How I am almost grew up without a Dad: His Miracle Story part 1

This is a true story of how I nearly grew up without a father. That would have been very sad. I am glad that did not happen. In his own words with some minor editing, let me introduce you to my Dad sharing his miracle story that occurred when I was just a few weeks old.

"DETOUR: PART 1"

By Joe Miskov III

As far as we could see, everything was going along just fine. We had just purchased a new home.  A new and beautiful baby arrived on February 18, 1978.  Our family consisted of my wife Dee, my step-daughter, Darla, who was fourteen, son, Joe IV, almost three years old and our latest blessing, Jennifer. My wife Dee was working at Lucky/Gemco Stores in Buena Park.  I had just turned 37 and had a business called Original Wood Abstracts.  I made burl wood clocks and tables along with smaller wood accessories. 

"I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!"

Then Friday March 10, a life-changing detour occurred. About three o’clock in the morning, I awoke and noticed numbness in my lower body, from my waist down. Dee was already up breast feeding Jennifer in bed. After careful consideration, we decided a warm bath would take care of the problem.  After the bath I found I couldn’t urinate.  It was the end of playing doctor so I decided I’d drive down to the hospital a few miles away and get checked out. I told Dee I’d be right back. 

"I CAN'T EVEN WRITE!"

I found out when I got there that I wasn’t able to sign in because I began losing feeling at this point.  They had to help me make an X on the form.  I was becoming paralyzed and I would have to stay so they could run some tests to see why. They called Dee and told her. She came to the hospital and had to dress in booties and mask and one of those “pretty” hospital dresses. They still didn’t know what was wrong, only that I was paralyzed from the neck down and was in Isolation, Intensive Care (ICU). They didn’t want Dee to catch anything since she was breast feeding and they didn’t know if what I had was contagious. 

A DISTURBING CALL

We immediately decided to take Darla out of school to help with JoJo and Jennifer. She watched them while Dee regularly went to the hospital.  Three days later, Dee got a phone call from the doctor.  He said, 

“Your husband is going to die or be in a wheel chair the rest of his life.”  

How’s that for “bedside manner”?  A traumatic phone call, to say the least!  She called out to God.  “Please don’t let him die. Help us get through this, I need help!”

Not five minutes later the door bell rang! 

ANSWERED PRAYER

Darla answered the door. It was Margaret Smith, who used to work with Dee at Lucky’s/Gemco.  She had been a nurse and she just “happened” to be in the neighborhood and thought she would stop by to see the new baby. Darla told her what was going on with me at the hospital. She came upstairs to where Dee and Jennifer were.

Dee told her she was ready to jump out the window with Jennifer and didn’t know what to do.  Dee couldn’t breast-feed because she was so upset.  Margaret asked her if she could pray for her.  Dee thought she meant she would go home and pray for her.  Not so!  She sat on the bed with her and held her hands and prayed for her right there. No one had ever prayed for her that way before. Margaret also prayed that I would be healed. 

She also asked “How can I help you?”  And a day later, Margaret with her children and Dee and JoJo were delivering wood products for me to stores that had orders.  The same day they were delivering clocks, Margaret’s husband, Sam, came to the hospital and told the people at the front desk, “He’s my brother.” This was the only way he could get in to see me in ICU.  Little did I know he wasn’t lying.  He didn’t mention that he was my “brother in the Lord.”   

SAM'S 1st PRAYER

He asked me, “Do you mind if I pray for you?” 

“Sure, go ahead.”  Sam was in mask, hospital gown and booties.  He laid hands on me and prayed that I would be healed. That was the first time I had been prayed for that way.  Later on we found out that this was the first time Sam had ever stepped out to pray for someone. He was trusting God.

Not too long after that, the doctors determined I has something called Transverse Myalitis, which is a viral infection of the spine.  They then put me in regular intensive care which meant no more dressing up to see me!  I still couldn’t see the children though and the doctors couldn’t tell me how I got this illness or how I was going to get rid of it.  

They just kept pumping me with penicillin.  

I started to see family and friends about this time.  They all knew more about the situation than I did.  I was the only one who was kept in the dark.  Everyone was told to be positive and to smile a lot. The doctors would come in daily and tell me different things, like “you’ll be out of here in two weeks, three months, or six months.”  But they really didn’t have a clue.

SHE CRIED

I saw my mom and dad, and my sister Adrienne.  She would play with my toes but I couldn’t feel a thing.  Good friends came and for the first time someone cried there.  Her name was Kay Stone.  I still didn’t figure it out.  I always thought I would get well.  I never had any pain so I wasn’t that uncomfortable.

They let me see JoJo and Jennifer down in the lobby.  That was different, because I couldn’t hold them or hug my new baby.  Little things do mean a lot!

AN ANGEL?

Two weeks and two days later there wasn’t any improvement.  It was Easter Sunday.  The nurses would come in and turn me over every day, so I wouldn’t get bed sores.  Easter evening a Chinese nurse turned me over and started to sing hymns to me as she rubbed my back.  Most of the hymns weren’t familiar to me but I had to listen. Where could I go?  I fell asleep and awoke the following morning moving fingers and toes!  Feeling started to come back in the rest of my body.  The doctors had no idea how I recovered.

They said it was a miracle. 

God and miracle were the words most used to describe my recovery.  I agreed! 

It was time to learn how to walk all over again. 

Oh and by the way, I never saw that Chinese nurse again.

Oh, and another thing, we received $547.00 cash in the mail to take care of our house payment.  To be continued……
See part 2 and the financial miracle that followed.

Before the accident. That's not me in the belly but my bro!