Never Give Up . . . All Is Well

In August 1975 God came to me as I was walking out the door to go to work one day. I can remember that encounter as if it was yesterday. Even though I was feeling so bad and so sick, God reassured me that I was going to be all right and just continue to live my life with faith in Him to give me strength and discernment each day. I truly believe my parents’ prayers sustained me during these days of suffering and uncertainty….

On September 15, 1975 I ran wind sprints after work in the subdivision where I lived. I still cannot believe I had been running that day. The next day I went to work as usual. I began to experience a stomach ache around 3:00PM which got worse and worse as the afternoon came to a close. I guess I ate some supper, and then I was determined to work out at the health club around 7:00PM. But I reluctantly decided not to go because my stomach pain was so much
worse than before. By 11:00PM I realized I was in serious trouble, and I got dressed and drove myself to the emergency room 1 mile away at nearby Mease Hospital in Dunedin. I was in such agony that I was all bent over and could not possibly stand up straight as I walked into the hospital lobby. How I managed to drive to the hospital I do not know. All I can say is the Good Lord was my co-pilot. Fortunately for me there was no one else in the emergency room at that moment. The nurses took care of me immediately and placed me on a gurney, and X-rays were taken of my abdomen as soon as possible. The X-rays revealed a large cyst or possibly a tumor in my intestinal tract. The preliminary diagnosis was a possible gall stone obstructing my intestines or bowel. The attending physicians decided to move me by ambulance to Morton Plant Hospital. The paramedic in the ambulance apologized for having to stick a tube down my nose and throat because my stomach was so bloated it was about to implode. I gagged as the tube went down my nostril into my throat, and I vomited all the food in my stomach. I thought I was going to choke to death. But I knew by now that he had just saved my life. I am not sure whether I thanked him or not for his compassion because I was in shock and so scared. I could not talk at all because of the tube in my throat and esophagus. When I arrived at the hospital, I asked someone to call my friends Kaye, my co-worker, and Theresa, her sister, who also lived in Pinehurst Village to let them know what had happened. It was approximately 1:30AM when I was told my mother was on her way from Atlanta to be with me.

Dr. John Snelling, a general surgeon whose office was located in nearby Largo, was summoned to determine the nature and cause of the blockage causing the abdominal pain. Dr. Snelling looked at the X-rays and any lab tests performed by the hospital. Based upon his knowledge, experience, and intuition, Dr. Snelling suspected a ruptured appendix, but the large cyst or tumor mimicked a gall stone. Therefore, Dr. Snelling had a surgeon who specialized in the surgical procedures for removal of the gall bladder standing by just in case. What Dr. Snelling found during the operation was absolutely astounding. Mother told me that the surgeons had indeed found a ruptured appendix complicated by a large stone wedged inside my rectum and also the presence of gangrene all over my abdomen. Dr. Snelling said that this stone, which can sometimes form during appendicitis, had actually left an imprint on my rectum. According to him, it was one of the largest stones he had ever seen. Dr. Snelling chewed out Dr. Neller for his failure to properly diagnose the illness and warned him that I had grounds for suing him for malpractice. I never considered pursuing legal action. I was so thankful just to be alive and in the best of hands at the hospital.

But what is so chilling here was that I was not expected to live because the poison from the gangrene was in my blood stream and had possibly spread over my entire body. Mother later told me that I had a fever over 105 degrees caused by the gangrene in my abdomen, and I was being treated with heavy duty antibiotics. I have been told that my baldness could have been caused by the high fever which can destroy hair follicles in your scalp. I started losing my hair after the surgery. I remember the monitors and other devices in my hospital room and the IVs in my hands and drainage tubes in my abdomen. I still had the tube inserted down my nostril and my throat that made it so hard for me to swallow. I was not allowed to eat or drink anything, even water. I will never forget the kindness and compassion of a nurse who was taking care of me. I was burning up with fever, and I asked her if I could have a cup of water to drink. She said no, but I could have some ice. Those cups of ice during the night were the greatest gift I have ever received from anyone because it lifted my spirits and gave me hope. At that point I knew I was dying, but I now felt God’s presence, and a peace came over me that I cannot explain. The scripture in Joshua, Chapter 1, Verse 9 [New King James Version], comes to mind:

“9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and be of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”