Darren’s Testimony

Darren A.'s Testimony - Email this to a friend

Darren
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And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord… All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee Ps.35: 9-10
It was another gorgeous , lazy summer day, another day to swim, just relax and have fun. My family was on their annual vacation at Lake Mohave, in August of 2000. It was great to be young and strong, able to run, swim, dare each other to dive off the large rocks out in the lake. I especially wanted to soak up this fun, peaceful time, for in a month I’d be back at school, hitting the books and dealing with pressures and grades.

That fateful afternoon my cousins and I were having a blast trying to get my Aunt Kathy to jump off the Big Rock, other members of my family were out in the boat enjoying the water. Our camp was in a cove with a huge mountain cliff to the side. As Grandma Goldie (Emilee) sat there enjoying the day, a rustling noise made her think a snake might be in the brush. The rustling noise sounded again and fearing a snake, she made for the water.

From the rock that we were on, about 30′ away, we heard a rumbling sound and even though it all happened so fast, we were witness to the most bizarre of events. The entire mountainside was crumbling down, an avalanche of approximately 700 tons of rocks and dirt, plunging straight for our campsite, where my Grandma had just been sitting, seconds earlier.

Grandma Goldie was in the water only 10′ from the mountain, frantically swimming when she turned to see a massive rock hurtling toward her, she screamed “Jesus!” and we watched in horror and awe, as the gigantic rock suddenly split in two and fell on either side of her. The force of the rocks and debris falling into the water, caused tidal waves, dragging her under the water and far out into the lake. As you would imagine, the attempt to swim to the surface, with injuries, must have been horrifying, she felt that she would surely drown, but incredibly she came up at last, gasping for air. Though she did not escape unscathed by the falling debris, we know that the Hand of God saved my Grandma from a crushing and horrifying death, and then from drowning.

The impact of the crumbling mountain creating the tidal waves, literally blew us off the rock that we were on, and into the water, my legs struck the rocks on the shallow side, I felt pain and knew my leg was hurt, but I was so concerned for my Grandmother, that I swam out and was trying to help her, not realizing the extent of my own injuries. All of us were injured and our camp completely obliterated by the horrific landslide, yet we were all alive!

From the water, we began to yell for help, we had no life jackets, we prayed help would come. Finally we caught the ear of a San Bernardino Highway patrol, also on vacation and in his boat. He couldn’t see anything as the dirt and debris created a dense dust, like a fog, he could only hear our cries for help. A second boat arrived, then a third. Rangers, totally unprepared for a situation like ours, but managed to call for help. Three helicopters arrived and started air-lifting us, by twos, to the Las Vegas Trauma center.

Our injuries were many. My right femur was crushed. My Grandma had 5 broken ribs, a broken cheekbone and numerous cuts and severe bruising. My Aunt Kathy, as well as my cousin Shane, had extensive injuries. We were all in very bad shape, but again we could only thank God that we were alive to tell about it.

The Trauma team attempted to repair the damage in all of us. And then we began treatment from other doctors when we got home. It was a long, slow healing process for my family, but with God’s help they all did began to recover. But as for me….

Because of the injuries to my femur, steel pins had to be placed inside my leg to make it stable. The Doctor had said “without the pins I would never be able to walk on that leg” I really wanted to be able to walk, I was hoping that the pins would do their job.

For several days, I tolerated a cast on my leg, but something was drastically wrong, I complained of feeling very ill, but the Dr. didn’t seem very concerned, until my parents urged him to look closer at my condition. The doctor finally cut off the cast, to find the leg was filled with poisonous matter, eating away at the bones, to the point that the pins fell out.

The bad news….

Due to the incompetent manner my wounds were treated at the Trauma Center, some contaminated water remained in the area of my injuries. The steel pins, combined with the dirty water spawned an insidious infection. By this time it was in my bloodstream. The delima was to treat the deadly infection, but what to do about the bones in my leg?

My Infectious Doctor adamantly said that the steel pins were compounding the infection and it would not go away, if they replaced them. The Orthopedic Surgeon maintained that without the pins my leg would not be stable enough to mend on it’s own and I would never walk on that leg. It was like a confusing, vicious circle.

Being young, I did have fleeting moments of fear, what if? What if the infection could not be stopped, what if they had to amputate my leg, what if…I died. But then I remembered the teaching from my childhood, from my parents, my Sunday School teachers, and my Pastor. God had brought us all, this far. He had saved my Grandma from certain death and drowning. I felt that God was in control, everything was going to be all right.

The decision was to replace the pins in the leg and continue to battle the infection as best they could. The infection was so severe that they were giving me a very highly potent antibiotic. A medicine, they never give to anyone under eighteen years old, because it affects their growth process. I was only fourteen, but they feared that unless something drastic was done, I would surely die. And the battle raged on…

My parents were going through a living nightmare. As they bundled me up for yet another trip to the ER, I was so very ill, I’m sure they wondered if this would be my last. My mother said that through it all, the fact that the Church Family was praying and fasting for my recovery was the sustaining factor for her. And God did hear their prayers, He was working for my good.

After two to three months the bones became stable enough to remove the pins. Finally the infection began to diminish, and the bones continued to be stable, much to the astonishment of the doctors, one Doctor, even admitting , “it had to be God!” I continued to improve, and rejoiced when I could go to church in a wheel chair. Then I advanced to crutches, I pushed myself to using a cane, and now thank God, I walk unaided and I get around quite well.

There is no way, I nor any of us could share all the details of what we experienced, but never do we want to take for granted what God has done. And even though the healing process was slow and things were at times uncertain, it is an absolute miracle that I am alive and well today.

We have found that in all things, He is the Peace-Speaker, the Sustainer, the Ultimate Physician. And…Praise God Miracles Still Happen!

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