As I enter into this my fifth anniversary of God’s protection and extension of my life, I cannot help but to give praise and thanks for His Finger of Love. This is one of the many examples of God’s love towards me. This one began in March of 2013. I had retired and had determined to spend the remaining years of my life in the service of my Lord teaching and preparing Minister’s for the work of the Lord as Director of American Baptist Theological Seminary. As a 72 year old with a history of Diabetes Mellitus, Type II; Essential Hypertension, and Hyperlipidemia, I had been taking medication for at least a year or more.
I had been hospitalized several years prior and was told that I was being treated for COPD. Since the hospitalization, I never saw a pulmonologist, had any pulmonary function tests or any pulmonary workups. I had occasional flare-ups but now I was getting out of breath with mild to moderate activity. The results of the evaluation determined further diagnostic evaluation of a stress test and 2D echocardiogram. At the follow-up visit for the Stress/echo results it was determined and recommended that a left heart catheterization to delineate coronary anatomy be performed. This was scheduled for Wednesday 03 April 2013.
God now takes over!!
I called my sister who lives in Michigan to tell her what was happening with me and that I was to have a heart cath. done, she asked if I wanted her to come to TN to be with me during this procedure. I promptly told her no because this procedure did not require such attention.
In the meantime God was at work!! . To my surprise, I received a phone call from my daughter asking if she could come down to be with me. She stated she was not working and was available to come. My initial thought was, how did she know I was about to have a heart catheterization, I knew that my sister was the only person that I had told, must be God at work. I said “yes you can come, and I would send for you” . She later informed me that the train here would be arriving early that Wednesday morning, the day of my heart cath, I told her that would be fine since I could pick her up at the train station on my way to the hospital.
Look at the Lord at work!!
After the heart cath, when I awaken and was still on the operation table, I was told that I had 3 vessel disease (total blockage) with involvement of left main and needed open heart surgery right away which was scheduled for Thursday, the following morning. I was glad that my daughter had come and that I would have someone to be with me during the open heart surgery. I shared my house keys and gave direction to my daughter how to get to my house and that she would be alone there and she could return to the hospital Thursday morning. On Thursday morning during the surgery prep as I laid upon the bed, I was concerned and prayed a simple little prayer, “Thank you Lord for all that you have done for me, watch over me and thy will be done.” Before I completed my prayer I became unconscious.
Later, the following events of God at work, were revealed to me by my daughter:
I had had a dream on that Thursday or Friday that was very vivid and sad. You had passed and they were trying to find me to tell me. I woke up very heavy and sad and began to pray. I felt the Lord telling me that I had to get down there to see you. I called you that morning (didn’t mention the dream) but said that I wanted to come down. I wasn’t working, had the availability and could come. You said great and that you would send for me. I remember being very anxious because once I looked for train tickets the earliest was on the following Wednesday. I asked the Lord would that be soon enough and he told me yes, that would be fine. So we booked the train that would have me arriving early in the morning on that Wednesday and you said that you had a routine heart cath that day early anyway. We would just go to the hospital after being picked up from the train. Needless to say, you had total blockages and they wanted to do surgery right away .... I was grateful to be there because I know how terrifying that would have been alone and it was an honor to at least be sent down to be with you through it.
When we were allowed to come back into the ICU after your surgery and the nurse was explaining what you were hooked up to and what the next steps would be. She said that you hadn’t yet breathed on your own yet and the machine was still breathing for you and that was the next thing they wanted to see. When she left I ask everyone to join hands so we could pray.
I lead the prayer and as we were praying you began to breathe on your own!! That made us all happy and talk about the goodness of the Lord.
Friday morning when I finally woke up, I remember thanking God, for blessing me and giving me a few more days. As I lay in the recovery room I remember having friends and family members coming to visit me and I was surprised because I didn’t know that they were aware that I had undergone surgery.
Now that the surgery was over, I continued to have guest throughout the day, but my thoughts were, when could I go home, I began to ask the Doctor and nurses, how long would I have to remain in the hospital when would I be allowed to go home? If I had to sit, lay around the hospital with nothing to do I could do that at home. Same thing on Saturday! Then on Sunday, I was allowed to go home.
God was taking care of me and had blessed me once again
Part 2
Within the following month of September 2014, I was found to have an abnormal prostate on exam, I underwent a biopsy which showed a high grade Gleason 5+4 = 9 moderate volume prostate cancer. Of the available options, I elected surgical therapy for removal of the prostate. Surgery was scheduled for November. Real concern became a major issue with me, but I remembered that God had taken care of me before and if it was His will he would do so again. This time I called my sister and asked her if she could come and be with me through this surgery, she agreed and on Monday I met the train and picked her up. On Tuesday, the following day, Nov 04, 2014, I had Laparoscopic Prostatectomy surgery. I was awaken from anesthesia and taken to the recovery room in stable condition having tolerated the procedure well. I was informed that all the cancerous cells had been removed. On Wednesday, the next day, again I was permitted to go home. I was required to have a follow up visit with the Doctor and lab analysis every 3 months, which still occur today reports, it was shown and continue to show that I was cancer free.
My testimony is that I was diagnosed with the two major and noted cause of death for African American men, and God saw fit to bless me and continue my life. Ever since I accepted Christ and my calling to do His will, minister to his people and become His servant, multiple events of his love for me have been seen in my life. My life has had a drastic change, these are but two vivid examples. They proved to me in uncertain terms that if you accept the plan that God has for you He will provide all that you need, give you the resources required for that plan and then give you some of the things that you want. To God be the Glory!!
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Glory to God!