My Testamony

Version 2.0

This experience has kept me a believer through some of the down times in my life. It started one winter when I was twelve years old with a common cold around Christmas. Gradually after several bouts with the sniffles and colds, I came down with what my family thought was the flu. After about a week, on a Saturday night, it was clear this was far more. My breathing was labored, to say the least; I was taking shallow breaths (about half of a 'normal' breath). On Sunday afternoon my Mother drove me to East Liverpool City Hospital, the most I remember about that day was sitting in the ER for a long time. I had blood taken, given a blood gas test, and then given a breathing treatment. I was sent to a room in the kid's ward, where I remember Dr Lava sticking his head in the door and saying "We're going to make you better."

The Bible says there are many demons in Hell as well as Satan, that will reek havoc in peoples lives. Keep that in the back of your mind.

The flu it turned out was pneumonia, which had spurred an unknown virus to attack my right lung. The hours spent in the ER were during the debate as to admit me for more tests or not. Since my Mom was a waitress we had no insurance. The debate was between Dr Lava and 'the powers that be' over how my family would pay the bills.

Finally I was admitted.

After days of tests, antibiotics, and treatments I suffered a heart attack in the X-Ray room. The mysterious "gel-like" fluid that was around my lung was now approaching my heart. After that episode I was taken to the ICU to be treated. After another debate with Rev Perry over insurance (again) a Doctor put a tube into the right side of my back. An agonizing process!!! After the second attempt the puss poured from my back like water. After 3 days in ICU, which nurses attested should have been longer, I was sent back to the kids ward. With in a few days my vital signs were dropping, and another tube was inserted.

The second insertion was slightly successful, still too painful for a twelve year old to have to endure. (but when you're uninsured why should you receive proper treatment) "Slightly Successful"-- the doctors drained some more puss from around my lung, but not the infectious fluid that they said had now turned into a 'gel-like' substance. My vital signs continued to drop after that point.

At that time the doctors told my Mother to "call in the family" I was not going to make it.

She called my Grandparents, and told them to pass the word on for the rest of the family to get ready for the funeral. My Grandparents did their crying on way to the hospital, so they could be strong when they got to the hospital.

At some point one of the doctors had the idea of sending me to Youngstown to St Elizabeth's Hospital, and Dr Muzzola the region's best chest specialist.

Upon arriving at the hospital my Pap made a quick visit to my room, and told me to "Keep a stiff upper lip." As well as trying to give me his ring for good luck. It was decided that my Grandma would ride in the ambulance with me and my Mother would follow in her car. My Pap went home to alert the rest of the family. At that point Pap went home and called in the cavalry, Virginia Wellington and the Oak Ridge 'prayer chain'.

What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.

I was loaded into the ambulance, as he climbed in the driver said "Let's hope we make it to Youngstown." Still in the dark about the seriousness of my situation, I thought "Oh, great an ambulance with a bad motor." The EMT almost tipped me off to how ill I was, she talked about "On critical patients we usually have a Doctor on board." And "On critical patients do we take their 'vitals' every 30 or 15 minutes?" My thoughts were "I didn't know I was critical." With that we were off to Youngstown.

Until the miracle it was pretty boring ride, but on Route 11 North at the 'First Columbiana Exit' as it came to be known ( about a 30 minute drive). The female EMT in the back with me, checked my vitals. She responded joyfully "His vitals are back to normal." The lady was so excited she propped me up so I could wave to my Mom.

When we arrived at St. Elizabeth's Hospital there was a scramble to find me a bed (8206A to be exact), it turned out I was scheduled for emergency surgery. I had improved so the surgery was postponed for three days. The first person I was at the hospital was a Nun. I'm Presbyterian by faith, but that symbol of Christianity carries a lot of weight.

At St E's my family was brought out of the dark to the severity of my situation. My mom was shown X-rays, and told of the surgery and the possible outcomes. I was taken out of bed and told to walk with hoses, IVs and all. The surgery went well, I thought, of course I was unconscious; I spent 3 days (odd how everything happens on the 3rd day) in the recovery room. My doctor was Dr. Muzzula, from Youngstown, Dr. Sing at City Hospital said he was the best in the area at Chests. His associate who assisted in the surgery looked over the "gel" and tested it and all he could say was it would probably not come back, but he had never seen anything like it. Crazy hun! That's what happens when the Devil and his demons are at work....

