Monthly Miracles - Philip Briggs

I posted about my story of what happened when I died and how God performed a miracle in my life so that I could live. The post was titled Angels and Miracles in case you want to check it out.

So this brought up the idea of showcasing different peoples experiences with miracles or angel sightings in their lives. Thus Fort Thompson Monthly Miracles was born. It is my hope that this can go from monthly to weekly, but in order to do that I need your help getting the word out to others to send in their stories. They can be emailed to me.

This months story I have wanted to share for some time now. I think so highly of this mom and the strength and courage she shows on a daily basis. She is a pillar of faith and strength like no other as you will soon read. God truly blessed her family by giving them her as a mom. While she might not always feel that way because of what she has been through, I know that Gods blessings dont come any grander than Amy Briggs.

This is Philips story(Amy's son)as told by her....

Philip is a blessing to our family in so many ways. Years ago I did not think I would be able to even be a mom. I had 3 Miscarriages and the Dr told us that we may never be able to have children. When I got pregnant with Philip I held my breathe for months. I can remember every minute of the day we saw his heartbeat on the scan. The first time he moved, and the day we found out we were having a little boy. Life was perfect.

April 19th 1990 Philip James Briggs was born and I knew what it felt like to be a mommy..it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. And it still is. Philip was born three weeks early and weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces. He was perfect.

When Philip was about a week old he started to projectile throw up. I took him to the DR and we were told he had a virus. After a few days I took him back to the Dr and we were told he had reflux and to raise the head of the bed to help with this. I can remember driving to walmart at 2 am in tears to buy Mylocon drops thinking I am a awful mom. The following day I had Philip out shopping with me and he started throwing up non stop. I took him home and got him cleaned up. As I laid him on my bed his tummy started to heave as he was about to throw up and I bent down to pick up a burp cloth he vomited so hard it hit the wall. That minute I just said enough. I called the Dr and told him..I am bringing him to the ER . I remember his words so clear. Okay bring him but he has a virus and it will run it's course and be better in a few days. I said well you can tell me that when you see him.

You know it is odd..as I write this story I feel burring tears...As I write the next stage of this amazing story I realize this is where our lives forever changed. And it hurts. It hurts in a way that I can not explain. I think that is why it has taken me so long to finally sit down and write this. Maybe it is easier to think of it in bits and pieces...operation and recovery..vs the whole hard reality...19 brain operations. shunts Brain mass in brain stem .a stroke...28 orthopedic operations and pain pumps and stimulator's. Yes reality is hard some days.



I took Philip to the ER and they took one look at him and rushed him to a room. They told me that he was very dehydrated and would need a IV. I can remember thinking how in the world can I let them stick needles in him. It took 6 pokes and three IV techs to finally get his IV done. I was a wreck. The Er told me he thought he knew what was wrong with Philip . He wanted to do test to confirm his diagnosis of Pyloric Stenosis. They were calling in the surgeon and I was falling apart. I remember thinking..I can NOT do this. I can NOT have my new baby have an operation. After a few battery of test that included an Ultrasound, blood work, and xrays they could not confirm the Pyloric Stenosis. They admitted him in the hospital to run more test.

As the days went on Philip would still throw up, and sleep alot. I mentioned to the nurses that He was hard to wake up. One evening I was nursing Philip and the Dr came in and asked to speak to Jim. He told Jim that they could not find anything wrong with Philip and wondered if I might be having a hard time with being a new mom. He also told Jim that maybe I needed to be reminded that babies do spit up and they do sleep a lot. He suggested Jim have me see my Dr to see if I had post partemn depression. He said they would release us the next morning after all the test results were back. About an hour later they decided to move Philip to a room in ICU to better monitor him and we were told we were being transfered to a out of town children's hospital. Things sure had taken a sudden turn and needless to say I was both confused and concerned.

Philip was airlifted to a out of town children's hospital and taken to the Peds ICU. I had no idea how much our lives would change from that day forward. Being a teaching hospital there were tons of people who came in to care for Philip. But all these years later I remember the one resident that took extra care and time with Philip. Dr. Perez. I wonder if he has any idea what a impact he made on our lives. I have a feeling he is a wonderful Dr.



We were told that Philip had been transfered there due to a abnormal test. It was a ammonia level test that could mean he had a metabolism problem. Yet when they specialist came in he said he had re ran the test and it was in normal range. He also explained that if you smoke and touch the tip of the tube it can give a abnormal reading. So while that was wonderful news...here we were back where we started.

For a week Philip had every test done and re done. He was still in Peds ICU and no one could figure out what was wrong. It was finally decided that he had a rare virus and he could go home and be watched by our pediatrician. The same one who swore it was all in my head and yet the same night sent him to ICU.

My uncle who happen to be a DR in Ga called me to check on Philip. I told him what they had said and he listened and said okay. I had no idea how concerned he was. He called Dr. Perez and asked him exactly what type of virus and I am sure they discussed a few other things. Next thing I know...Jim has gone to get Philip's car seat ( he had been life flighted ) and I am listening to Dr. Perez tell me he is going to run one more test to cover his butt with my Uncle. To be honest I was not worried about the outcome because every single test came out negative.

As I packed our hospital room I had no idea how much our lives really were about to change. Dr. Perez came in and said they had found something. My heart broke and our life changed forever. He said it was in his brain stem and he would need a MRI immediately. I called Jim who came rushing back. He called his parents who were away on vacation and they drove through the night to get back. My mom came and we all gathered and waited.

That afternoon they took Philip by ambulance to a special hospital with a MRI and he had his scan. The first time I saw the big black area I said okay that is his brain. The tech explained to us that was the mass. I could not believe that was in my son's brain.

I remember a night that describes how I still feel today. It was about 2 am and I was sitting in a rocking chair. The nurse came in and said..are you okay? I can hear myself say the words...I am just trying to figure out how all this could of happen to my sweet baby boy. I still am trying to figure that out today. I know one day God will explain it all to me and I will know all the answers. Until then all I can do is pray and trust in my faith.

It was decided by the neurosurgeon that Philip needed emergency brain surgery. The Dr spent a lot of time answering all of our questions. He also explained that it would be best to go in and try to drain off the area vs placing a shunt. he said once a shunt always a shunt. And we spent a long time discussing the scary issues that can go along with having a shunt.

