Miracle number three. . .

Well, the superstitious believe that bad things happen in three's. I don't consider myself to be a superstitious person, but my family experienced the third bad scare in less than two weeks.

My dad has been working on putting a new roof on a storage building behind their house. He and my sister were taking some measurements so that they could order the plywood, when my dad got stung by a bee. Now, for most people this would not be a big deal, but my dad is severely allergic to bees. The last time he got stung was about 6 years ago, and they told him then that if it happened again, he may not live through it. He immediately started to get really sweaty and shaky. He went into the house and asked my mom to take him to the clinic right away. On the way to the clinic my dad told my mom not to call an ambulence. By the time they got there, he could barely walk. The last thing he remembers is sitting down in the waiting room, and saying, "I can't breathe!" I guess it was a mistake to go to the clinic since they are not authorized to give epinepherine shots there, and besides it was a holiday and there were no doctors at the clinic. By this time my dad was unconcious, and they decided to call an ambulence. The EMTs gave him three shots of epinepherine, but he continued to get worse. The people at the clinic wanted to send him to the hospital in Monticello, since that is the one they are affiliated with, but the EMTs on the ambulence didn't think he would make it that far, so they took him to the new Blue Mountain Hospital in Blanding. As soon as they got there, they started to put the life support tube down my dad's throat. The doctor said that they barely got it down before his throat closed completely off. Since there is not a life support machine at this hospital, they had to fly him to Grand Junction.

Before the plane arrived, my brother-in-law Josh, and his dad Taylor gave my dad a priesthood blessing. In the blessing, my dad was told that he still had work to do here on earth, and that he would recover completely. Even as I watched my daddy's lifeless body laying on the bed, a feeling of peace came over me, and I knew that everything would be okay.

There wasn't room on the plane for my mom, so Kenny and I left Stetson with my sister Candice, and drove my mom to Grand Junction to be with my dad. When the plane arrived in Grand Junction, the situation still looked grim. When we got to the hospital, the doctor met us at the door. "He is doing much better, and we are taking the tube out right now. In a few minutes you can go in and see him," he said. I felt as though a 1,000 lb weight had just been lifted from my shoulders - it was a miracle! Since only two people were allowed in the ICU, Kenny stayed in the waiting room while my mom and I went in. Tears of joy welled up in my eyes when my dad turned his head to look at us - he was alive! I held his hand and kissed his cheek; he tried to squeeze my hand, but those big strong hands were as weak as a kitten. His toungue was still swollen and his throat was very sore, but he tried his best to talk to us. When we told him that he was in Grand Junction, and that he had gotten there, not only by an ambulence, but also by life flight, he was a little angry - but we don't care, he is alive, and that is worth it, no matter what the cost!

We stayed at a hospitality house run by the hospital. My dad continued to improve, and the next day they moved him out of ICU. A chest X-ray showed that a portion of one of his lungs had collapsed, but was starting to heal. On Sunday, my dad was released and we were able to bring him home. Through it all I was amazed by the quiet strength of my mom. As hard as this was on me, I knew it was 100 times harder on her! But her faith never wavered, what an awesome example!

I believe the Lord gives us trials to test us and provide opportunities to bless us. Through these tough times, my testimony has grown so much. I have felt that the Lord was right there beside me, giving me strength and peace. I am reminded of the feeling I had when I visited Martins Cove and read the testimonies of the survivors - what a blessing it is to feel so close to the Savior! I know that he lives, and it is through him that we will be saved. I am so grateful for this knowledge, and for his power here on earth. In his Holy name, Amen.