Teatopia

Miracles Do Happen

What started out as simple research for my next OB-GYN appointment turned into an amazing discovery—one that will possibly affect me for the rest of my life. It made me love my husband more than I ever thought possible. His life is truly a gift, and here’s why . . .

I had always heard James had severe epilepsy as a child, and that it mysteriously disappeared when he was about four. Not knowing the type or the circumstances, this really didn’t strike me as terribly special, until last night when I learned more about what he had wrong.

James developed a severe and dangerous form of epilepsy as an infant. Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome is extremely severe and uncommon (making up about 1-4% of epilepsy cases). Status epilepticus (a state of continuous seizure activity) affects about 90% of those with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and that was true for my husband. He seized almost constantly, and the doctors told his mother he would probably end up severely retarded and/or handicapped because of the continuous brain activity. This is true in 75-95% of the cases. This syndrome usually continues through adulthood. Many affected people need to live in a residential (adult foster care) group home when their parents are no longer able to care for them. James, like many, had to wear a helmet at all times and could never be left alone. Unlike most forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome can rarely be controlled with medications, and oftentimes the medications cause other problems in themselves. James’s was not able to be controlled with medication, so he seized all day and all night.

Fast forward a few years to age four. James had been suffering since infancy, and one day when James’s Uncle George (who just past away) was watching him, a miracle happened. Uncle George was watching a man preach about faith healing on TV, and during a prayer, Uncle George carried James to the TV and placed his hands on the screen and together, they prayed for healing. George said that at that moment, he knew James was healed. When his parents returned, George told them to take James off his medicine—that God had healed him. They obviously had enough faith to obey, because they took James off his meds right away. He never had another seizure again. Even those of you who are not “religious” per se cannot deny that something miraculous happened to my husband that day. What would have been a difficult life for my husband—one plagued by continuous seizures and most likely mental retardation, ended up being a life of happiness and accomplishment. James is one of the Godliest, most intelligent men I know. He graduated college with a 4.0 GPA. He believes whole-heartedly that God saved him that day. It makes me wish I had known Uncle George better because his faith helped heal my husband. If we have a son someday, I want to call him Aidan George.

James told me last night—when we learned more about his condition, which by the way can be hereditary—that he doesn’t think we need to mention it to the doctor. He says that God healed him completely and that we don’t need to claim any of it. Our daughter will be fine. James’s faith moved me to tears last night. I looked at him last night as he slept and I thanked God for healing my husband. I can’t imagine never having known him. Oddly enough, I feel completely at peace about this. I guess my faith was strengthened by my husband and his Uncle George.