by Cindy Beall
"Jeff Buchanan had a heart attack last night and they don't think he's going to make it," my husband said on the morning of February 15, 2011. Immediately I thought of his wife, Erica, whose been a friend of mine for years. And then their children came to mind, which broke my heart even more. Because he's only 39 years old.
My husband went to the hospital later that day to visit her and to pray over Jeff. She and I communicated via text messages about the situation. She was clearly distraught, to say the least, and actually said that she didn't think she'd be bringing him home. She felt this way not only because of the medical advice given to her but also because Jeff was literally dead for 90 minutes as they did chest compressions to try to resuscitate him.
Since he was so young, they didn't stop.
Eventually he "came back to life" and was on life support but would crash another 20 times or so in the night. There were so many machines keeping him alive mainly to see what the extent of his brain damage would be or if he would even have a functioning brain after 90 minutes without oxygen.
After a couple of days of living in medically induced hypothermia state hoping to reduce the effects of brain damage, the skilled medical staff began to warm his body up. After it got to a certain temperature, it was time for a CT scan that would probably show them what they feared the most: Jeff was brain dead.
Funny thing happened, though. The CT Scan came back normal. There was nothing wrong with Jeff Buchanan's brain.
Within a matter of time, Jeff woke up and began communicating with the medical staff and his family. Before they knew it, he was moving his body parts and was joking around.
It's been three weeks since this happened to the Buchanans. They'll tell you they will never be the same again—partly because he's out of the hospital and is sleeping soundly next to his wife in their bed at home. The other part is because this family got to see the real, awesome, majestic, breathtaking power of God displayed right before their eyes.
When you find yourself in a circumstance that seems hopeless, it's frightening to hope even a little because you don't truly know what the future will hold. Thankfully, people rallied behind Erica, Jeff and their family and believed for them. They offered hope when there was a short supply. They offered help with the daily tasks that needed completion. They offered prayers for an outcome they desperately believed in.
Because for a while, Erica just couldn't.
I don't know where you are in life. I don’t know if you are running low on hope and faith. If that’s your plight, maybe it’s time to reach out to those closest to you and allow them to bear your burden. I bet they’d be honored to help you carry it.
Scripture Of The Day: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
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