On Monday 12 April, after being ill at home over the weekend, my daughter Shelley insisted she take me to her Doctor. One look at me and he said that I had to be admitted to hospital. The admitting heart Doctor admitted me straight into ICU. I was there for 5 days having various scans, Physio and blood tests. I was then transferred from ICU to a general 2 bed ward where the treatment continued.
One night during that time I had the most astounding experience with the Lord speaking to me. I was very ill, but he assured me that I must put my hand in the hand of the man who stilled the waters, and he would guide me through this. An absolutely beautiful moment, and one that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
After not hearing anything Shelley called the Doctor wanting to know what was happening to me. (Remember because of Covid no visitors were allowed!) The Doctor basically told her that I could go home as there was not much more that he could do. I had by this stage also developed ulcers on my legs from poor circulation.
Thanks be to God that I was on the St. Lukes prayer list!
Seven days after returning home, really battling, not being able to walk without my walker and literally dragging myself around, my friends Robert and Jayson came to see me, amongst other things telling me that Jayson had got a job that he could not turn down in Cape Town, so they would be moving there. Robert, seeing the bad state I was in and being who he is, told Shelley that he thought I should see the Doctor again. Robert and Jayson helped me to her car and off we went to see her Doctor again. He was mad as anything when he examined me and saw how bad things were and called a Doctor at the hospital and I was readmitted.
The admitting Doctor (not the same one I saw previously) called a different heart specialist to the one I saw when first admitted, who told me that I was in heart failure. I did not have a cooking clue what that was until he called for a scale, asking me what I weighed. He informed me I was approximately 25 kg overweight with water retention, which was causing heart failure. They started to pump water out of me for 7 days. They discharged me, with loads of instructions: only allowed to consume 1 litre of liquid per day, and the ulcers on my legs must be dressed 3 times a week.
I went to my GP in Norwood who after examining me told me that it was only by the grace of God that I was alive. (Robert had told me that both Dr Sylvia and her husband are lay preachers at The Lighthouse Church). She took over my treatment and her nurse is still changing the dressings. I only have 1 ulcer left, which is healing well.
Last week Wednesday I saw the Doctor who admitted me the second time, and he said that he never thought he would see me walking down his passage without my walker, looking as well as I did.
Praise the Lord for His healing touch, which even the Doctor admitted to. He took a picture of me and my legs to show the heart specialist who had actually saved my life from a medical point of view.
When I got home (still at Shelley’s house, because I am still not permitted to drive), I called Robert who told me that it was indeed a miracle. Prayer works! All the Prayer Warriors at St. Luke’s and our friends and family had continually prayed for me.
I have continued to thank the Lord for taking my hand and leading me through all the trauma, and I would love for my fellow prayer warriors and the St. Luke’s members to know about my miracle.
God bless you all for all your prayers
Shirley Long
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