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| A GRANDMA'S STORY |
| On Monday, May 20, 1996, my daughter Tammy had a doctor appointment for a check-up. She was expecting a baby August 1st. The doctor found Tammy had a very bad case of toxemia and had her rushed by ambulance to Women's and Children's Hospital in Charleston, WV. Charleston said they were going to do their best to try to hold delivery off for two more weeks to give the baby some more time. Shortly before my husband Ralph got in from work on Wednesday, May 22nd, Tammy called and said, "Mom, they're getting ready to take the baby! They said they can't wait any longer!" I told her not to worry that we'd be right down to be with her. I started doing enough worrying for both of us as I hung up the phone. I started praying as I made a few very quick phone calls to ask for prayer. As soon as Ralph got in, I told him we had to go to Charleston. I was very, very scared. The 70 + miles ahead of us seemed endless while I continued to pray without ceasing. Long before we got to Charleston, about Ripley (halfway there), I was reminded of and heard in my spirit, Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The knots started to loosen in my stomach. I started to relax. God assured me that He was still in control and that everything was going to be all right. I had peace that passed all understanding and defies description. My precious granddaughter was taken c-section about the time we got the ticket to the parking lot at the hospital. Tiffany Ann weighed a mere 1 lb. 11 1/2oz. Neither she nor Tammy were "out of the woods". We nearly lost them both but I no longer worried. I knew they were both in the palm of God's almighty hand. I had peace in my heart that flowed like a river. Tiffany was breathing on her own but they but they gave her a little help from an oxygen tent so as not to wear her out. I just knew in my heart that everything would be okay. God was in full control of the situation. There were coming many times that satan tried to steal and destroy that peace that God gave me. Many times he tried to take Tiffany's life from her but Tiffany had opened a new door to heaven for me with a very special key. That key is called faith and Tiffany caused my faith to grow by leaps and bounds. I'd had some faith in God and prayer before but now the Holy Spirit had caused me to have great faith through Tiffany. I claimed the promise in Matthew 21:22, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Until then I had never had the unshakable faith that I would receive when I prayed. My faith isn't perfected but I now have great faith instead of little faith. In one of the waiting rooms at the hospital I saw a book of baby names. I looked up Tiffany to find it means "appearance of God" and Ann means "grace"...how very, very true! I see God through Tiffany clearer than I've ever seen Him before. Tiffany is living and loving proof to me of God's marvelous grace and that there is an almighty Father in heaven that loves me beyond all understanding. After Tiffany was born, Tammy told me of her experience that very morning. It blessed me to know that God sent her an angel to comfort her. An angel is a messenger from God and Tammy had a visitation of one. A nurse Tammy never saw before or since had come in that morning to give Tammy a sponge bath. She asked Tammy, "Do you believe in guardian angels?" Tammy said, "Yes, I do." The nurse told Tammy, "I see one standing by your bed now." This was hours before any mortal knew Tammy's condition would quickly worsen. God knew what was going to happen and He had sent a messenger to let her know she was not alone nor forsaken. We don't know if this nurse was the guardian angel herself or if she did see an angel by Tammy's bed. We do know at least one angel was there to watch over her. All the other nurses, doctors, personnel knew not who was in Tammy's room that morning even though Tammy asked and asked. We often do entertain angels unaware. Tiffany was so pitifully tiny. My finger was bigger around than her arms or legs. She was so beautiful in my eyes though. She is my only grandchild. They said Tiffany wouldn't make it through the night she was delivered. All the fluid had went out into Tammy's body and Tiffany was badly dehydrated. I claimed the peace that God had given me on the way to Charleston that evening. I knew there was nothing too big nor too little for my Father to handle. The doctors were sure she had leukemia because her blood count was way off. They kept a close eye on her blood count. God made the necessary corrections to her blood proving she didn't have leukemai. Doctors were sure she had cystic fibrosis. They tested her for that. They lost the first test so they took another. I knew she didn't have it. God assured me that she didn't have it. I was resting on His assurance. Satan had the doctors and several other people trying to cause me to doubt. One of my aunts kept calling me and saying, "I know Tiffany has cystic fibrosis so you'd better be prepared for the test results!" She told me this over and over. I kept telling her, "I am prepared for the test results. They'll be negative. I'm sure she doesn't have cystic fibrosis!" I had nothing against this aunt except her unbelief and determination to shake my faith. I prayed, "Lord, deliver me from these unbelieivers!" I started dodging her phone calls until the test results came back negative. continued |
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