EYEWITNESSED

I watched Ken die as I held his hand at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As the breath left his body, I was unable to hold up his 6’4” frame, so he slid down into a chair and onto the floor - code 10. Over the next two months, I really grew to dread hearing that terminology. That night, I walked the hall in my nightclothes and battled with the spirit of death - reminding Satan of the authority that I possessed with Jesus as my Savior. My declaration: Ken would live and not die. A defibrillator was utilized; and approximately twenty minutes after what seemed like an eternity, the doctors were able to detect a faint pulse - in his wrist. As they wheeled him off to the Intensive Care Unit, I could see him fighting. His eyes were fluttering so I yelled out to him that I was not going to leave him and everything would be all right. Doctors placed him on a ventilator to circulate air in and out of his lungs. Eventually, I was permitted to see him and just stood there in total devastation. Looking! Thinking! This can’t be happening to us. Please God, let me wake up from this nightmare. However, I was not asleep. Therefore, I could not wake up. Just wishing! But, this was real. ICU was freezing. His stark naked, emaciated body was lying there - stiff as a board to the touch and purple in color. His eyes were slightly cracked with a death gaze. Dr. Miat stressed, “When they are this far gone they never come back.” Therefore, he advised me to have Ken disconnected from the ventilator. Several family members traveled from Mississippi and joined me in a conference with this specialist. My brother, James Jr. had tears streaming down his face as he stood and proclaimed, “Ken is upstairs fighting for his life. We cannot give up on him.” My oldest brother, Lawrence brought my father, James in a wheel chair. My mother - Lottie, my husband’s sister – Katie, our daughter – Kamilia, her baby and all family members who could make the trip, came to support us. I drew so much strength from their presence. In fact, all of us had tear-stained faces. Then I remembered what the Lord told Ken to tell me when he was bleeding profusely after brain surgery in Meridian, Mississippi – just a week prior. His statement echoed in my ears, “We are in the eye of the storm and it is going to get rough; however, when tornadic activity interrupts our lives, the safest place to be is in the eye of the storm, because that’s where the SON is.” I don’t remember ever hearing that until then. Since that day, I’ve learned some very interesting facts about the eye of a storm: 1. Because the eye is so calm, the sun comes out, the wind virtually stops, and there is virtually no precipitation. 2. Oftentimes blue sky or stars can be seen. 3. The eye has the lowest surface pressure and temperatures tend to be at its warmest. Psalms 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. In the midst of the most severe storms of our lives, we continue to find the SON, many blue skies and shining stars. Chapter 1 The if in Life A day prior to Ken coding at UAB, he said, “No matter what happens, Patrick: don’t let go.” Convinced that his spirit was somewhere in the heavenlies, I refused to give consent to disconnect him, and demanded a feeding tube for nourishment for him the next day. He loves a challenge and has always been a warrior. My proclamation to all (including the medical professionals) remained unchanged: The two of us would walk out of the hospital together. Well, twenty-four hours passed. Forty-eight hours passed. On the third day, something incredible happened.