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Mission 83 Mission 82 | View All Mission Reports | Mission 84
We woke up to significant storms over the Indy area as we planned to leave for Washington, DC to go to pick up Amy W, a 24 year old who had suffered a stroke 30 days ago while out there to see her brother graduate law school. There was a push to arrive at George Washington University Hospital before 11am because her insurance had decided she should have been out of the hospital and to rehab the day before and the family would have to pay any additional hospital days-counted after 11 AM (in addition to the family paying for the transport out). I called her husband to tell him some bad news in that we were delayed due to weather and also did not get approval to fly into Ronald Reagan Airport (5 miles from hosp) and would have to go to Dulles (45 miles away). As we were trying to work out the details, God stepped in! Even though after the 9-11 tragedy, no air ambulance flights have been allowed to land at Ronald Reagan Airport (in the heart of the Nation’s Capital) I had pleaded with Hal to try. He proceeded to get all the necessary information to TSA last week for back ground checks of all crew and passengers and letter from the hospital of medical necessity-it would be very hard on Amy to have to be on the road over an hour before even getting on the plane. Disappointingly we did not hear from TSA and figured “oh well-it was a long shot”. While on the phone with her husband Johnny, the email came through that we were approved to land! And with God’s hand in parting the weather we arrived before 11 AM. As we stepped out on the tarmac, we were met with disbelieving eyes of the ground person. He immediately said, “I can’t believe you got clearance to land here-who are you?” We proceeded to tell him and the giant intimidating TSA guy walking up that we were God’s air ambulance-coming to get one of his own. By the time we left with Amy-we had a new monthly supporter and many others staring at the big red cross on our tail and backs! Tiny fragile Amy was prayed over and loaded into the aircraft along with her husband Johnny. She held my hand as we were taxiing for take off and told me how scared she was to fly. She and Johnny began to recite verses from the bible how God was in control and their protector. After she was stabilized with oxygen, IV fluids and monitoring, Johnny and I switched places so she could see him and talk. After 3 1/2 weeks of lying motionless in a bed, she was now awake and alert and didn’t want to miss a minute of life. That’s when I began to read her chart and found out what a true expression of God’s love their lives were. It began with a chart discharge summary that said (including my paraphrasing) : 24 year old suffered large basilar clot and vertebral artery dissection day after chiropractic treatment. Underwent TPA (clot busting med) through interventional radiography with 3 stents placed (similar to cardiac catheterization surg). She also had cerebellar stroke and then complications of bleeding into the brain after surgery when her anticoagulation then had to be reversed and drain placed. She declined and was found to have meningitis (covering of brain infected). Wow what a miracle for her to have survived-and to have her (personality) brain and speech back! They spoke of how they were high school sweethearts and were just married 5 months ago. She dreamed of visiting Hawaii and surfing. What also struck me was that through all the blogs on her website and prior information I received was that even though it seemed the doctors at George Washington University Hospital all took it that the chiropractic neck “adjustment” was to blame for the injury that caused this horrific condition in the otherwise healthy dance instructor, the family nor she had ever placed blame on it. It went to show me and my crew that they had accepted that God was truly in control. Even in a world where everyone wants to blame others or claim the victim role for what happens-so everyone could show bitterness and strife–their ommitence of this blame screamed God’s intervention at me. I don’t know how that kind of trust and forgiveness would otherwise be possible. How would I behave if my son was terribly injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver? Or if my daughter was raped by a lunatic? Or found out the medicine I took to treat my ailment had a direct link in causing a cancerous tumor? etc, etc Would I ever be able to show such trust in God’s omnipotence and absolute power in our lives? We pray for Amy’s full recovery now at Rehab Institute of Chicago and I am so thankful to have met her and Johnny. Please visit her website for more info and prayer support at www.keepdancingamy.com Thanks to great flying by Hal and Jim and to excellent care by RT Deb (aka Debinizer) and to the Grace and Love by our Lord Jesus, Tam
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