At 6 weeks old Philip had his first brain operation and spent a month in peds ICU on and off life support and was finally able to go home after spending 2 months in a out of town hospital. Life was good . We were a family and ready to put this behind us.

Things went well with Philip's follow up Dr appts and MRI. Then one day the nurse said the neurosurgeon wanted to speak to me about Philip's scan. He explained that his MRI showed 10% of the mass was back and we needed to watch it. He also explained that his brain still had a lot of growing to do and that size mass would not be a problem. For months the scan stayed the same 10%. During this time period I noticed Philip was throwing up some and sleeping a lot. I did take him back to the DR. And yes we did have a new DR. He told me he understood my fears but he really did think it was okay . He also said we would keep getting the scans every 6 weeks.

A few weeks later I went in to get Philip up and noticed he would cry out but not really wake up. I also noticed he was not eating good and seemed OFF. We did a emergency scan and found out the mass was back bigger then before. My heart sank.

As we were racing to the hospital I told Jim..atleast we know what to expect. Those were words that will haunt me forever. We had no idea what to expect. In fact I think that we were not prepared for anything. It was decided that he would need a shunt. The operation would be dramatic. They would need to go to the deepest part of the brain and separate it and move the main artery and get to the mass. It was to be a 5 hr operation. As I handed off my baby I had no idea that I should of held on a little tighter. I had no idea the changes he would go through. And I had no idea he would never be the same. I simply had no idea.

After 8 hrs we were called and told things got tricky. Then at 10 hrs we were told they called in a second Dr. Then at 13 hrs we were told that things were critical. Philip had two cardiac arrest on the table and was un stable. Finally after 17 hrs we saw our DR walk down the dark long hallway. He sat down and told us that he could not get to the mass and went past it. he had to go back and find his path. he said it was like cutting through a jungle and he was not sure what he had cut through. he said he did not expect Philip to wake up and if he did we would need to make some hard decissions...They called in the Chaplin and also we had his baptized.




The first time I walked in Philip's room after his operation I walked out. I did not know it was him. He had tubes in every part of his body. he was swollen because his kidneys had shut down and he was on full life support. I can not get that picture out of my mind. It haunts me. He was so little and so frail. My baby boy. How did this happen. How did I not know this would happen. I prayed to God non stop. Please just let him live and I will take him however we can have him. I have never prayed so hard in my whole life. For days he clung to life. I started to notice he only moved his one side. I mentioned it to the DR and they had noticed this also. Then one day when he had his eyes opened. I went to brush something away and he did not blink. I also noticed he never tracked. I sat down with Dr. Perez and told him my concerns. I was told that they felt that he had a
suffered a stroke and also was blind. they feared that his optic nerve had been cut . Isn't it odd that I can still remember the smell of the hallway and the sound of the shoes clicking on the floor as I just slid down the wall and cried. I cried like I have never cried before. I turned to god and asked him to please not keep Philip blind. I told God I knew I had said I would take him however he was but I so wanted him to see the world. I begged .

We were blessed in so many ways. Philip did get his site back after 17 day. It was decided he has swelling on his optical nerve . Philip did wake up and he lived. He had to learn to suck and swallow again. After 6 months in the peds ICU he finally went home with nursing care. After months of daily health care, physical and occipital therapy we started to work on finding our "normal".

Philip is our miracle. He has fought harder then I have ever seen anyone anyone fight to live. He has shown faith and courage on days I have felt like I could fall apart.

Philip has had over 19 brain operations, and 28 orthopedic operations. He has endured pain operations to try to help with his right leg bone growth and right arm growth. He has spent almost every holiday in the hospital and or healing from pain operations. He has cluster seizures and severe headaches. He has worked hard to find a way to try to make it through school and grown into a mature young man.He has since had to discontinue school. He is unable to go.

Last year Philip had a brain operation to replace a part of his shunt. A month later he becomes sick and we were finally sent to the Hospital. It was found that his shunt had a infection that had started in his stomach in his shunt tube and spread to his brain. He spent 4 weeks in ICU with drains in his brain and stomach. He also had to have two major brain operations. We were once again reminded just how fragile Life is and how blessed we are.

Dec of this year Philip woke up with pain in his left side.We gave him some meds and thought he had just pulled a muscle. His pain continued to get worse and we could not control it with meds. After numerous hospital trips and painful procedures...we did find that he has a syrnix in his spinal cord. This is in the area that control respiratory so it was decided this was a additional problem that was found but not causing his pain. After he developed weakness in his left arm and leg he was sent to a specialist. We were told Philip had a medical issues that was caused by his brain endings misfiring. Philip spent months on pain meds by mouth and injections and patches. Finally the decision was made that he would need to do a long term solution. Last May he had a special medical pump put in and a cath placed in his spine up into his brain. It delivers medication contuisely. Since it has been placed we have had to have the meds upped 10% and again by 15% and now 50%. We have had to add more meds by mouth to control his spasms and pain.

It is so hard to watch Philip suffer. It is even harder to watch his lose function in his left side. This is a condition that can not be cured only manged. The thought of Philip not able to use his right side due to his stroke and possibly losing the function in his left side is almost too much to watch. But as always we are right here by his side.

This past December I was diagnosed with Cancer. I can only hope to be as brave and strong as Philip is .

I know God blessed me when he picked Philip to be my son. It is a honor to be his mom.

Update for Philip...click here

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I hope you can take something away from this story as we have. Please make sure to visit the links to Amys blog as well as Philip's.

Now a a special letter to Philip from Amy....



Dear Philip...

I have so many thoughts going through my head. It is hard to even know where to start.

You have no idea just how very much I love you. From the very first time I saw your little heart beating on my ultrasound to the first time I saw you after delivery...and now as a young man. I feel like the most blessed women on this earth. When God picked out a son for me...he gave me the perfect one...YOU.

You have taught me so many life lessons. I have watched you struggle to live, struggle to breathe, struggle to crawl, roll over, speak and walk. And yet I have also watched you blossom in your faith as a young man. You are the strongest person I have ever known. And I am so proud to call you my son.

