I died twice...

[jep'ray]

I had accepted the Lord in 1991 while in middle school. But since graduating high school, the years up to now, I had become caught up with running my life. I was busy living My life. I thank the Lord, that He gave me strength to resist most vices. I have never taken drugs, I have never smoked and I do not drink alcohol. But in my rush to live my life I did not give enough time to praise the Lord. I always had an excuse when it came time to go to church, it was always work or play. I never lost my faith but I also failed to worship the Lord properly. On Jan 5th 2011 the Lord gave me a wake up call. I was struck down by a stroke. Found by my worried boss over 3 hours later. The emergency services were called and I was rushed to the hospital. I had expired (died) on route to the ER and (died) again in the emergency room. I had suffered a massive Hemorrhagic stroke. My blood pressure was over 237/127. My brain had suffered bleeds in multiple places where they could not operate on it. A hole was drilled in my right temple to relieve pressure and a shunt or drain was installed. I was placed at a 30 degree angle. Too much and my brain would go dry. Too little and my hemorrhage would kill me again. I was also put on artificial respiration (breathing machine) and into an induced coma for almost a month. The doctors said I had almost no chance, that I would not wake up. That if did wake up I would at best be a vegetable and need assisted living for the rest of my life… I spent 22 days in the ICU, (intensive care unit) 2 days in PCU (progressive care unit) and 7 days in the TCU (Transfer care unit) and 9 days in the acute rehab center. In all I spent 40 days in their care and walked out on my own two legs on February 15, 2012. I have since been home continuing my Rehab and resting. Having home visits from nurses and physical therapy.

My time in the hospital was not without its own dangers. While in ICU a nurse had replaced my breathing tube and failed to remove a cap that stopped me from exhaling… I could not breathe and started to suffocate. The Lord had given my parents a warning from a prayer warrior. She had called my parents and warned them that danger was ahead. My father came to see me, at the moment I was starting to suffocate, he noticed the cap blocking the air tube and put notice to the nurses… they removed the cap and in an instant, all the pent up air came out and I was able to breathe again. Praise the Lord!

I came home to recover and again the Lord has given me strength to overcome my damage. The strength that I have now was not here weeks ago.
Through my ordeal, we have touched many people directly, many miracles occurred. People in the hospital, both patients and nurses received the Lord. Hundreds of people across the world prayed for me in my time of need and the Lord answered with the miracle of my waking up whole and mostly unaffected… Relationships have been restored and everyone I tell my story to have rejoiced in God. That the nurses and doctors said it was God’s work that save my life.

I am still recovering, and after many weeks I went to visit the ICU nurses that first attended to me. They thought I was surly dead. As I walked into the ICU on my own two feet, they all came running to see me. With Tears in their eye’s they said it was God’s work that I was standing in front of them. The doctors said I should be dead, they knew I should not survive. But the Lord showed them wrong. I walked in on my own power and the Lords strength…