Another Special Life in Christ

These testimony lives are not stories of "role models". Jesus is the role model!
These are lives wonderfully touched & changed by Jesus!

"J. R." John Roy Walters, M. D., a 2002 miracle:

[A 2013 updating aside: During my routine eye appointment with J. R. on 9/9/2013 (eleven years later), we recalled this event and then realized that two dramatically key figures were now deceased, both in 2013.]

2002: Without a miracle, this 45 year old ophthalmologist would be speech-deprived and paralyzed on his whole right side!

Two weeks before, he was enjoying an evening of soccer at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, Irmo, S. C. on 23 September 2002. His male team was in a match with a female team. Out of nowhere, J. R. and a member of the lady's team collided...both were knocked down but got up quickly. Her head had hit directly into the front side of his left neck, just below the jaw, starting an internal injury which would unfold later.

Over the next two weeks, J. R. had a couple of episodes of migraine-like headaches. All scheduled medical and personal activities went fine...even more soccer on the 30th.

On the morning of October 2nd, while shaving and grooming at the mirror, he thought he saw himself drool...and he wondered if Bell's Palsy was coming on. He didn't feel quite right, and he decided to go recline in the easy chair but had to sit down on the floor before he could get to the chair. His wife was away at the gym for an early-morning workout. Feeling a little better after a few minutes, he attempted to get up and realized that his right arm and leg were not working. Pretty unsuccessfully, he tried to crawl toward a phone. Then his young boys came in, "Dad, you aren't right!" And one boy ran next door to get Mr. Lunceford, the orthopedic "sales rep" neighbor. Emmett raced over and, fearing J. R. was a victim of an accidental  gas leak, pulled the doctor outside of the home into fresh air. Then he called their neighbor (who is an ER doctor) friend at work at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital (P-RMH). Returning from her workout, Chris Walters drove up as they were getting her husband into the car to drive directly to the ER (rather than wait for an EMS response). [Update: Emmett died in august 2013 of natural causes.]

On October 1st, the day before, another physician's wife began to lose interest in a trip to Raleigh, planned for the next morning, October 2nd. So, Dr. Ed Hudson & Dr. Jayne Moffatt decided to stay in town and hang around home. Ed was...at that time...an expert interventional neuroradiologist at P-RMH.

As, the car carrying J. R. headed out of the drive, a phone call went from the ER to Ed's home...an answering machine picked up. By the time the car arrived at the hospital in a "nail-biter" race through traffic, the ER doc had a neurologist present; and they rushed their friend over for a CT scan of the head...more or less negative. An arteriogram was ready to go, and a TPA drip was started during that procedure. The test found a large traumatic dissecting aneurysm of the left internal carotid artery blocking blood flow. Dr. Ed R. Hudson answered the second phone call and rushed to the hospital, the only person (at that time) in central South Carolina with the skill to insert stents through that kind of blockage in that hidden, vital artery to the whole left brain. In the meantime, I know that prayers had been going up. About mid-day, Linda Hughes came by with the solemn news that one of the ever-faithful members of my Credentials Committee was in an emergency procedure and might not make it out alive. We were stunned.

Five days later, at breakfast in our doctors' lounge on October 7th (Monday), three of our pathology group were talking. I asked if they'd heard anything over the weekend about J. R. "What happened?" I told what I knew. Jayne Moffatt said, "Is he an ophthalmologist from Lexington?" "That's him!" Jayne: "My husband [Ed] was involved in saving him. And that evening I was reflecting on the fact that...strangely...I'd decided I didn't want to go out of town. Finally, I told Ed, 'do you realize that this was a miracle and God used us in it? What if you had not been in town?'" "I doubt that God would work a miracle through a person like me," said Ed. [Update: Ed died in a tragic accident in June 2013.]

J. R. dropped in on me today (2002), and he is almost completely recovered. And we talked about miracles. Was J. R. just lucky...was it all a happy coincidence? Can God use anyone He pleases to work a miracle...can He make any string of connections that worked "just right"? Will He use you one day; has He already? Have you been the subject of a divine miracle...will you proclaim it to others? See other faith & health information [here]. J. R.'s father, Johnnie M. Walters (whose parents were Hartsville area sharecroppers), was former USA IRS commissioner under President Nixon & boldly defied the President when he wanted to hurt some opponents. CHECK THIS other timing miracle and THIS other one, too.

***give me your comments about this page***

(posted 14 October 2002; update 21 December 2017)

***********************************

You have just read a very brief example of the powerful, supernatural, miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit in a person's life event which is possible through the acceptance of Jesus as your savior. Are you tired of life as it now is for you? He will accept you just as you are right this second! Consider accepting Jesus now [check it out]!