I can not even begin to tell you how amazed I am at your courage and strength. There have been so many times I have looked at you and wanted to take you and run as far away as possible. And if I could have I would of done it in a heart beat. You have suffered through 19 brain operations, strokes, shunts, pumps, therapies and now the awful Central nerve pain. You struggle everyday . I hate to see you in so much pain Watching you lose function in your right side was so hard. Now watching the same happen slowly in your left side, seems cruel.. If I could take it from you I would...I so wish I could.

I sometimes finding myself so confused with God. While I am so very thankful with God for saving your life and letting me have you with me each day. I am hurt with him that I watch your struggle everyday and I can do nothing to help you. As your mom I am suppose to be able to help you...or at least comfort you. Lately I feel like a failure in both areas.

I know God has a plan for you. I see such Grace all around you and our family.

Thank you for fighting so hard. I am honored to be your mother. And I love you so much . Please keep fighting and know I will never ever give up on trying to help you. I promise to be here with you till the very end.


Please visit the Briggs blog at http://ourdailyblessinglife-amyb.blogspot.com/ you can use this link.

Also visit Philip's site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/philipbriggs or click here for the link.

You can also click the picture of Philip with the dolphin in my left sidebar under the prayer column.

Please go and visit this family and shower them with your love and prayers!!


Love and Prayers,

Monthly Miracles - Straight from the Heart

I posted about my story of what happened when I died and how God performed a miracle in my life so that I could live. The post was titled Angels and Miracles in case you want to check it out.

So this brought up the idea of showcasing different peoples experiences with miracles or angel sightings in their lives. Thus Fort Thompson Monthly Miracles was born. It is my hope that this can go from monthly to weekly, but in order to do that I need your help getting the word out to others to send in their stories. They can be emailed to me.

This gives us all the opportunity to read about some truly remarkable things that have happened, and how God has worked in many different peoples lives. So please help us to get the word out.

This month it is my honor to feature the story of a really good blogging friend of The Fort. Most of you know her as April, and she is the author of a wonderful blog called Straight from the Heart. So make sure you stop by and comment on her blog thanking her for sharing her story.



My mom passed away in 2000; we were incredibly close...more like sisters, than mother and daughter. Well, I stayed with her for eleven straight days when she was in the hospital. She wasn't able to speak to me, at all, because she was on heavy pain meds and she had tubes down her throat. I, finally, had to leave and go back home to tend to my family. I hugged Mom and told her how much I loved her and that I'd be back to see her, again, real soon. At that point, we all still thought she was going to make it out of the hospital. As I was leaving her room to make the drive home, I turned around and waved goodbye to her. Then, as clear as it could be...she said, "Bye, bye, hon". I almost fell over! Those were the last words I ever heard my mom speak and I'll never forget that moment!

A few days later, I woke straight up at around 5:10 AM, so I decided to go to the office to read my e-mails. About 5 mins. later, the phone rang and it was my brother calling to inform me that Mom passed away almost at the exact moment I got up and went to the office. I truly believe that it was Mom's way of telling me goodbye.

We traveled to Arkansas the next day and I slept in the bedroom at my dad's house with my two girls. They wiggled in the bed for half the night, so I went down to the floor to sleep. I was awakened very early in the morning by something rubbing up and down on my back. I thought it was our dog, Gizmo. I rolled over and whispered, "Stop, Gizmo", but he was not even in the room with us...he slept in the living room with my husband. I was by myself on the floor. I believe that it was my mom trying to bring me comfort.

People may say I'm crazy, but I believe that God works in mysterious ways and there's far more to the death experience than any of us can comprehend.

Hope you have a blessed day!

April

Love and Prayers,

Monthly Miracles

For those of you who are new to The Fort, once a month I feature a blogger who has experienced either an angel or a miracle. A miracle is defined as a supernatural event that cannot be explained by medicine; an act of God.

If you have a story that you would like to share please please do email it to me. My email addy is listed on my profile page. I can even run it anonymously if you like as many of these events are very personal. If you haven't yet read my miracle story in which started this all, please feel free to do so it is listed here. If you do, please read it in its entirety as it is very personal to me and was very difficult to write.

This month I feature a story of a Grandmother of a very dear friend. Jill known to many of you as Sneaky Momma and her husband Lane Sneaky Daddy have been great bloggy buddies for quite some time. I am honored to feature Jill's story here in this way. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



My grandmother (Memaw) passed away in the Fall of 2003. Her health had been declining since the death of my grandfather in 2002. She had cancer. It was something that we didn't really know the full scope of until two weeks before her death. When hospice was called and death was just around the corner, our entire family camped out in her living room; all 16 of us. Her final days were spent surrounded by those on earth that she loved the most, and who loved her the most.

About three days before she died, my grandmother started having ’visitors’ that only she and her cat could see. Their eyes would mirror one another’s as they tracked whatever was in the room. I’ll never forget sitting by my grandmother’s bedside when she excitedly bolted upright in bed. She grabbed my hand and held it tightly as she said, “Do you see him? Do you see him?” When I told her that I didn’t, she said, “Oh, Jill, I wish you could see him. He’s the most beautiful man I ever saw!”

Memaw wanted to tell us all about the man. She said that he was dressed in all white. Sometimes he would come in and sit in the room with us. Other times, my bed-ridden grandmother would see him with our family members in other rooms of the house. Once she told me that the ‘most beautiful man’ was sitting on the couch in between my uncle and my cousin. Sure enough, when I left her room to check, there was a space on the couch in between my cousin and my uncle, large enough for a man to sit in.

Her visitor never spoke. According to her, he just smiled and smiled. When she would speak of him, her eyes would be open wide in amazement. You could tell that she definitely saw something, something peaceful, something wonderful.

She also spoke several times of the door at the end of her bed. She said that it was a small door, a glowing door that she wanted to go through but couldn‘t yet. Nervous glances would dart across the room, as we all understood what would happen when it was time for her to go through that door.

My grandmother passed at home, surrounded by her three children. We are so grateful for the angels that visited us as she prepared to go to Heaven. I can only imagine the reunion that took place as she was reunited with my grandfather and my cousin, who died many years ago. It will be a long time before we know for sure who the most beautiful man was, but I have a real good guess.

