A Running Miracle

Donnie has always been very athletic. When we were dating, it was running on the basketball court and then in later years it was running in marathons.

That all changed a few years ago in a moment that we will never forget.

Very early one morning rain quickly changed to freezing rain. We were coming in from warming up our cars when we heard a car crash into the yard of our neighbor. Concerned that there might be children in the car since they hadn't called off school yet, Donnie went to go see if he could help. I had gone inside to check the news for school cancellations. I wasn't inside long when there was a knock at the door with news that rocked my world.

Our neighbor had come to tell me that Donnie had been hit by another car that slid down the hill. I ran to the scene of the accident to find Donnie on the ground beside several vehicles involved in the accident. All he kept saying was, "Wendy, I can't feel my legs." over and over. Someone had called an ambulance, but it took some time due to the roads being so bad. Donnie's dad went with him in the ambulance while I stayed home with the boys. I found out afterwards that the ambulance had taken longer than expected to get him to the hospital as they had an accident on the way there.

When the call from the hospital finally came, the doctor told me that among other injuries Donnie's pelvis was broken in five places. They debated on taking him to surgery which would involved pins and such, but in the end decided to try and let the breaks heal on their own. Donnie was in the hospital for weeks and was then transferred to rehab for a few more weeks.

Donnie came home in a wheelchair. For a man who had always been so active, this was a very hard time for him. He went to physical therapy several times a week and eventually graduated to a walker. On one of his last visits to his doctor, Donnie asked the question that he had been wrestling with:

"Will I ever be back to normal?" The doctor told him that he would always have pain associated with the injury and that he would be able to walk, but would never be able to run another marathon.

Let me tell you something about this amazing man that I am married to - he believes that God still does miracles. For the last several months he has been training for the very thing that his doctor told him that he would never be able to do. He believed that God would heal him and give him the strength to do this. Donnie is running a marathon this Sunday and he gives God all the glory for being able to do so.

He's not just a walking miracle...he's a running miracle.

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Hebrews 12:1

(Donnie's Life Verse)

Update - September 25, 2012

Not only did Donnie finish the race, but 
he topped his age group in the fastest time. 
So proud of him.

Now he is climbing mountains.

God is so good.

He makes me as surefooted as a deer,

enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

2 Samuel 22:34