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My husband
Ernest is the kind of guy you can't help but love.
He is always in a good mood and always has
something positive to say. When someone would ask
him how he was doing, He would reply, "doing just
great, just great!
He has such a great attitude, always so positive. If someone was having
a bad day, Ernest would be telling them how to
look on the positive side
of the situation and to never have negative
thoughts or words. I don't
think he knows what a natural motivator he is to
other people.
I went to Ernest one day and said to him; "I don't
understand how you
can be such a positive person all of the time,
with all that you have
wrong with you! How do you do it?"
YOU SEE he is in total kidney and liver
failure, diabetic on insulin, totally blind in the
right eye and 20/400 in the left eye, making him
legally blind and still fighting for disability
since 1989 when he was 100% blind and has been two
times more since then, he is on dialysis, the
first year ten hours a night, seven days a week
and since then he goes three times per week.
leaving at 5:30 AM on a bicycle and getting home
by noon. He is actually on the machine four hours
plus set up and tear down time and the trip time
there and back riding his bicycle after just
getting off the machine when most are too worn out
to drive and must get a ride and spend rest of day
in bed. He also has very high blood pressure and
has had to my memory over eight surgeries in the
last two years along with many other things he
also has wrong with him. This is some background
to let you know a little about my husband.
So back to what he said about always
being so positive and never complaining. Ernest
replied, "Well, you have two choices you can
make, you can choose to be positive and stay in
a good and healthy mood all day or you can
choose to be negative and be in a bad and
unhealthy mood all day. I choose to be positive
and in a good and healthy mood all day. He says
as long as your spirit is right with God you are
fine. Each time something bad happens, you
cannot just give into it. Every time someone is
complaining, they are giving in to their
negative thoughts and helping them to come
true. I choose to accept the positive side of
life. Every situation is a choice. You choose
how you react to situations. You choose how
people affect your mood. You choose to be in a
good mood and be healthy or to be in a bad mood
and be unhealthy. It's your choice how you live
your life."
I knew I had a lot to learn as I was not
as positive as he was. I think about what Ernest
says as I remember the events that took place
during the week of 9-11, how sick Ernest was that
week, just laying in bed, talking to our friend
David. I knew he was very weak as he could not
get out of bed and they were watching the terrible
tragedy of that day unfold live on TV. How bad
they were both feeling for those people, not even
aware of just how close Ernest was to death
himself. Ernest could not get an appointment with
the liver specialist until Friday, September 15,
2001. David offered to take him as we knew Ernest
was too weak to walk to the bus. Neither of us
could drive, as we are both legally blind. David
arrived Friday morning to pick Ernest up, he was
so weak that he had to use my wheelchair to get
him out to the car. As soon as they arrived at
the doctor's office Ernest asked for a drink of
water and David got him one and asked if he was
OK. Of course Ernest replied he would be fine.
Just a second later, Ernest threw back his head
his mouth wide open, his eyes closed and seemed to
have gone into a coma. David rushed to get help.
When they saw Ernest, the doctor said, with his
hands wide open offering no help "This is beyond
what I can do" and looking at David said, "you
need to call 911." He never even tried to work on
him.
This amazes me even today. But he had
already once before diagnosed Ernest from the
wrong chart and his Kidney specialist after
talking to Ernest realized what had happened
while he almost gave Ernest the wrong meds due
to it. Well, anyway, David called the ambulance
and when they got Ernest to Halifax Hospital in
Daytona Beach, Florida, Ernest had already died
before they even got there. At the hospital
they were told not to bother putting an IV in as
he was gone. Thank God they did not listen.
His kidney specialist decided to again continue
to work on him and put him on life support and
run dialysis etc. through him. A group of us
got in a circle in the ER and prayed and prayed
and more people we knew and family came and we
continued to pray and even people in the ER
began to get in this literal circle and prayed
for a miracle and healing as they worked on
Ernest for several hours, putting him on life
support, using the heart paddles, shooting
dialysis through him and doing whatever was
necessary to bring him back. He had a major
heart attack, stroke, kidney and liver failure
and a whopping 8.5 potassium which for those
that don't know you do not live with potassium
that high.