I’ve given a lot of thought to what she was really wanted to know when she asked me, “Do you see Him?” I wish I could have that conversation with her now. I want so much to share Him with her in the way she wanted me to. I see Him now in ways that I never saw Him while she was alive. I want to tell her about how I see Him in my children and the goodness that is my husband. How I see Him when I reflect upon the memories that I have of her and my grandfather, in the actions of my parents, and the words of my sister. My heart aches for an adult relationship with her, to tell her how much I love her and appreciate all of the things she did for us.

One of these days we will have that conversation. Of that I am certain.


Make sure to stop by and see Jill at Sneaky Momma and let her know how much you appreciate her sharing such personal moments in her life, especially if this story has touched you as it has me.


Love and Prayers,

Monthly Miracles

This post is going to give you chills, and might even draw some tears. Let me provide some background:

I posted about my story of what happened when I died and how God performed a miracle in my life so that I could live. The post was titled Angels and Miracles in case you want to check it out.

So this brought up the idea of showcasing different peoples experiences with miracles or angel sightings in their lives. Thus Fort Thompson Monthly Miracles was born. It is my hope that this can go from monthly to weekly, but in order to do that I need your help getting the word out to others to send in their stories. They can be emailed to me.

This gives us all the opportunity to read about some truly remarkable things that have happened, and how God has worked in many different peoples lives. So please help us to get the word out.

This is our first Monthly Miracles post, and we are more than honored to share with you the story of a lady who has become a very close friend of mine. She is one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet, and would do anything for those she loves. She has a sense of humor that is unmatched, and almost every post I read on her blog makes me laugh in some way.

Again, I am honored to call her my friend and even more so to feature her story. So I give you our first Monthly Miracle post from Nikki Bullock author of Life as We Know It.



While I'm not exactly a religious person, I cannot deny that there is something after this life.

When I was about sixteen, we visited my grandparents to celebrate my grandmother's birthday, which was March 18th. Our family gathered, laughed, played games and enjoyed the warm spring weather together for a entire afternoon. Eleven days later, on March 29th, my grandfather died suddenly of a heart attack in the driveway of his home as he was heading out to run errands.

Fast forward a little more than three years...

My son was born with a birth defect called gastroschisis. Basically, his abdominal wall failed to close early in development leaving a hole and his intestines had herniated through it. In most cases, the doctors would simply slip the intestines back through the hole. My son was not so lucky. His intestines had twisted and died leaving him with only 10% of his small bowel. His only hope for survival was a new and experimental small bowel transplant. My boy's name was Joel Hays after his uncle and my grandfather.

Fast forward three months...

When Joey was three months old, he was strong enough to be evaluated for the transplant. I was barely twenty years old and scared to death. The doctors told my (now) husband and I horror stories about the transplantation process and it's risks. They pretty much told us that our son would most likely not survive...and even if he did, his life would be a struggle. We didn't know what to do. We were terrified and thought maybe it wasn't worth it...maybe we should just let him go now, without surgeries and medications and hospitals. Just let our boy rest in peace.

We decided to sleep on it and talk about it more in the morning. When I finally drifted off to sleep I had a very vivid dream...one that I can still remember to this day. I was at my grandmother's house visiting and I saw a light, roughly in the shape of a man. Even though I could not see his face, I knew it was my grandfather who had passed away. I was thrilled to see him! I ran to him and told him how happy I was that he was here and how we all missed him. I was talking faster than I knew was possible...

Grandy, we've missed you. Have you seen my boy? Have you seen him? We named him after you. What do you think? Aren't you proud?

He let me finish and said...

Of course I've seen him and you need to know that the boy has a fighting chance.

I awoke from the dream and sat straight up in bed. I looked at the clock...it was 5:00am on March 18th. Four years, to the day, that I had last seen my grandfather before he died. The fear and hesitation I had about the procedure was washed away. I woke my husband and told him that we had to do it. We had to give our boy a chance. He was placed on the waiting list for a small bowel that day.

Fast forward five months...

The pager went off. THE pager...the one that alerted us that organs were available for Joey. The bittersweet moment that somewhere, a family was suffering the ultimate loss, yet, they were willing to share the "gift of life" with us. This was his chance...our boy's chance at life. It was August 18th...my grandfather's birthday.

I DO NOT believe that these were just coincidences. Even my rational mind will not allow it. An angel was sent, and whether it was my grandfather himself, or a representation of him so that I would be comforted...I do not know. What I do believe...is that there is more after this life and it is warm and so, so peaceful.

Sadly, Joey's new organs didn't function as well as they needed to. He passed away when he was 10 months and 21 days old. We donated his heart to a little girl who wouldn't have survived 48 hours without it. While I had hoped that the "fighting chance" my grandfather spoke of was for a life for my boy...it wasn't. He was fighting for her. She is because of him...and it was totally worth it!





So if this story moved you as it did me, leave a comment here and spread the word to get others you know to submit their stories as well. Also make sure to pay Nikki a visit and send her your love for having the courage to share. She will know The Fort sent ya!

Make sure you keep an eye out for more Fort Thompson Monthly Miracles, and please consider organ donation as you too may also be a part of God's will to save another's life.


Love and Prayers,

Angels and Miracles

Warning Warning Warning!!!!
This WILL be a tear jerker. You have been warned. Proceed with CAUTION!!

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So ever since my post about random things, I have had a ton of you ask for me to share about my death experience. I will do so now. I want to preface this story by saying that this is incredibly hard for me to talk about as it brings back many emotions from that day. When you go through something like this, you are left with gratitude beyond measure, however you are also left wondering what Gods true calling is for your life as there is obviously a reason you were left on this earth. The experience of all of these emotions at once is often overbearing, however I will do my best to get through this post, as so many of you have asked me to share.

I first want to share with you something that happened just around the time I had my experience. We had some very good friends in my dad's church named James and Pam. I believe he was even one of the churches deacon's. For those of you who don't already know my father is a Baptist Pastor. They were very close to our family and we did many things together like going out to eat after fellowships and services. James and Pam were some of the warmest and kindest people you could ever meet.

