In February of 2001, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Being overweight, at 460 pounds, was the reason I had gotten sick. Being tired and out of breath, struggling to walk. After a long night of not sleeping, I missed work that day. I could hardly walk to the bathroom from my bedroom without being out of breath.
While watching a movie on television I changed the channel during the commercial. I saw "Ask The Pastor Show" where a pastor from a church I had sung at was on the discussion panel. I called the show and asked for prayer. I asked the Lord at the end, if my cousin would take me to the hospital or doctor. My phone rang within fifteen seconds, it was my cousin asking me how I felt and that I should go to the hospital. He offered to take me. The next morning I drove myself to my job where my cousin too me to the hospital.
I was in the hospital for five days and diagnosed with congestive heart failure. My doctors explained that my heart had stopped. On my last evening in the hospital the doctor came to tell me she had good and bad news. The good news was I would be going home that evening and the bad news was that my heart was so bad that they would give me medicine to ease the pain, but i would only have nine months to live. She was crying and told me she was very sorry. It was a very difficult and hard thing thing to explain this to my family.
My whole attitude about life changed. Prayer changes things and reading the bible both gives us strength to carry on. But my faith never falter.
Well I lost a lot of weight over the next six months sticking to the atkins diet, I lost over 140 pounds. I didn't take a day for granted, praying, keeping my mind alert and having a better perspective about life in general. I learned how to pray for other people instead of myself. Understanding that whatever the outcome God is still in control. I even visited a funeral home to look at caskets for myself. I went back to work in July, 2001.
Feeling better, but my heart specialist told me my x-rays weren't looking good. After six months they had found a black spot by my heart. My specialist suggested going over to the hospital to find out what it is. I went to my mother in Atlanta, Georgia. When I came back I was scheduled to go to the hospital. From the time I walked into the hospital and operating room people asked me to sing. That was very nice. In the operating room I sang How Great Thou Art. I sang it like it was the last time I would be able to sing. Thirty minutes went by and the doctor came over to see how i was. The had frozen me from the waist down and opened me through the groin area. But the the doctor asked me a question, Why was I there? He brought in another doctor and they couldn't find a thing wrong with me.
I was told from people who had this done before that I was going to be holding a bag on my side for eight hours, but they never gave me the bag. I got back to my room at 10:30 AM and I was walking around by 1:30 PM. The doctors and nurses would check me on the hour every hour. THen the doctor told me that I was healing fine, but he could hardly tell where they had opened me up at. I was healing faster than usual.
The next week when my heart specialist examined me she looked at both my groin areas, but asked what side the doctors had opened me up at. She couldn't figure out where the incision was. She apologized about sending me through that day at the hospital, but she was concerned about any blockage to my heart. Dr. Alicia Williams, Kalamazoo, Michigan was the specialist. As the months and years pass I have lost weight and have felt much better. I must exercise, maintain a healthy diet, have less stress and prayer.
I never lost or questioned my faith in God. You see he promised never to leave us or forsake us. I have told this story quite a bit and a lot of people relate. All walks of life, races, and denominations most people understand we need the Lord. Even new people to Christ are finding out the value of prayer. To live and enjoy life we all have faults and make mistakes, but if you have faith the difficult times can and will make us stronger.
This is my story, I was nobody going nowhere until someone said I was somebody who could go everywhere with Jesus.
May God Bless You All
My Statement Of Faith
God's Blessings have poured down on my heart and soul. I thank the Lord for everything that has been put into my life. I pray to the Lord constantly through my daily walks of life for Him to help me through the trials and tribulations that may arise.
I give back to the church through volunteering to praise the Lord in song. My purpose in life is to bring souls to Christ, to help other Christian Singers spread the Gospel through song and to encourage them to have a closer walk with God. I enjoy reading the bible and taking the spiritual journey with God and Christ through the Old and New Testament. I tithe to the Church so that the doors may stay open and to make my family proud. I thank the Lord each day for all his blessings.
Sincerely,
James M. McDuffy
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