01/27/2024
It has been 9 years today since I had my SAH. I have been so blessed. I wanted to share my story and if you reach a decision or would like to have a free booklet, send a PM with your address and other information. God bless!
🇺🇸Brainstorm🇺🇸
I have always had an interest in writing. I have written dozens of articles and even a booklet. While often the thoughts flow freely, sometimes a writer first needs to let thoughts bounce around in their mind. This is often referred to as “brainstorming”. On January 26, 2015, I experienced a different kind of brainstorm. Things were going well until a late morning visit to the gym. At the end of a weight lifting session, I heard a pop and felt as if I had pulled a muscle in my neck. My head was hurting but it was not the worst headache I ever had. After getting dressed, I began to get nauseous. About 20 minutes later, my condition deteriorated. The Lord really blessed me because I was in the gym at our local hospital. Right away, two nurses and other employees of this great hospital, ECU HEALTH Duplin, took me to the emergency department.
An MRI revealed that I had a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), a type of ruptured aneurysm in the subarachnoid area of the brain. I was airlifted to another great hospital, ECU HEALTH Medical, an hour away. Four minutes away from my destination, I became unresponsive but they decided that since I was so close to press on. I had to be intubated and rushed to emergency surgery for placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) to reduce the pressure in my brain. I developed hydrocephalus as well. I was put on a ventilator and placed in a medically induced coma to drastically reduce my blood pressure. That same day, they attempted to coil the aneurysm, but this was unsuccessful due to the neck of the aneurysm being too large.
Because of the late hour and the length of time that a more invasive surgery required, it was decided that it would be in my best interest to clip the aneurysm early the next morning. However, during surgery, unbeknownst to everyone, the original aneurysm had formed a “daughter aneurysm” and that burst during the operation. My condition immediately deteriorated further and I lost 2 ½ liters of blood, requiring an intraoperative blood transfusion. The surgeon later told me that there was a moment during this that his thought was that he just “had to get the patient off the table alive.” Due to all the trauma and major complications during surgery, the surgeon was unable to place the clip on the aneurysm in the correct location. After the anesthesia wore off, my body did not wake up and I remained in a coma for five more days.
During this time, the surgeon explained to my wife that my condition was so critical that it was not “day by day” or even “hour by hour” but was indeed “minute by minute”. As each day passed, the likelihood that I would wake up and be “normal” decreased dramatically. I suffered extremely high fevers and other complications after the surgery. The staff began preparing my wife for what they felt would be a future of her caring for me. According to hospital staff, one-third of patients who suffer an SAH will die before they reach the hospital; one-third will survive with a disability; and barring no complications, one-third will survive with good recovery (although a long recovery). Based on all the complications I experienced before, during and after surgery, the staff did not expect me to be in the last “third”.
However, I did not know that thousands of people were praying for me across the world. A good friend of ours started a page, “Praying for Pastor Ray Kennedy” and prayer support began pouring in. My wife received personal messages from hundreds of people, including missionaries in other countries that said they were praying for God to intervene in my behalf. In addition, many folks provided financial support, which allowed my wife to stay with me the entire time I was in the hospital and rehab as well as allowed other family members to stay in the area. It was a tremendous blessing.
Twenty three days after the initial rupture, I walked out of the hospital. Hospital staff said that based on everything I had been through, I was in the 1% of people that walked away with no permanent issues and/or problems. It is now been a little over four months and although I still have an aneurysm that must be repaired within the next month, I feel 100% better. I give God all the credit for the care and healing I received. I’m so thankful for the knowledge, wisdom and expertise of all the hospital, surgical and rehab staff. They provided excellent care to me.
What would have happened to me had I not survived? According to John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I made that choice to believe in Christ in 1982. I have always believed about Christ but the word believe in John 3:16 means to trust or to depend on. While I was raised in church and had even gone to Christian school for six years, and after hearing the gospel probably over a thousand times, I finally took the time to understand the gospel. I called on the Lord (Romans 10:13) and asked for the free gift of eternal life. I meant business with the Lord and He meant business with me as well. Prior to trusting Christ, I was believing or trusting in my own good works to get me to Heaven. After a visit by my Pastor and a Deacon, they reminded me of several points in the scripture that I had not applied. They reminded me that: 1) I was a sinner (Romans 3:23); 2) I owed a penalty (Romans 6:23); 3) Jesus paid my penalty when He died on the cross and rose again; 4) If I were to call on the Lord and sincerely ask Him for the gift of eternal life, He would save my soul for eternity (Romans 10:13 and John 5:24). That day, I called on the Lord, took Him at His Word and trusted Him as my Personal Saviour and received His free gift of salvation. That is what is meant by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am guaranteed of a place in Heaven. Not because I feel like it always, but because I have done what the Bible says to do to get to Heaven. We can’t earn Heaven nor can we deserve Heaven, but we can have a personal relationship with the Lord through simple faith in Jesus Christ. That is the best decision that I have ever made. How about you? Do you know for sure that if you died today, that Heaven would be your home? If not, we do hope that you will consider bowing your heart and placing your faith and trust completely in the Lord Jesus Christ as He did all the work necessary for us to go to Heaven. Maybe you would like to pray a prayer; meaning it in your heart and ask for the free gift of everlasting life:
“Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and that I deserve to pay for my own sin debt, but I believe that You died for me to pay the debt that I owe and rose again. Right now, the best that I know how, I trust You as my Saviour. I am depending on you from this moment on for my salvation. Thank you for the free gift of eternal life. Help me to live for You. Amen.”
May God bless you. Pastor Ray Kennedy
If you prayed this simple prayer and meant business with the Lord, write to us at the following address so that we may rejoice with you. We would also like to send you some free information on how to live the Christian life. Write for your free booklet today.
Faith Independent Baptist Church
PO Box 113
Magnolia, NC 28453