They had two daughters, a four year old named Katie, and another who was only a baby at the time. Her name escapes me now as it has been so many years since this happened. Anyway, one morning little Katie comes to her mother (Pam) and tells her that an angel had woke her, sat on her bed, and told her to tell her mother not to worry as she and her Grandmother were going to go be with Jesus. Pam being a bit startled by this, as Katie had never said anything like this before, ran to Katie's bedroom to find no one there. Katie again assured her that the angel was indeed there, and that she shouldn't worry because all would be ok.

The very next day while on a trip in their RV they were struck by a drunk driver, and the Motor Home immediately broke into flames. The baby had to be tossed from a window as they were all trapped inside. James and Pam were able to escape with their lives, however receiving some very serious burns. Not all were as lucky as James, Pam, and the baby. That day Katie and her Grandmother did indeed go to be with Jesus. This was an extremely tragic event for a family that we were so close to. Everyone took some comfort in knowing that Katie and her Grandmother had indeed gone to be with Jesus just as the angel had said. My father of course preached the funeral, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Funerals are never easy, but especially those of a child.

Now on to what you have all waited for. So many of you asked me on multiple occasions to share my story of what had happened when I died. Please know that this is the first time publicly I have ever spoke about this. To me it was a very personal experience, and one that I don't take lightly. Please pray for me to have God's guidance and comfort in my heart as I share these very personal moments with you publicly for the very first time.

Not very long after James and Pam lost their dear Katie and Mother/ Mother-in-Law I had my incident. I was only 16 years old and just a sophomore in high school. In order to communicate this story effectively I must first provide you with a little background.

This is the hard part of this post. For all but about 6 years of my life, this has been a secret. It was only a secret because I was ashamed, embarrassed, and just really didn't want to bear the burden of any ridicule I might have to endure. So I have kept it to myself up until about 6 years ago when I started to share it, but only with a select few who were either family members or those who I felt could benefit from hearing it. Now I chose to share it with you.

When I was only 6 years of age I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. For those who might not know, it is a seizure (neurological) disorder. I have grandmal seizures which are the worst kind. Total loss of all body function, consciousness, and memory. I had never had any kind of memory from any of my numerous seizures until that faithful day. More on that later.

So growing up I spent much of my childhood in hospitals. If I wasn't in a hospital I had just gotten out of one and could barely walk. Having a seizure is like pulling a muscle in your body. The only difference is that it hurts three times worse than a muscle pull and its in ALL your muscles. I mean there are none that get spared.

Living with this disorder is about allot more than just dealing with seizures. All of my family has endured great stress because of it. I thank God everyday for each of them, as I'm not sure that I would be able to endure what my family has lived through with me.

My sister bless her heart was still just a toddler when I started having seizures. If you have ever seen someone have a grandmal seizure then you know how scary it is. Now imagine a child as young as my sister (3 at the time) having to witness that over and over as it happened to her brother. I can't even imagine it. What I do know is that I cannot put into words how sorry I am for scaring her so. I love her so much and she means the world to me.

This is getting very difficult for me......... breathe.. tissues... ok.

My dad, he is my best friend in the world. He has the softest heart of anyone you will ever meet. He has touched the lives of so many people, and brought more than you could ever imagine to Christ. If my kids get even the slightest bit upset about something you can literally see his heart breaking. I can't even express in words how helpless he must have felt in watching me live with this disorder knowing that there was no way he could take it out of my little body and put it in his. I know that's what he wanted to do. So for all the ways that I haven't the time or space to write about, Daddy I love you. If I can be even a small fraction of the Father to my kids that you have been to me, I will be a HUGE success.

Then there has always been my Mother the Registered Nurse. She has worked in medicine her entire career so she knew from the beginning how serious this was. She is the one that truly is the reason I am here. As a child living in the 70's there were very few if any medicines that were made in liquid form. Most were all tablets or gel capsules. As a child I was not able to swallow a pill and the taste of trying to chew these Epilepsy medicines was just unbearable. So my Mother bless her soul spent many a night in the kitchen perched atop my chest as I lay on my back. She would fight with me forcing pill after pill down my throat, all while dripping is sweat, my shirt soaked with her tears and the floor soaked with mine. She did this night after painstaking night, all done out of love so that her only son would live to breath another day. I tell you this just as honestly as I can, this woman of God saved my life on more occasions than anyone will ever know. The things she had to do to keep me by her side no one should ever have to endure. She did all of them without complaint. She is a Mother sent by God, and I thank him everyday that I get to call her mine. She has been there for me everyday, and I write this post today because of her.

Please forgive me, I will have to return to this later........ok I'm back and more composed so let's try to finish this.

Then there came the day that none of us will ever forget. Moments like this become etched in your mind, so deep is there place never to be lost. A day back in the summer of 1984, where I was only a sophomore in high school.

I had a seizure which started out just like any other. I was being rushed by ambulance to the hospital when just before arriving I suddenly went into cardiac arrest. For those uncertain of what this means, it is when the heart stops beating and you no longer can breath on your own. This is what happens when you die.

I was still in arrest when arriving at the hospital and was rushed inside where resuscitation continued. No such luck. They started using defibrillators to try and shock a rhythm back into my heart all while inti bating me so that a machine could breath for me. Once someone has been gone for close to five minutes the doctor usually will call the time of death. I had been gone for 6 minutes and 45 seconds most all of which had happened while not on a vent. This meant that with no oxygen supply to my brain during this time, everyone felt very confident that I would have extensive brain damage if not just be a vegetable.

This was not to be! I woke in my room as my doctor (who was a family friend and also a pastor) stood over me. My doctors didn't expect me to ever talk again, however as he stood there he said "Timothy, do you know where you are?". I always thought that was the dumbest question. Of course my reply was "uuhh yeah, I'm in the hospital". Tears filled my Mothers eyes as she sat next to my bed and began to realize that a miracle was indeed happening. God had answered so many prayers of so many people that day.

No other patient in this hospital had ever been medically dead for that length of time and come back with no problems whatsoever. I was an instant celebrity, and anytime I walked in that hospital everyone knew me by name. They did test after test on my heart and brain and everything came back normal. God is SO good!

So as I lay there in the bed with my doctor over me, he asks me what I remember. I was thinking that to be a rather obvious question as well since I had never remembered anything during a seizure. I did for some reason feel like he had a reason for asking it this time although I still don't know what it was.

