Four years ago this week I woke up! I had been in a medically induced coma for 9 days. Coming off life support was a MIRACLE! I was very close to death, and if I did wake up I was expected to have brain damage. But that is not what happened…….

Quarantine was the norm for me since my Chronic Pain made it impossiable for me to work. So the Pandemic wasn’t anything new. I only got out to go to doctor’s appointments. Between tests regarding my stomach and surgery on my foot I had a lot of appointments. This is where we believe I caught COVID.

But God decided He wasn’t finished with me down here. He mercifully brought me back to my family.

The first week of September I contracted the virus, having problems with pain and trouble breathing. JC called an ambulance, they took me to the nearest hospital. That hospital did nothing, and I was sent home with an oxygen tank. The next morning I was unable to breath and could barely say my name or stand. JC called an ambulance and told them to take me to Ozark Heathcare in West Plains, MO. There I was intubate and flown to Cox Health Care in Springfield, MO.

The next thing I remember is waking up with a nurse asking me questions, my name, date of birth, etc. Then I was told where I was and what happened to me. I was in the Critical Care Covid Unit, and had been for almost 10 days. I had been on a ventilator and put in a medically induced coma for the past 9 days. Later found out I was on ECMO for the first few days at Cox. They had taken me off the ventilator earlier and was waiting for me to wake up. The nurses told me I took my own sweet time waking up, a ladies prerogative right?

All that afternoon the nurses and health care workers would come around and tell me what a miracle it was I woke up. I wasn’t expected to be awake and aware of much when I did wake up. I would have been sent to a long term medical facility.

But God decided He wasn’t finished with me down here. He mercifully brought me back to my family. The next few days I was moved to step down units as I got better. I was in the hospital for only three weeks.

When I was discharged, I was so weak I couldn’t even walk in the house from the car! I slept in my recliner for two days because I wasn’t able to walk to the Bedroom. JC’s amazing cooking helped my energy level tremendously.

Over the next few months, I continued to improve. I used a wheelchair to shop or if we walked a lot, I had Oxygen with me all the time. I had 2 surgeries on my larynx to open my air way which included removing one of my vocal cords. I was unable to sing, something I loved doing. This past Sunday Ella and I sang a special. It wasn’t great, but I did it!

GOD IS GREAT!

Every Doctor, Nurse, and Techs we have seen in the past 4 years have all said one thing “How did you survive all that, it is a Miracle you are alive.” I never missed a chance to tell them it was all God.

In the past 4 years I have had lots of doctor’s appointments and surgeries, each getting me back to my old self. God has also given us so much joy and opportunities to share my story.