It was about 3:30 a.m. a couple of weeks ago when my niece was awakened by her 33-year-old husband’s strange breathing sounds. She tried to arouse him, but when he would not wake up, she quickly called 911 and began to administer CPR. Their 30-acre homestead is out in the country in the vicinity of Knoxville, Tennessee.
When the EMTs arrived, her husband had no pulse. The EMTs immediately used an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to deliver an electrical shock to his heart. AEDs can help a failing heart return to its normal rhythm. The first attempt failed. So did the second. And the third. Finally, the fourth shock got his heart to beating again. From the time his wife woke up until the EMTs got his heart restarted, no pulse had been detected for 45 minutes. The ambulance rushed him to the hospital at The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, but it was a good distance from their home.
My niece and her husband have four small children, including a set of twins, and a fifth child will soon be joining their family. She immediately alerted my brother and his wife who live about 35 miles away about the crisis. They left at once to go and take care of the grandchildren so their daughter could be with her husband around the clock.
As soon as I received word of this life-and-death situation, I contacted my LIFE Group at The Fellowship and also ministries where I serve. The call requesting urgent prayer went out at once. The situation was very grave and only our Lord would determine the outcome.
For two entire days, this young man lay unconscious. My niece never left his side. Her husband was strapped down so he would be unable to pull out any of the equipment that was delivering life-giving fluids and medications into his body as well as constantly monitoring his vital signs.
On the third day, he finally regained consciousness. When he was immediately able to recognize his wife, great joy was the result of this huge answer of prayer. With absolutely no memory of anything that had happened since going to bed three nights previously, he could hardly believe all the things she was telling him about what had transpired.
The medical team was able to determine that the left ventricle of his heart had gone into spasms the night of the attack and stopped beating. A defibrillator was installed in his body to prevent a reoccurrence of the attack. The lead from the defibrillator into his left heart ventricle was routed between ribs.
On the day he awakened, the hospital staff carefully assisted him in getting up and moving about a bit. Under constant monitoring and observation for damage from the ordeal, he was required to remain in the hospital for a week. After no indications or further signs of problems surfaced, he was released to home with one major restriction – no driving for six months.
The medical team emphasized that his recovery was unbelievable. Less than one per cent of those who have a similar heart episode live to tell about it … and less than 1% of that 1 % escape with no permanent heart damage. The days and weeks ahead will reveal the ultimate outcome. But we are trusting our Lord, who has already astoundingly answered our prayers, to continue to heal and restore this young father. With soon-to-be five little ones in his tribe, he has his work cut out for him to nurture, protect and teach them about the incredible love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“God gives life to the dead and calls things
that are not as though they were.”
Romans 4:17