So I told him that I had a dream. One of which I could remember like I had just woke up from it and it was still happening. You know the kind. So he asks me what happened in the dream and I tell him the following.

I was in a hospital room and there where doctors and nurses there and they were all standing around me. He asked "what were they doing?" I tell him that they were banging on my chest and it hurt, so I was trying to tell them to stop, but I couldn't move my mouth because I just seemed to be an observer and that I wasn't in my body. He asked what I meant and so I told him it was like I was floating in the air above my body. He asked "you mean you could see everything?" I said yes. So his eyes got really big and he says "where were these doctors and nurses?" I tell him that there was one doctor and one nurse on my right, and one doctor and two nurses on my left. His eyes get HUGE! So he says "was there anyone else in the room?" I said as a matter of fact there was, my Mother. His voice shakes terribly as he asks "where was she?" I tell him she was at the foot of the bed the entire time always there for me. The room drew silent for some time. I was then notified that I had passed away during my seizure. THIS WAS NO DREAM! What appeared to me to be a dream to me had actually happened.

I also remembered feeling as though I was gliding through darkness toward a light that was in the shape of a man. It was so peaceful and quite. The last thing I recall after seeing this figure is waking up in the ICU and having this discussion with my doctor. I will always recall the last thing he said before he left my room... "God has a special place here for you on this Earth. There is a reason your here, God isn't finished with you yet."

I mentioned before that when I have seizures I never remember anything that happened during them. This was not one of those times. This was the only time that I remembered anything, and remember it quite well I do.

Coincidence? I think not. I know that there is a reason I remember. Its because I was not unconscious, I was conscious as I could be. After this life you see there is no unconscious, everything is more real than you could ever imagine. This is why I remember. I was there and I lived it. As for my body, it was for sure dead, as for me? Well, I was VERY much alive!

This is NOT a story. It is not a fictitious blog post with fictional characters. It is very much based on real life events that really took place. It is my life, and yes I have lived it.

This has been a very difficult post to write. It has taken days of my stepping away from this laptop, so that I could see through the tears to write another paragraph. However, if my story helps others to understand that the teachings of the bible aren't fictitious but actual events that actually happened that will determine the course of all our future, then I will consider it well worth the effort.

I thank God everyday I wake up seizure free. I have done so since 1995. Of course it is my hope and prayer that I will NEVER have another one as I just couldn't stand to put my children and wife through it. So please keep me in your prayers that I stay seizure free. I am not free of the disorder, I still have it and take 8 pills a day to prove it. I have just been blessed to go without having one for that length of time.

Miracle (mir-e-kel) n. An event that is unexplainable by the laws of nature and so is held to be an act of God.

I am a miracle, touched by his hand and left to tell about it. If you don't believe that there is life after death, I'm here to tell you that there very much is. I am living my life after death on this earth now, however through my experience I know that eternity is real and I look forward to that part of my new life everyday. Do you?

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In commemoration of this post that was so very difficult for me, I would like to start a new feature to Fort Thompson. At least once a month and hopefully more often than that I will post a feature story of someones elses miracle. This will give you the chance to read about how God has moved in the lives of so many others. These stories will be blessings that will touch your heart in ways you couldn't even imagine. So if you have a story of a miracle in your life, or you know someone who has experienced a miracle, or you just have a truly inspirational story of how God has worked in your life or someone else's, please email us at Fort Thompson as we would love to feature your story here. We will link your feature post back to your blog. Also if you feel led to do so, posting about this new feature on your site would be much appreciated. Please link to this post so that your readers will come straight to this story. Your help in getting the word out is much appreciated.

Keep an eye out for Fort Thompson Monthly Miracle's! We hope to have this a weekly feature soon!

Monthly Miracles

Please do not read this unless you have time to finish it. These people have relived very personal moments of their lives in these posts in order to share their experiences with you. None of these posts were easy for the authors to write, so please read them completely.

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So ever since my post about random things, I have had a ton of you ask for me to share about my death experience. I will do so now. I want to preface this story by saying that this is incredibly hard for me to talk about as it brings back many emotions from that day. When you go through something like this, you are left with gratitude beyond measure, however you are also left wondering what Gods true calling is for your life as there is obviously a reason you were left on this earth. The experience of all of these emotions at once is often overbearing, however I will do my best to get through this post, as so many of you have asked me to share.

I first want to share with you something that happened just around the time I had my experience. We had some very good friends in my dad's church named James and Pam. I believe he was even one of the churches deacon's. For those of you who don't already know my father is a Baptist Pastor. They were very close to our family and we did many things together like going out to eat after fellowships and services. James and Pam were some of the warmest and kindest people you could ever meet.

They had two daughters, a four year old named Katie, and another who was only a baby at the time. Her name escapes me now as it has been so many years since this happened. Anyway, one morning little Katie comes to her mother (Pam) and tells her that an angel had woke her, sat on her bed, and told her to tell her mother not to worry as she and her Grandmother were going to go be with Jesus. Pam being a bit startled by this, as Katie had never said anything like this before, ran to Katie's bedroom to find no one there. Katie again assured her that the angel was indeed there, and that she shouldn't worry because all would be ok.

The very next day while on a trip in their RV they were struck by a drunk driver, and the Motor Home immediately broke into flames. The baby had to be tossed from a window as they were all trapped inside. James and Pam were able to escape with their lives, however receiving some very serious burns. Not all were as lucky as James, Pam, and the baby. That day Katie and her Grandmother did indeed go to be with Jesus. This was an extremely tragic event for a family that we were so close to. Everyone took some comfort in knowing that Katie and her Grandmother had indeed gone to be with Jesus just as the angel had said. My father of course preached the funeral, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Funerals are never easy, but especially those of a child.

Now on to what you have all waited for. So many of you asked me on multiple occasions to share my story of what had happened when I died. Please know that this is the first time publicly I have ever spoke about this. To me it was a very personal experience, and one that I don't take lightly. Please pray for me to have God's guidance and comfort in my heart as I share these very personal moments with you publicly for the very first time.

Not very long after James and Pam lost their dear Katie and Mother/ Mother-in-Law I had my incident. I was only 16 years old and just a sophomore in high school. In order to communicate this story effectively I must first provide you with a little background.

