How I Got Here, Part 55

A couple questions came in yesterday about Lyme. Please go to this site. http://www2.lymenet.org/domino/file.nsf/UID/guidelines This is a medical abstract by Dr. Burrascano, a national expert on Lyme. Scroll down to the Diagnostic Checklist to see the possible 38 various symptoms of Lyme. Everyone is hit differently, so a Lyme victim can have many or a few of these, depending upon how many systems in the body have been affected. (I had 20 of the 38 symptoms, all body systems affected.) And remember if you or someone you know needs to be tested, they need to contact Igenex Lab in Palo Alto, California for forms and send the blood there. Don’t rely on the typical “Lyme” test from your normal doctor.

Back to our NES.

After Mount Hermon and after I’d gotten so much worse, I saw my doctor. She set me up to start another round of new medication, starting the week of May 12. It would be the harshest round yet and could put me in the hospital. After that she figured I would need to go the parenteral route—a needle shunt put in my body for about a 6-month period so I could hook up every day to an IV for antibiotics straight into the blood stream.

Thanks be to God—He chose to heal me before I had to go through with that!

Most of you know the miraculous healing God had in store for me, even as I plummeted physically. The healing took place on May 10, 2003—the day before Mother’s Day. Because that complete story is told in detail on my Web site, I’m not going to reiterate it here. Please, if you haven’t read it, go to my site and do so (click on “My Healing” from the home page). The story will bless you indeed. Our God is merciful and all powerful. Ya never know what He’s gonna do next.

Most of you also know that a couple weeks ago I filmed a segment with The 700 Club about this healing. (Still don’t know when this will air, by the way. I’ll be sure to tell you when I find out.) During that filming we did some reconstruction scenes of when I was sick. They shot a quick scene of me in my robe, shuffling with my cane in front of the wall of windows in the great room of our Coeur d’Alene home. I was in sort of a silhouette against the light coming in through those windows. “Oooh, great shot!” the crew agreed when it was done. I came around to look, and they ran a playback for me.

The scene hit me in the chest. I couldn’t stand to watch the whole thing, few seconds though it was. My throat tightens even now as I remember it. I had never seen myself walk when I was sick. I only knew what it felt like. But now—seeing myself shuffle like that, bent over, with doddering steps--whoa. That's what my family saw, when they had to stand back and not help me because I couldn't take being touched. How awful they must have felt. Watching that scene, the memories stabbed me. Memories of the fear, the exhaustion and pain. All over again, on that day as we filmed the story of my healing, I was hit with the immenseness of what God had done for me.

That’s gonna be a great segment. I can’t wait until it airs—because I know God’s going to use it to reach others.

On May 11, the day after I was healed—Mother’s Day—I put on my jogging shoes—and walked three victorious miles with my husband.

When we came back to California (the following day, I think)—a task awaited me. The new, healed, strong, energetic, able-to-think-again me.

I had a book to finish.

Still, even with the time I had lost, I couldn’t sit down and actually start writing again until about Thursday of that week. I was so euphoric, and so much had changed. You just can’t imagine what it’s like to go from being so crippled and debilitated to being perfectly, completely whole—within a few hours’ time. It would take me about three days to e-mail everyone with the story, and write it for posting on my Web site. Now I could praise God—and want to! How thankful I was that He’d taught me to do so when I hadn’t wanted to. The lessons He’d sent my way during those difficult sick months had changed me, strengthened me in ways that have lasted to this day. I certainly know more now about walking in God’s power and truth, no matter the circumstances.

It took about 4 weeks to finish Brink of Death, edit it and turn it in. As it turned out, Zondervan wouldn’t even have to push back the release date.

Whew! First book in the new contract done! Who’d have ever guessed what hurdles I’d have to get over to finish it.

Now—six to go.

Um, God, can these be a little easier? Please?

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Read Part 56