NEVER LOSING FAITH

Mothers remember anniversaries of the important events in our children’s lives. While I have experienced many good and bad moments with my sons, Matthew and Jacob, two days will forever be etched in my memory. On August 10, 2014, I received that call that mothers dread. I was at home working when my husband, Barry, called to tell me Jacob was in an ATV wreck two hours away from our home in Cartersville, Georgia. I remember rushing out of work, telling my co-workers he had been hurt. Once we drove there, we found Jacob talking and yelling. But 15 minutes after our arrival, he started vomiting and aspirated vomit into his lung. The nurses sedated Jacob and put him on a ventilator. It was the last time he spoke for 10 months. Jacob spent two months in a coma and six months in a minimally conscious state. But even that night, I had a peace about me. I didn’t leave his side for eight weeks. The second date I will never forget is August 17, 2014. That’s the night the doctors told me Jacob was dying. I told the doctor, “No, I am sorry but you are wrong, God told me He was not done with Jacob yet, so you need to do what you need to do, because it’s not Jacob’s time yet. Call the neurosurgeon and see what can be done.”  The doctor told the nurse I was in  denial. They contacted the neurosurgeon who said the only thing to do was a craniotomy which would remove a portion of Jacob’s skull. Since his brain had already started herniating, Jacob had only a 1% chance to live. I said “You do your 1%, because God is going to do the other 99%. He is not finished with Jacob yet.” Three years later, Jacob is still here. While he can’t see, he entertains us with his witty sayings and faith in God. It hasn’t always been easy taking care of a son with a brain injury but God has been faithful. I share my story with others going through tough trials to offer hope and share my faith. I tell them to never lose faith, because even if you have just a 1% chance, God may do the other 99%.