This is the hard part of this post. For all but about 6 years of my life, this has been a secret. It was only a secret because I was ashamed, embarrassed, and just really didn't want to bear the burden of any ridicule I might have to endure. So I have kept it to myself up until about 6 years ago when I started to share it, but only with a select few who were either family members or those who I felt could benefit from hearing it. Now I chose to share it with you.

When I was only 6 years of age I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. For those who might not know, it is a seizure (neurological) disorder. I have grandmal seizures which are the worst kind. Total loss of all body function, consciousness, and memory. I had never had any kind of memory from any of my numerous seizures until that faithful day. More on that later.

So growing up I spent much of my childhood in hospitals. If I wasn't in a hospital I had just gotten out of one and could barely walk. Having a seizure is like pulling a muscle in your body. The only difference is that it hurts three times worse than a muscle pull and its in ALL your muscles. I mean there are none that get spared.

Living with this disorder is about allot more than just dealing with seizures. All of my family has endured great stress because of it. I thank God everyday for each of them, as I'm not sure that I would be able to endure what my family has lived through with me.

My sister bless her heart was still just a toddler when I started having seizures. If you have ever seen someone have a grandmal seizure then you know how scary it is. Now imagine a child as young as my sister (3 at the time) having to witness that over and over as it happened to her brother. I can't even imagine it. What I do know is that I cannot put into words how sorry I am for scaring her so. I love her so much and she means the world to me.

This is getting very difficult for me......... breathe.. tissues... ok.

My dad, he is my best friend in the world. He has the softest heart of anyone you will ever meet. He has touched the lives of so many people, and brought more than you could ever imagine to Christ. If my kids get even the slightest bit upset about something you can literally see his heart breaking. I can't even express in words how helpless he must have felt in watching me live with this disorder knowing that there was no way he could take it out of my little body and put it in his. I know that's what he wanted to do. So for all the ways that I haven't the time or space to write about, Daddy I love you. If I can be even a small fraction of the Father to my kids that you have been to me, I will be a HUGE success.

Then there has always been my Mother the Registered Nurse. She has worked in medicine her entire career so she knew from the beginning how serious this was. She is the one that truly is the reason I am here. As a child living in the 70's there were very few if any medicines that were made in liquid form. Most were all tablets or gel capsules. As a child I was not able to swallow a pill and the taste of trying to chew these Epilepsy medicines was just unbearable. So my Mother bless her soul spent many a night in the kitchen perched atop my chest as I lay on my back. She would fight with me forcing pill after pill down my throat, all while dripping is sweat, my shirt soaked with her tears and the floor soaked with mine. She did this night after painstaking night, all done out of love so that her only son would live to breath another day. I tell you this just as honestly as I can, this woman of God saved my life on more occasions than anyone will ever know. The things she had to do to keep me by her side no one should ever have to endure. She did all of them without complaint. She is a Mother sent by God, and I thank him everyday that I get to call her mine. She has been there for me everyday, and I write this post today because of her.

Please forgive me, I will have to return to this later........ok I'm back and more composed so let's try to finish this.

Then there came the day that none of us will ever forget. Moments like this become etched in your mind, so deep is there place never to be lost. A day back in the summer of 1984, where I was only a sophomore in high school.

I had a seizure which started out just like any other. I was being rushed by ambulance to the hospital when just before arriving I suddenly went into cardiac arrest. For those uncertain of what this means, it is when the heart stops beating and you no longer can breath on your own. This is what happens when you die.

I was still in arrest when arriving at the hospital and was rushed inside where resuscitation continued. No such luck. They started using defibrillators to try and shock a rhythm back into my heart all while inti bating me so that a machine could breath for me. Once someone has been gone for close to five minutes the doctor usually will call the time of death. I had been gone for 6 minutes and 45 seconds most all of which had happened while not on a vent. This meant that with no oxygen supply to my brain during this time, everyone felt very confident that I would have extensive brain damage if not just be a vegetable.

This was not to be! I woke in my room as my doctor (who was a family friend and also a pastor) stood over me. My doctors didn't expect me to ever talk again, however as he stood there he said "Timothy, do you know where you are?". I always thought that was the dumbest question. Of course my reply was "uuhh yeah, I'm in the hospital". Tears filled my Mothers eyes as she sat next to my bed and began to realize that a miracle was indeed happening. God had answered so many prayers of so many people that day.

No other patient in this hospital had ever been medically dead for that length of time and come back with no problems whatsoever. I was an instant celebrity, and anytime I walked in that hospital everyone knew me by name. They did test after test on my heart and brain and everything came back normal. God is SO good!

So as I lay there in the bed with my doctor over me, he asks me what I remember. I was thinking that to be a rather obvious question as well since I had never remembered anything during a seizure. I did for some reason feel like he had a reason for asking it this time although I still don't know what it was.

So I told him that I had a dream. One of which I could remember like I had just woke up from it and it was still happening. You know the kind. So he asks me what happened in the dream and I tell him the following.

I was in a hospital room and there where doctors and nurses there and they were all standing around me. He asked "what were they doing?" I tell him that they were banging on my chest and it hurt, so I was trying to tell them to stop, but I couldn't move my mouth because I just seemed to be an observer and that I wasn't in my body. He asked what I meant and so I told him it was like I was floating in the air above my body. He asked "you mean you could see everything?" I said yes. So his eyes got really big and he says "where were these doctors and nurses?" I tell him that there was one doctor and one nurse on my right, and one doctor and two nurses on my left. His eyes get HUGE! So he says "was there anyone else in the room?" I said as a matter of fact there was, my Mother. His voice shakes terribly as he asks "where was she?" I tell him she was at the foot of the bed the entire time always there for me. The room drew silent for some time. I was then notified that I had passed away during my seizure. THIS WAS NO DREAM! What appeared to me to be a dream to me had actually happened.

I also remembered feeling as though I was gliding through darkness toward a light that was in the shape of a man. It was so peaceful and quite. The last thing I recall after seeing this figure is waking up in the ICU and having this discussion with my doctor. I will always recall the last thing he said before he left my room... "God has a special place here for you on this Earth. There is a reason your here, God isn't finished with you yet."

