BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

A few days later, she drove home without a care in the world. Life as Usual “I didn’t have any more symptoms and felt great,” Deborah recalls. “I went back to work with my usual energy. After having fainted, I pondered how much more we knew about God’s Word now than we’d known when Ron got sick. Before he died, we’d started a business. Our mentors were Partners with Kenneth Copeland Ministries. They had begun teaching us the laws of prosperity and the authority of the believer, but we didn’t know enough to stand for Ron’s healing. “After Ron’s death, my kids and I dug in to learn more. As adults, each of my children subscribed to the "BVOV" magazine. We also attended the Victory Campaigns at Woodbridge. For nine years, we took people with us. “About a month after I passed out in the hotel, in late May 2009, I took my 4-year-old grandson, Jordan, to kids’ night out at Joe’s Crab Shack. It was a beautiful evening. We sat outside on the pretend beach with Beach Boys music playing in the background. “Jordan and I had a great time. When we left, I was so used to taking patients down the ramp instead of the steps that I took the ramp on the side without thinking. Halfway down the ramp, I lost consciousness.” Unaware of what was happening, Deborah fell facedown on the cement. Opening her eyes, she realized her face was bloody, and Jordan was talking to her. “You’re yucky, Nana. I need to get you a napkin.” “Don’t leave,” Deborah insisted, remembering that they were close to the interstate. “Stay right here with me.” Dusk had turned to dark and there was no one nearby. “I see your phone!” Jordan said, scurrying to get it. “Look, Nana, I see Jonathan’s picture! I’m going to call him!” Jonathan, Deborah’s youngest son, rushed to the scene. Horrified at the sight of his mother, he insisted that she go to the emergency room. He took Jordan, while Deborah’s daughter, Jodi, took her to the hospital. Jodi Takes a Stand Deborah waited on the results of the tests, certain that the problem was something simple. A while later, the doctor and a nurse entered the room. “We just got the results from your MRI,” the doctor said. “You’ve got a brain tumor.” “Excuse me,” Jodi said, “would you all mind stepping out?” After they’d left, Jodi turned to her mother. Her blue eyes snapped with something that looked like lightning during a summer storm. “I’m not going to lose another parent!” “I know, honey,” Deborah said. “Satan, get out of this room!” Jodi commanded. “In the Name of Jesus, I claim the victory of a miracle. Thank You, God, for my mother’s healing and for the strength to get through this. As a reminder, Satan, you’re not taking another parent from us!” Deborah was diagnosed with a meningioma, a tumor that grows from the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Although it wasn’t malignant, it could be fatal—destroying the brain as it grew. She was assigned a neurosurgeon who scheduled surgery for June 6. Meningioma tumors almost always grow back. Therefore, they recommended radiation following surgery. The hair on the back of Deborah’s neck rose as she listened to the potential side effects of radiation. She worked with Alzheimer’s patients every day. She wasn’t interested in living with radiation-induced dementia—or worse. Friend to Friend She needed to talk to someone she trusted, so she put in a call to Dr. Ben Carson. The pediatric neurologist had gained worldwide fame as the physician who developed the surgical technique to separate twins conjoined at the head. Deborah had attended the same church as the Carsons for years. She’d been their children’s group leader, and had enjoyed potluck dinners at their home, until she and Ron had moved to Fredricksburg, Va. Christian music played through loudspeakers at a concert when Deborah’s mobile phone rang. It was Dr. Carson returning her call. Stepping away from the music, she explained her situation. “Deb,” Dr. Carson said, “this type of tumor does grow back without radiation. You’re in a tough situation. Remember, faith without works is dead. In this situation, part of the works is what we’ve learned about how to help in these situations. Let me make a suggestion. If you decide to take the radiation, I’ll recommend the dosage.” “Deal,” she said. In the weeks leading up to surgery, Deborah experienced tremors, nausea and loss of consciousness. Jodi wanted to take her back to the ER, but Deborah vetoed the idea. “No, let’s wait.” The day Deborah started having seizures, Jodi bustled her into the car and drove her to the hospital. After a thorough exam, the doctor said, “We’re going to have to move up the surgery. Otherwise, we’ll lose you.” An eternal optimist, Deborah went into surgery expecting the best. An Attitude Adjustment “Surgery went well,” the neurosurgeon explained when she woke from anesthesia. “We cut out as much of the tumor as possible without leaving you disabled. The radiation will have to stop the residue from growing.” Deborah was shocked to realize that she’d lost the use of her legs. “Will I walk again?” “We don’t know. Only time will tell.” “The severity of my situation hit me when I was transferred to rehab,” Deborah remembers. “I’d been a gymnast when I was young and still had strong upper body strength. But I couldn’t go to dinner unless I got myself there in my wheelchair. The dining room was on the other side of the building. I was so weak, at times I despaired of making it. “During meals, they assigned me to sit with the stroke patients because I couldn’t swallow solid food. The ability to swallow solid food was another thing I’d lost during surgery. Like the stroke patients, I was at risk for choking. 14 : BVOV

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