...the Lord used an event to change my life path. I was a junior in college and was experiencing intense pain in my left leg for four months. The numbness and burning started in my toes and went up to my knee. I was weak in that leg and no matter what way I sat, I could not get comfortable. Doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. I would call my mom crying in so much pain, which was affecting my ability to study. I finally went to my family doctor at the end of April and after hearing my symptoms, she said you need an MRI tonight and you are going to see a neurosurgeon on Monday. I had a nagging feeling that something big was about to happen.
I went to see the neurosurgeon and he said I had such a severe herniated disc in my back that he said I should not be able to function with the amount of pain it should be causing. He also said how about surgery the next day because they wanted to make sure I didn’t have any permanent nerve damage since I was only 21 and this condition normally happens in people over 40. The week of surgery also happened to be the week I was supposed to be taking my final exams to finish out my junior year of college. Fortunately the Lord provided. I went to a small college where the professors were willing to move my exams up so that I could take them before I left. The fact that it took so long to figure out the cause of my pain was a blessing in disguise because the Lord knew the recovery was going to be hard and arduous. He knew I would not have been able to finish the semester.
The Lord also provided me with an extreme peace that I have never felt before in my life the day of surgery. I knew that He was going to protect me and teach me something in the long run. Surgery went great and I was out of the hospital in less than 24 hours even though they told me I would probably be there for 2-3 days. Recovery was hard because I was such an independent person beforehand. I wasn’t allowed to leave the house for 1 week or drive for 3 weeks. I also couldn’t pick anything up or do a lot for myself, which was frustrating because at that point I was always on the go. I had other plans for the summer. Originally, I was going to go work at a Christian summer camp out of state, but ended up spending the summer at home with the parents.
Since I couldn’t do much else while I was recovering, I ended up doing a lot of thinking. At that point in my life, I was gung ho on getting in and going to medical school. I had not even thought of other options. While I was lying on the couch, I began to think about what I wanted out of life. I knew that I wanted a Christ-centered home and marriage and wanted that as my priority. I also wanted to be able to be involved in a church and do short-term mission trips, but I didn’t want to wait until I was 50 to do this because I was still paying off debt from medical school or so buried in work that I lost my focus on Christ. I still had a passion for healthcare though, so I began thinking about the nurse practitioner route. I thought it would allow me to be in the healthcare field, but still be able to have a family and be involved in a church. So even though this decision wasn’t as cut and dry as it sounds, this is the path I eventually chose to take, which has taken me to where I am today.
The one thing that I do carry today that is a constant reminder of this day that happened four years ago is a 3 inch vertical scar along my lower back. I don't try to hide this scar and wear it proudly. It continually reminds me of the day that the Lord was so faithful, and this is why I love the quote “scars are tattoos with better stories."
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