I mentioned before that when I have seizures I never remember anything that happened during them. This was not one of those times. This was the only time that I remembered anything, and remember it quite well I do.

Coincidence? I think not. I know that there is a reason I remember. Its because I was not unconscious, I was conscious as I could be. After this life you see there is no unconscious, everything is more real than you could ever imagine. This is why I remember. I was there and I lived it. As for my body, it was for sure dead, as for me? Well, I was VERY much alive!

This is NOT a story. It is not a fictitious blog post with fictional characters. It is very much based on real life events that really took place. It is my life, and yes I have lived it.

This has been a very difficult post to write. It has taken days of my stepping away from this laptop, so that I could see through the tears to write another paragraph. However, if my story helps others to understand that the teachings of the bible aren't fictitious but actual events that actually happened that will determine the course of all our future, then I will consider it well worth the effort.

I thank God everyday I wake up seizure free. I have done so since 1995. Of course it is my hope and prayer that I will NEVER have another one as I just couldn't stand to put my children and wife through it. So please keep me in your prayers that I stay seizure free. I am not free of the disorder, I still have it and take 8 pills a day to prove it. I have just been blessed to go without having one for that length of time.

Miracle (mir-e-kel) n. An event that is unexplainable by the laws of nature and so is held to be an act of God.

I am a miracle, touched by his hand and left to tell about it. If you don't believe that there is life after death, I'm here to tell you that there very much is. I am living my life after death on this earth now, however through my experience I know that eternity is real and I look forward to that part of my new life everyday. Do you?

********************************

In commemoration of this post that was so very difficult for me, I would like to start a new feature to Fort Thompson. At least once a month and hopefully more often than that I will post a feature story of someones elses miracle. This will give you the chance to read about how God has moved in the lives of so many others. These stories will be blessings that will touch your heart in ways you couldn't even imagine. So if you have a story of a miracle in your life, or you know someone who has experienced a miracle, or you just have a truly inspirational story of how God has worked in your life or someone else's, please email us at Fort Thompson as we would love to feature your story here. We will link your feature post back to your blog. Also if you feel led to do so, posting about this new feature on your site would be much appreciated. Please link to this post so that your readers will come straight to this story. Your help in getting the word out is much appreciated.

Keep an eye out for Fort Thompson Monthly Miracle's! We hope to have this a weekly feature soon!


Love and Prayers,








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This is our first Monthly Miracles post, and we are more than honored to share with you the story of a lady who has become a very close friend of mine. She is one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet, and would do anything for those she loves. She has a sense of humor that is unmatched, and almost every post I read on her blog makes me laugh in some way.

Again, I am honored to call her my friend and even more so to feature her story. So I give you our first Monthly Miracle post from Nikki Bullock author of Life as We Know It.



While I'm not exactly a religious person, I cannot deny that there is something after this life.

When I was about sixteen, we visited my grandparents to celebrate my grandmother's birthday, which was March 18th. Our family gathered, laughed, played games and enjoyed the warm spring weather together for a entire afternoon. Eleven days later, on March 29th, my grandfather died suddenly of a heart attack in the driveway of his home as he was heading out to run errands.

Fast forward a little more than three years...

My son was born with a birth defect called gastroschisis. Basically, his abdominal wall failed to close early in development leaving a hole and his intestines had herniated through it. In most cases, the doctors would simply slip the intestines back through the hole. My son was not so lucky. His intestines had twisted and died leaving him with only 10% of his small bowel. His only hope for survival was a new and experimental small bowel transplant. My boy's name was Joel Hays after his uncle and my grandfather.

Fast forward three months...

When Joey was three months old, he was strong enough to be evaluated for the transplant. I was barely twenty years old and scared to death. The doctors told my (now) husband and I horror stories about the transplantation process and it's risks. They pretty much told us that our son would most likely not survive...and even if he did, his life would be a struggle. We didn't know what to do. We were terrified and thought maybe it wasn't worth it...maybe we should just let him go now, without surgeries and medications and hospitals. Just let our boy rest in peace.

We decided to sleep on it and talk about it more in the morning. When I finally drifted off to sleep I had a very vivid dream...one that I can still remember to this day. I was at my grandmother's house visiting and I saw a light, roughly in the shape of a man. Even though I could not see his face, I knew it was my grandfather who had passed away. I was thrilled to see him! I ran to him and told him how happy I was that he was here and how we all missed him. I was talking faster than I knew was possible...

Grandy, we've missed you. Have you seen my boy? Have you seen him? We named him after you. What do you think? Aren't you proud?

He let me finish and said...

Of course I've seen him and you need to know that the boy has a fighting chance.

I awoke from the dream and sat straight up in bed. I looked at the clock...it was 5:00am on March 18th. Four years, to the day, that I had last seen my grandfather before he died. The fear and hesitation I had about the procedure was washed away. I woke my husband and told him that we had to do it. We had to give our boy a chance. He was placed on the waiting list for a small bowel that day.

Fast forward five months...

The pager went off. THE pager...the one that alerted us that organs were available for Joey. The bittersweet moment that somewhere, a family was suffering the ultimate loss, yet, they were willing to share the "gift of life" with us. This was his chance...our boy's chance at life. It was August 18th...my grandfather's birthday.

I DO NOT believe that these were just coincidences. Even my rational mind will not allow it. An angel was sent, and whether it was my grandfather himself, or a representation of him so that I would be comforted...I do not know. What I do believe...is that there is more after this life and it is warm and so, so peaceful.

Sadly, Joey's new organs didn't function as well as they needed to. He passed away when he was 10 months and 21 days old. We donated his heart to a little girl who wouldn't have survived 48 hours without it. While I had hoped that the "fighting chance" my grandfather spoke of was for a life for my boy...it wasn't. He was fighting for her. She is because of him...and it was totally worth it!





So if this story moved you as it did me, leave a comment here and spread the word to get others you know to submit their stories as well. Also make sure to pay Nikki a visit and send her your love for having the courage to share. She will know The Fort sent ya!

Make sure you keep an eye out for more Fort Thompson Monthly Miracles, and please consider organ donation as you too may also be a part of God's will to save another's life.


Love and Prayers,