“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When I was young, I was so afraid of many things; however, I think my greatest fear was disappointing my parents and other people about whom I cared. I have to admit that I did whatever it took to please everyone with whom I was associated. As time passed, it became clear to me that there was truly only one being that I must please! As a twelve year old teenager, I accepted Christ as my Savior! Now, let me tell you that action changed my life forever. It definitely did not give me an easy road to travel, but I never regretted my decision. I could write volumes about the experiences I faced — some amazing, some scary, some exciting, many sad, but most precious are the memories of my interactions with the individuals God placed in my life. Recently, I had to make a decision that could have been extremely dangerous, but I prayed and God gave me the assurance that He is always with me!

Throughout my life, it has always seemed as though if anything strange could happen to anyone, it would happen to me. About seven years ago, I began to notice I was beginning to encounter some problems with shoulder and back pain. By 2015, I began to experience numbness and tingling on my left side, and I finally went to my doctor and told him all of my symptoms. He referred me to Dr. Paul Lane. After all the testing was completed, I was told I had spinal cord damage and needed to have surgery, or I could end up paralyzed. I had surgery as an outpatient, and I went home the same day. Recovery was wonderful, and no more pain! I still had the numbness and tingling in my left hand, but I could function and that was exciting.

After about three years, I began to notice that I didn’t have good balance and was falling a lot. In fact, I ended up with a concussion after one bad fall. Then, I began to have bouts of dizziness which prompted me to stop driving much, and I ended up in the emergency room and a week’s stay in the hospital. During that time, I was taken off all my medications for high blood pressure, trigemenial neuralgia, and high cholesterol. The tests showed I once again was in a dangerous situation! My spinal cord damage was much worse, and I needed surgery again! The site of the original surgery had become damaged again as well as three more disks were pressing on the spinal cord. The area was very close to the brain stem, which made it extremely serious. The doctor explained that this surgery was much more dangerous, and it would require a longer recovery time and would be extremely painful. He was not joking! The next few weeks would prove to be very uncomfortable.

I began praying before I left his office that day, and I began to seek God’s Will. A peace about my decision began to overwhelm me. I believe some of my family doubted my sanity when I called and set up my appointment for surgery. However, I had an overwhelming feeling of peace and faith in God and Dr. Paul Lane. I knew the dangers, and I faced my surgery with the assurance that God’s Will would be done. He is not finished with me, and I have things I need to do.

It has been over six weeks, and I see and feel improvement every single day! I am so thankful for all the prayers and the wonderful caregivers I encountered on this part of my journey! I thank my Heavenly Father for His Love, Mercy, and Grace. I am also thankful for the doctors, nurses, my family, and every person who helped me through this trying time. I think I will be changing my bucket list for the future! I don’t believe I can take a chance on sky diving or ziplining any time in the near future.