The Miracle that Happened
I managed to roll onto my stomach. The pain was all I could bare. I looked at the sky and saw the sun was lower than I remembered. I looked at my watch. It was 5:30. My only thoughts were how I could get help. I noticed my rifle was not far from me, still attached to the rope I had tied around my waist. I began pulling it toward me. I managed to grab hold of the barrel and pulled it up to me. I fired a shot about every ten minutes hoping someone would come.
It was getting late and I knew I would not make it much longer, so I began crawling on my stomach, pulling myself with the stock of my rifle. I managed to crawl up a trail that ran down to the river. As I crawled and crawled, the pain was so great I passed out many times. Through thick brush and briar patches I crawled. I wanted to give up I was so tired and in so much pain. I knew though I had to make it at least to where I could be found - I hoped.
I looked out in front of me and saw the road I lived on through the trees. I could hear sounds in the distance!
"Yes, thank you God," I thought to myself!
I finally found myself at the road and began a feeble cry for help. I was too exhausted though and just lay there in the road.
My father-in-law was returning from work and found me lying in the road.
"It's all right," I heard him say. "Help is on the way."
That was the last I remembered until I saw the lights inside the ER. A doctor stood at my feet.
"Can you feel this?" he said.
"Feel what?" I asked. He had been sticking my feet and legs. I was paralyzed!
"We can not help you here son," he said. "We are sending you by ambulance to a hospital that can handle your injuries."
Whether from the pain or medication, I was out like a light.
The next afternoon I awoke to find two doctors standing at the foot of my hospital bed. They introduced themselves as my attending physicians and proceeded to explain to me I must undergo surgery at once. The bones in my back that were broken were putting pressure on my spinal nerve causing paralysis. Then I heard the warning I had heard before.
"Do not let them perform surgery, or you will never walk again."
I understood completely, but I knew they would not. I told them I must see my wife and daughter first.
My wife arrived with my daughter shortly after the doctors' visit. I told her what they had said. She advised me that I must realize they were doing what was necessary to help me. I did not know how to tell her what I had experienced. I tried to tell her it was my belief that I should not be operated on. Although she disagreed, she honored my wishes.
When the doctors returned and I told them of my decision, they were very upset. I listened to lecture after lecture.
"OK," one of them said, "if you never want to walk again that's up to you." Then they left.
That night I lay upon my bed and wept sorely. Was I insane? What was I doing?
A light began to fill my room.
"You will be well," I heard a voice say. Then it was gone. I composed myself and dosed off to sleep.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months.
Then one morning I felt a tingling in my feet! I was overcome with joy! I told the nurse I wanted to get up and walk. She stared at me and said, "We'll see, we'll see." I knew I was healed without a doubt. The nurse put a call in to my doctor and the next morning he stopped by."
"So you think you can walk?" he said.
"Yes," I replied.
"Well, we will see."
A few hours later I was taken down to the physical therapy room. They carried me down and raised me up to a vertical position. The nurse helped me in front of a set of parallel bars. I gripped the bars and placed my feet firmly on the floor. One step. Two steps.
"My God, he's walking!" the nurse said to the nurse who had brought me down.
The next few days were hard. I took many trips to physical therapy, and had numerous x-rays done per my doctors' orders. My wife and family were all amazed, yet I knew. I had been told! The rest had to be true as well.
My doctor was more amazed when he found no bones pressing on my spinal nerve. I use his quote:
"This is not normal. It seems a Higher Power has done for you what we were going to try and correct with surgery. I have never seen anything like this before." End quote.
Since that day, my life has changed and I have been able to help others in ways I never dreamed. I wanted to share this with all, as it is what has led me onward in my quest for truth.
http://www.near-death.com/randolph.html
Last updated 24/08/2008