Outskirts Press, INC.

It's all about believing...

A healthy, 34-year-old mother of three was put on life support after a severe stroke left her in a seemingly lifeless state. The attending physician explained: "The way you see her today is the way she will remain until you decide to let her go. She is being kept alive artificially by machines. She has a zero percent chance of recovery. It is recommended that you call the family together and say goodbye to her and then release her. There is no purpose in keeping her like this."

And so the journey began - from this proclamation that her life was over, to the radiant inspiration she is today - for her and the brave souls along the way that dared to believe.

I had retired early for a Friday night. It was November 30, 2001 and I was fast asleep when the phone rang. The masculine voice on the other end of the line announced himself as a police officer. My mind immediately started down a check list: Was Jesse home? Was Tim on the road? Where is Teena? Was the dog barking? The only other time I had received a nighttime call from the police was to issue a “disturbing the peace” ticket from my dog barking and keeping a neighbor awake.

The checklist helped me struggle my way back to being awake. The officer gave me a moment before he continued. “Your sister has been taken to the emergency room in American Fork. She is alright but they would like you to come,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

A series of questions immediately started marching across my waking mind: What was wrong? Was she in an accident? Was she really all right? Did he just say she was all right so I would not be too reactive? What I really wanted to know was why a police officer was calling. I eventually asked him, but his explanation didn’t make sense to me so I thanked him and hung up the phone.