Even after that, he was in a coma and
now living on life support and they did not feel
he would live an hour or so and even if he did,
they did not think he would ever be back to
normal. He would be in the hospital for months,
they said if he lived at all and may be a total
vegetable. I would also have to make decisions
about the life support staying on him. Knowing
what a positive attitude Ernest had and his will
to live, it was no surprise, that with God
working through the skilled hands of the doctors
and nurses and other hospital staff that Ernest
was able to pull through. His first sign of
life was his rubbing his thumb across my hand as
if to say, why are you worrying, trust God and
keep a positive attitude.
A FEW, YES A FEW days later they were able
to pull off the life supports. THIS was not
possible, unless you know our Heavenly Father. I
remembered David asking him what he remembered,
you know that kind of "did you see the lights"
sort of thing. Ernest said; "No, I peaceably slept
through the whole thing." He told me later that
he knew he had two choices, He could choose to
live or He could choose to die. He chose to
live. I said; "You must have been scared?" "No,
I chose to live and knew that even if God had
decided to take my life here on earth and take me
to my home in heaven that day, it would have only
been to still live, it just would have been in my
eternal heavenly home."
Ernest lived, thanks to our Heavenly
Father and the skills He gave to the doctors and
nurses and other personnel. But also, because
of Ernest's amazing positive attitude.
Supervisors from other hospitals came to see
Ernest because of the things they were hearing,
this man could not have lived. Even staff
doctors when they would first walk into his room
and see him they would step back out and check
the room number in unbelief. Nurses would come
in and say hi as they opened his chart and said,
OH MY GOD, YOU WERE DEAD. How did you come out
of this? What a witness he became that week.
By the way he only spent One
Week in the hospital with no
extra damage.
Ernest is still on dialysis
and has what I still call good and bad days. He
is still blind and on insulin but alive and a true
witness to others. He knows he will become whole
again when he gets to his heavenly home. For now
we all have to live with the pains of this world.
But, when you live them knowing Jesus it is much
easier with Him to depend on. I learned from
Ernest that everyday we have the choice to live
fully in Christ or die.
Your love for our
Heavenly Father and a good positive attitude, is
everything. "Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its
own." After all today is the tomorrow you
worried about yesterday. Remember, to stay in
the Word and keep a positive attitude. Be
careful never to speak into being, a negative
thought, word or deed. Your words and attitude
may just help it come true. Do everything to
the Glory of your Eternal Heavenly Father!
REMEMBER MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN AND I, AM WITH
ONE. IT DID NOT SURPRISE ME A COUPLE OF DAYS
AGO WHEN ERNEST TOOK A NAP AND WOKE UP FROM A
DREAM RE-LIVING THE EXPERIENCE OF 9-15-2001
JUST FOUR DAYS AFTER THE 9/11 ATTACK ON OUR
NATION. HE SAID HE WAS CRYING BECAUSE GOD SAVED
HIM AND WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE HAVE THAT HE
WOULD EVEN SAVE HIM. HE COULD NOT STOP
CRYING FOR SOME TIME.
Even today when he
gets in a lot of pain he never, ever complains but
only praises God for the time He has given him.
Ernest goes through a lot daily and as Paul did
carries this thorn of pain in his side. But, he
loves the Lord and if Jesus took him home today,
he is ready. I hope this testimony about my
husband will help you in your daily lives and that
somehow it will encourage you. God never said
this life would be easy. But, the vapor of time
we live on this earth with the pains of this world
are nothing compared to the eternity we will spend
in a paradise with our Creator and Heavenly Father
in heaven where there will be no more pain and
suffering and we will live in peace forever.
God bless you all!
By SHARON WILLIAMS
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