To return to the theme of goodwill (that is even better than the thrift store kind): I want to share an update today of a prior post, "Witness to a Miracle." In that post I shared that my father had experienced a cardiac arrest in October, and was on the road to recovery.
God had showed me that he would recover through a photograph; that whole experience still comforts me.
My father had his cardiac arrest on Friday, October 22nd. On Christmas Eve, barely two months later, he was released from the rehab facility to return home to be with my mom.
Wow!
The day of the cardiac arrest, my dad collapsed in their apartment. Because my mom was present to witness it (and they live in a community for seniors), she pulled a cord in the apartment to call a nurse as soon as she realized what was happening.
According to my mom, a nurse appeared immediately, rushed passed her and checked for a pulse. My mom thought she said something along the lines of, "he's gone." She began CPR immediately anyway.
The nurse who performed CPR that day saved my father's life.
"Who was she?" I later asked my mom. "I don't know. I've never seen her before. But I'm going to find out," she replied.
A few days ago I was getting ready for bed when I got this text from my mom:
Above is my dad with the nurse, I guess they found her! When my dad was still in the ICU in the very early stage of recovery, my mom was telling my dad the story of why he was in the hospital. (He could never remember from day to day.) "You collapsed and I called a nurse who had to do mouth-to-mouth," she informed him. "Was it a cute nurse?" my dad asked.
And my dad was back.
Yes, she is a cute nurse! We can officially confirm that. But more than that, she did a beautiful thing. This whole episode has encouraged me to want to renew my CPR training. I'd hate to be the only option for someone who needs it and not be prepared.
It's got to be a great day at work when you save someone's life!
Two weeks before the collapse, my parents were at their home in Pennsylvania, an isolated place at least twenty minutes from the hospital. The day of the collapse, they were planning to leave town a few days later.
But at the time of the cardiac arrest they were in an apartment where my mom could pull a cord. And the nurse showed up immediately. Had they been anywhere else, my dad wouldn't be here. God's hand was clearly over this whole experience.
There are many aspects of this story that are miraculous.
James 1:17 tells us that every good thing is a gift from God. I don't know why my father survived, but God has a reason. This nurse was a gift from God. My father's second chance at life is a gift from God. It's so easy to focus on the darkness and the losses and the hard things, that it's especially important to give thanks to God for the good things, for all the blessings.
Thank you God, for the best text I've ever received!
Amen and amen!
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