Do you believe in miracles?

I don't think that in all the time I've been writing this blog that I have ever discussed my faith. Today, I feel compelled to.

My aunt Donna received a miracle. She had been sick for quite some time; very lethargic, constantly tired, and just kind of out of it. My uncle David took her to the doctor last week. They discovered a tumor on her brain. The doctor told them that they basically had no hope, the tumor was inoperable, and that she was going to die in a few weeks. To top off the bad news, the doctor was a complete jerk. He had no compassion whatsoever. When I got the news, I called Ross, my mom, my brother, my grandparents, and my aunt Rita and asked them all to pray for Donna. My grandma sent the request out to her prayer group and her church, as did my aunt. It's hard to even say how many people were praying for her. I prayed for her last few weeks to be comfortable, and for strength for my uncle and their family.

A few days later, I get another phone call. My uncle took Donna to get a second opinion. He refused to believe that there was nothing that could be done. The second doctor's opinion was quite different. He thought that the tumor was indeed operable. He stressed that he didn't want to give anyone false hope; things still looked pretty grim. When I heard that news, I updated everyone. When I told my mom, she said that she had been praying for complete healing. I, too, began to pray for healing.

I just got off the phone with my dad. Donna had surgery yesterday. She was in the operating room for 10 hours. I can't even imagine what that 10 hours must have been like for my uncle and our family who is down there with him. After the surgery, the doctor came out with great news. They were able to get 99% of the tumor out. It wasn't cancerous. She is going to be just fine. Equally amazing was the fact that the doctor said that she would be on a ventilator for a few days. They were able to take it out a few hours after the surgery. When my uncle was finally allowed in the room, he held her hand and told her he loved her and that everything was going to be okay. She opened her eyes and said, "I love you, too David. I know something was really wrong with me, but I'm better now. I'm going to be fine." Today she was already up and walking a bit. My dad was able to see her today. He asked her how she was feeling. She said, "Pretty good for just having brain surgery." I think everyone appreciated her humor. Donna is a special woman. The whole time this was going on she was more concerned about everyone else. She kept telling my uncle to tell everyone not to worry about her; that she was going to be fine.

I believe that God led my uncle to that second doctor. I believe that everyone's prayers lifted Donna up. We just gave it to God, and he provided a miracle.