The headaches got progressively worse each day. Then came the vertigo. When Kathy got out of bed, she could not walk straight. I would have to help her so she wouldn’t fall.
After four days, the headaches and dizziness got so bad that they induced vomiting. She wanted to take care of our two little girls. She is the best mom ever, but not now. She was the one in need of care. After a weekend and missing a day of work, it was time to take her to the emergency room.
The ER doctor was not sure what was wrong with her. My precious Kathy lay there in pain. She would point to her head where it hurt, but they gave her nothing. They kept running tests. Then they knew. She was diagnosed with meningitis. The doctor asked me to step into The hallway to tell me. He said with a very concerned look, “This is very serious. She can die at any moment.”
As quickly as he was there, he was gone. I stood in that ER hallway alone, panicked and helpless.
I looked up to the ceiling and said, “Please God, save my Kathy, I need her. The girls need her. We love her. Please save her.”
My next memory of this episode is Kathy in a normal hospital room. She was out of the ER. She was lying in her bed, eyes closed, moaning in pain. I felt so helpless as I held her hand.
The nurse entered the room and said, “She will be alright. She will get better. I have something for the pain as we continue her treatment.”
She injected something into Kathy’s I.V., and Kathy stopped moaning as her face became relaxed. She immediately went into a deep sleep,
The nurse said to me, “Go home. Be with your children. Kathy will be fine in a few days.” As I got into the car, I felt a rush of emotion and relief. It was like I was able to take a deep breath again.
Remember the tone and words that the ER doctor told me? “She can die at any moment? I prayed one last prayer, “Thank you, GOD, for saving my Kathy.”
This episode was the first time I recall life being beyond my control in my adult life. It’s way out of my control. All that was left for me to do was go to GOD. To turn to GOD and ask Him to save Kathy and bring her back to me and our little girls. (They were four and two at the time.)
I realized later that this was one of those early steps along the path of life that brought me to Jesus. Ten years after this episode, I prayed the same prayer, but it was for me this time.
I prayed, “Please, God, save me.”
I wasn’t sick. I wasn’t dying. I was overwhelmed with life and who I had become. I was out of control and lost.
He answered this prayer, too. This time, he saved not only Kathy and me but also our four children. Our family was now His…now and forever.