiful new puppies! I'm a good napper on a normal day but also a happy camper on busy days like today. I've scheduled myself a morning of mani/pedi's on Wednesday & take the girls (puppies) in to the Vet for their second set of shots Thursday morning. So I'll be busy taking care of my babies until Wes comes home to take me in for surgery. I've had grafts before, as well as anchors and screws; so nothing should come as a surprise. I am just praying very diligently that the shoulder block doesn't paralyze my diaphragm this time - which makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to breathe. It took 8 hours for me to be able to breathe the last time; so just giving it to God ahead of time this go-round. Susie, I'll pray for you - those dreams are very precious...I remember & I still have them, as do the children…..

DANA~~”We walk by Faith, not by sight...but I am ever so thankful for the sight God has given me; for the experiences that I've lived through that have brought me to a place in my life where I can actually see God's miracles. Today we spent a bit of time with my dad. When I was growing up he was a hard, violent and an angry man. In 1998 he suffered from a major aneurysm in his left temple. I was able to be there when he awoke from his surgery & coma after sitting vigil for many nights. Once he was released, I was at their home often to keep an eye on him, as I'm the only one in our family with any medical schooling. One day, shortly after being released, he began to act odd & just grabbed his shotgun and some ammo & told everyone he was going hunting.

Absolutely crazy. On the short walk to his car, he collapsed. In the ER I repeatedly pointed out to the nurses that he was not breathing correctly. His o-sats (oxygen saturation) was reading in the 90's but I could tell that he wasn't breathing & being the pushiest little blond known to man, I kept at them until they were ready to kick me out...and then he crashed. His lungs were completely paralyzed & he was put on life support & transferred to a downtown trauma center.

He was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome, which paralyzed his lungs & then worked its way throughout his entire body, leaving him comatose for nearly 3 months. At the time I just had my two older children, so I spent the night shift with my dad every night, worked everyday & then spent the afternoons with the childr
en.
Today, 12 years later, he drags his left leg, cannot smell or taste anything, but he is a Christian. So sometimes, our faith is given power by our sight. If God can save my dad, He can bring me through the diseases I live with, the allergies I live with and at least one more surgery! I trust Him!
BERNIE’S NOTE~ I enclosed this comment from Susie here as an example of how Dana’s story was already Touching Lives!!!
Susie Griffin Bridgeman says “ Wow what a testament! Maybe I can renew my faith for it has been a little on the thin side these days”.

DANA~~Maybe this is why God woke you from your sleep... Perhaps knowing that your aunt is in Heaven & you are already chosen as a child of God, just needed to be brought to the forefront of your mind. I know that when my husband passed away in my arms, I could feel the Holy Spirit in the room, just scooping him up to take him home. It was as Holy a moment to me as when any of our children were born. It was an amazing experience, God was so merciful to save him from his suffering. Though it was the beginning of our suffering, we made ourselves focus on David's gain. We've never been perfect nor have we been able to consistently maintain that selfless attitude but the point is that whenever we're strong enough, we always try. I think God just wanted to remind you tonight that you are his beautiful child & always will be.

DANA~~God has healed me. Wes and I were talking about it about 10 days ago...how different I am, how different the anniversaries this year feel and how I am finally finding that peace that I so needed to find. But the long road is there to be walked for a higher purpose and you and your children will be in my prayers as you walk that lonely road I, too, have walked. Believe it or not, this walk is a blessing to you & your family, from God Himself. He will carry you on this walk, so lay all your burdens, emptiness and pain on Him. Everyone who loses a spouse has a different walk, some are longer and some are shorter; but we who walk in Christ are always healed.

BERNIE’S NOTE~~FINALLY, I LOVE THIS COMMENT FROM ONE OF DANA’S FRIENDS – “Eileen Wiegel Robbins~~”Dana, what an inspiration your words are! You are a shining example of how God can take even the hardest trials and transform them into something beautiful and wonderful. God bless and keep you” Amen. (BL)
DANA IS MARRIED AND IS THE MOTHER OF Ricky, Bridgitte, Nicholas and Madison. 

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