When I look back on my life, I can see God’s hands along every step, even when I experienced a rare brain tumor. Life was going along wonderfully. My wife, son and I had just adopted our 12 year old son from Colombia. I was doing well in my real estate job and even training for a marathon. One morning, I went out for a run and became extremely dizzy. If not for a park bench, I may have collapsed. I found my way home and thought it was just a chemical imbalance. But my wife convinced me to go to the ER. The MRI showed a tumor the size of a fist lodged in my brain. When the doctor said those words, I was devastated. It was causing my entire brain to be scrunched to one side.
But by God’s grace, it looked to be clear, meaning it was non-cancerous. Still, it was a very rare and large brain tumor. One of the country’s top neurosurgeons performed my surgery, which was anything but smooth. There was a tremendous amount of hemorrhaging. He had to call his medical mentor in Europe for a consultation. I was in a medically-induced coma for two days while a team of neurosurgeons decided on a course of action. Four surgeries later, I’m a walking miracle. It took two months in the hospital and rehab before I was anything close to my normal self. I lost hearing in my left ear and still have some lingering imbalance, both somewhat common side effects with brain surgery.
Throughout this ordeal, my faith gave me a peace that truly is hard to explain. I could literally feel God’s presence every step of the way. And His timing was amazing. I may not have survived this had I not been in good physical shape. God orchestrated our adoption so it had already taken place; otherwise we would have never been approved to adopt our son. Now I make it a point to meet with others going through major medical challenges, to listen to their fears, to comfort and encourage them.
I was recently able to complete a half-marathon, and I want people to know that they can come back from difficult times and overcome difficult obstacles. God is always in control and will be with them every step of the way. God has been using my ordeal to spread His name and goodness, and to show He is with us all the time.
