Leaning On Jesus
It was the summer of 2006. Mike and I were in our 50s. All three of our children were married, and we were excited for the next phase of life. I noticed how busy Mike was; I was praying for him to slow down so we could spend more time together. He often seemed exhausted.
On August 8 our lives changed in a way we never imagined! After a week of battling a high fever, I took Mike to the hospital. Doctors found he had contracted the West Nile virus. His case attacked the nervous system. He became paralyzed and was unable to breathe on his own.
It was hard seeing Mike suffer and almost die. We were sustained by the love and prayers of family and friends.
After six months in the hospital, Mike was still too weak for rehab and his million-dollar max on insurance benefits was nearing its end. He still had a trachea, was being tube-fed, and was unable to move his arms and legs. Finally, he was discharged.
I was excited to have him home but overwhelmed by the responsibility of taking care of Mike and meeting his needs. The day after he arrived home, I had to go downtown to get some meds for him. I was driving home on the freeway during rush-hour traffic, my mind reeling with all of Mike's needs. Then, out of the blue, a big SUV crossed into my lane, and I had to swerve to avoid being hit. My car started to go out of control, and I went zigzagging across all five lanes of traffic. God stopped my car before I hit the wall and not one car struck me as I went sideways opposite the flow of traffic! I knew without a doubt that God had saved my life. At that moment I felt the Lord tell me, “Teresa, I’ve got this, and you need to trust Me and stop carrying the load.” What a wake-up call.
That was the beginning of a new stage in life. My prayer for more time together was answered, but not in the way I expected – we now were together 24/7.
By God’s grace and strength, we were able to carry on. We cried, we laughed, and were reminded of the marriage covenant we took years ago — “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.” Together we learned to be content with our changed lives, despite Mike’s disability.
The Lord gave us another 16 years together. My prayer was that I would remain healthy so I could care for Mike. God kept me strong until He called Mike home. It wasn’t easy, but I will always cherish the sweet times we had together! We learned to lean on Jesus and each other in a way we never knew was possible and to appreciate the meaning of love and sacrifice, trusting that He loves us even when life doesn’t make sense.
– Teresa McFadyen
