thankful.

Two years ago, around this time of the year, I was a worried wife.  I was anxious.  I was fearful.  My husband, my 35 year-old husband, would wake up in the morning hardly able to get out of bed.  Excruciating back pain plagued him continually day and night.  He could not run, he could not lift even simply things like the garbage to take it out to the garage.  He could barely focus on daily tasks, his pain was so great.

He was in the process of undergoing tests.  Tests for everything from MS to a kind of arthritis that would render him crippled at a certain stage.  We were afraid, and we prayed.  A lot.

MRIs revealed a herniated disc.  It has bulged so severely that we were told if he felt anything such as a tingling or numbness in any part of the lower half of his body we would need to go to the ER immediately and demand attention...the slightest shift would render him paralyzed.  As he waited to get into the surgeon-it seemed that surgery to remove the disc was going to be the only option-he began physiotherapy.  By the time he saw the surgeon he had improved, somewhat.  The surgeon felt that we should wait on surgery.  He said that it was rare in a disc as badly bulged as Kev's but it COULD heal. He felt encouraged by the slight improvement with physio.  I remember Kevin's face that day...he was still in so much daily pain that I don't think that was what he wanted to hear.  The surgeon gave Kevin instructions to carry on as he was and check back in again.

As it turns out, we never went back to that surgeon.  Kevin continued his physio, but we also began to pray diligently.  One day in chapel this past year my teaching partner spoke about how his mother had experienced horrible pain for so many years and she was healed.  I was amazed by it and told Kevin that I truly felt he needed to ask for prayers of healing after church on the following Sunday.  He was hesitant, but did so.

Slowly, he started to improve.  Then, this summer, he got a bike and started riding it daily.  He became stronger and stronger...his back more and more flexible, the pain so much less.

Kevin is fit today, probably as fit as I have seen him in our married life.  He scarcely feels pain.  We are working on taking out our deck and replacing it right now.  Kevin tore the old deck out completely on his own.  He dug a massive hole for footings.  He ripped out three bushes in the backyard, including digging up the roots.  It has been incredible to see the change in this man.  I can only give God all of the credit and thank Him.


Today, I said thanks.  Today, as a family, we participated in the Terry Fox Run.  As a family we ran and walked 2.5km.  As a family.  Two years ago, at this time of the year, he never would have been able to do such a thing.  He walked it easily, ran after Rusty for part of it...all of this following an 11km bike ride in the morning.  It was amazing to fulfill a dream I had dreamt two years ago.  We are thankful, we do not take his mobility for granted.  What a story of healing!  Thank you Lord!