Things were touch and go for a while, but against the odds I'm still here, despite the Devils best efforts.

I do have some fond memories of the event. Rev Perry from City Hospital is still a friend of the family because of this. There were some cute nurses at St E's, one of which said I was as big as her boyfriend (I was a 6ft tall at 12 years old). There was "Toughie" a kid from the streets of Y'town who literally go run over by a car. I can remember him crying in the recovery room as I was about to be moved back to my hospital room, and standing in his room trying to talk him into going to 'rehab'. There was the black family that I shared a room with for a while at St E's, their son was 17 with the mentality of a 2 year old do to a sickness the effected his brain when he was a baby. I used to talk to him and he would mumble stuff back to me. One time his Mom tried to help me walk from the bed to a chair, on my way back to bed I lost my balance and started stumbling around like a goon.

This proves to me that there must be one true God. I was given up for dead, taken off the meds. My family was told I would not live one more hour, and somehow 30 minutes later, I was being healed with no one's help. But God's! I do not know why God chose me, I do not feel I deserved it, and life has not always been easy. I even gave up on God for a while… Maybe it was to show all things are possible through God, maybe I was healed and brought through this to show people what really is possible, miracles still happen!

Demons can take many forms it can be letting others get the best of your weaknesses, depression, self-pity, anger. This story lets people know "With God all things are possible." Philippians 4:13. You can over come sorrow, people picking on you, your temper.... Many people have told me through out my life that I am no good, either I was too fat, too poor, perceived as too dumb, or too quiet, but I have to remember everyday as do all of you who read this that God made me/you special for a special reason. Like Rev. McCollumn told my family "God gave John for a reason." I have to get better at remembering that, all of us need to remind our selves of this, that we are special little critters on a special little planet. God made you and he made you special for a reason!!!! ;-) hahahahaha

we are all equal in God's eyes.

…Or me and my Pap’s favorite hymn "Love Lifted Me". ".....I was sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful shore, when the master of the sea heard my despairing cry......Love Lifted Me." Don't let things get you down, all sorts of demons will cross your path, and hurt you, but find some way to remind yourself, God loves you!!!!!

Read on …

I have to give credit where credit is due:
If it were not for the good folk of my church who told us to pray, “Jesus come into my heart.”, every week at Sunday School, I might not be here….
ha, I remember not feeling like Jesus was in my heart then one week I really prayed hard instead of going through the motions, and he finally came into my heart. I was like 8?
This story came to me after my first year of college (Kent state) my grandma wouldn’t shut up one day
and she filled in all the blank spaces in my head. I wondered why people said this or that. And she just kept talking and filling in all the stuff….
It brought me to pray one day at Kent and finally let Jesus back into my heart (he was always looking over my shoulder I think). I prayed a very specific pray, about what kind of church I was looking for, and this hippy looking guy (mike) took me there one Sunday. And all the things I wanted where at CLC.
Having God in your life will not make life easy, but I know when I read my Bible, and pray it sure helps!!!!!

I've been nicknamed Big John since kindergarden. Right now i'm about 320lbs. at around 6 foot 4 inches.....I've actually lost about 44 lbs. lately to get to 320, WOW. ....

George W Bush is now one of my heroes!!! ?

my last job with adults who have disabilites; ranging from retardation to slow learners, and special olympians, was the highlight of my life. going into work and knowing everyone was happy to see you and most of the will treat you as good as you treat them is a good feeling. Knowing you are making a difference in some one's life is a rewarding...
Now God has called on me to help teens with drug and alchol addictions at the Ezra Center in East liverpool. They are good kids it;s just messed up society, thnx to liberals. God willing i will change these kids into good christian - republicans... They have already started to change me and make me a better man, it's nice to have a sense of accomplishment in life !

I am a Christian plain and simple....

If you don't beleive me read my testamony....

smoke big cigars.....

I'm good Republican, ...
"Dream like you'll live forever, live like tomorrow's you last day on earth." James Dean, said that.