About Me
Michael and Maranda Forney received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and were married under the ministry of Bishop Brian Keith and Prophetess Donna Williams. While members of all Nations Church in Columbus, Ohio, Michael taught several young men classes and served as an armor bearer to Bishop Williams. Maranda served on the Praise & Worship team, ANC Choir and performed several special selections.
Michael received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from West Virginia State College and his MBA with honors from Lake Forest Graduate School in 2005. Maranda has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from DeVry Institute of Technology and will receive her Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management Spring of 2009.
Michael and Maranda reside in the Chicagoland area with their seven beautiful children. After the birth of their last child in December of 2005, Maranda began to experience upper abdominal pain and severe vomiting. The nurse gave her medication for the pain and within seconds, Maranda knew something was wrong. Her last words were, "I can't breathe!" The nurse yelled for help and a team of doctors and nurses ran into the room. Maranda was amazed that she could hear everything in the room even though all signs indicated she was unresponsive. Maranda asked God, "Is this what it feels like to die?"
The doctors continued to work on Maranda while the nurse kept whispering into Maranda's ear, "Please don't die on me tonight, Please!" The only time Maranda could see, when the doctor lifted her eyelids to examine her pupils. Once revived, Maranda was hooked to a breathing ventilator and heparin pump.
In the meantime, Michael and the children were waiting outside in the lobby unaware of the events that had taken place. One of the doctors approached Michael and said, "Can I speak to you privately?" In a private room, the doctor informed Michael, "Your wife has taken a turn for the worse and we are not sure why but the good thing is, she has a pulse again."
Michael appeared to be confused because he had just seen his wife and she appeared to be doing well. Michael then stated, "I want to see my wife." The doctor said that he would take him back momentarily once Maranda had been stabilized.
Maranda was taken for a CAT scan. While in the CAT scan machine, she continued talking to God and ended with, "I'm ready to go home but I don't want to leave Mike to raise all the children by himself." Suddenly Maranda could blink her eyes for a split second. The nurse yelled, "She blinked." She then asked, "Maranda, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand." Unable to move any part of her body, Maranda blinked twice. The nurse continued, "Maranda, we think that you may have had a stroke but we are taking care of you, okay?"
Maranda stayed in the hospital for a week and was later informed that she had been given the wrong medication; a paralytic. Many people have asked why didn't the Forneys sue the nurse, doctors and hospital. Their response, "If our God is all-powerful and all-knowing, then He allowed this experience to happen for a reason. Our job is to find out that reason."
As a result, the Forney's founded "The Forney Foundation Inc." a tax-exempt not-for-profit foundation for homeless single mothers. Together Michael and Maranda faithfully stand on the scripture, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," Philippians 4:13, which has empowered them to be all that God has called them to be: A SERVANT!
