Hello fine ATS members.

A little over a year ago, not long after the Japan quake, I joined ATS searching for answers, and to indulge myself in knowledge, in conspiracies, and to get my daily dose of excitement from fear-mongerers. Many hours I have spent on this board, which I did not think I would do, but there's something about this place.. it's definitely the people. Though we have our differences, I still love each and every one of you.

I hope that this thread will not turn into a thread full of insults, and I'm not looking for a debate. I simply wish to do two things -

1) Honor my Mother, whom passed away on October 3rd, 2011 - about 7 months ago.
2) Share her Testimony of the last year of her life, and how it impacted my family, and many others, so greatly.

I'll try to keep this short, but I'll have to begin over 7 years ago, in 2005. I had just turned 13 and school had began - a new school, a private school. It was 8th grade, and Thanksgiving was rolling around. I still remember my old house, which was the last year we were living there. I remember one particular night, in the living room, watching Lord of the Rings with my mother, who was 53 at the time. She was feeling really ill, and had left with my father to the hospital that night.

She waited in the ER room for several long, grueling hours, and her condition got worse. After she had finally been examined and a few days went by, the diagnosis came in - She had gone Septic.

If you don't know what that is; in short, your body basically turns to poison. She had already had it for several days before they caught it, and she was immediately rushed into critical care. Days went by, with Doctors giving her as many antibiotics as they can. Normally, you have a 50% chance of surviving this with antibiotics. One day, however, they had informed my family that she only had a 5% chance to live - and she was still hospitalized, and still on the IV and taking the medication.

A few nights after that, when they moved her to the "death ward", was the one of the most memorable nights of my life.

The doctors had informed my family that she would not last the night. We assumed as much, considering 6 people they brought in through that ward had left deceased. We went inside her room, all of my siblings (3 sisters, 2 brothers), my father, and many cousins, aunts, and uncles, and friends.

My mother could not speak, as she had tubes running down her throat, and was very weak, but was able to write with pen on paper, asking "something for pain" - my father asked the nurse, if there is anything she can do to relieve her pain.

The nurse told us that because my mother had no circulation, any pain relieving meds they tried to give her had failed. In addition, she was not on any antibiotics, no medication at all. Her vitals were extremely low, barely had a heart rate. She was likely not to make it past another hour. She was stone-cold to the touch, and looked like a skeleton with so much water lost.

So, as the nurse left, my family, being Christians, laid our hands on her and prayed, with my father leading us in prayer - all he asked for, was for her pain to be relieved.. and after the prayer, all of us who had our hands on her, felt this warmth come out of her hands, and into her body.

Instantly, her pain was gone. Her vitals came back up to normal, and the doctors came in to see what just happened - they couldn't explain it, especially since she was on no medication. They classified it, informally, as a miracle. Nothing less. A few weeks later, she was released.

Now, in 2008, she had come down with Leukemia, as her immune system was badly damaged by going Septic. She battled it only for a short while, going through Chemo, and in the midst of switching to.. alternative medicines.

In 2009, she went into remission. She had lost a lot of hair, but lots of damage to her immune system was done.

Flash forward, now, to 2011, around the same time the Japan quake happened - in March. The Leukemia had returned, and in brute force. Most people, when they get it again, don't make it long. She spoke to her Doctor, who had informed her and my father, that she should begin Chemo again, and she may have a month left to live.

She refused, and my dad agreed - if we only had her for a month left, we would rather have her here at home, then suffering through the poisonous Chemotherapy treatments again. Her Doctor laid it out for her - if she was not going to do Chemo, she may be lucky to live another week.

One week was all she was given, yet she lived for another 7 months after that diagnosis.

The first several months went fine - in fact, she was still able to see family, was looking healthy as ever, simply with prayer, natural medications, and pure willpower. Even for her 60th birthday, in July, two months before her passing, we had rented a bus to take her and our family to the casinos, as she loved to gamble. It was our last truly enjoyable memory with her. She was so happy that day..

She was a strong fighter. Over the course of these 7 months, she battled an ample amount of diseases, from her already existing Fibromalygia, Candia, Sclerosis (that she developed from a weak immune system because of going Septic), to many other diseases that arose in the last few months of her life, including going Septic again - yet she kicked all of their asses, and walked out of the hospital the days after she checked in. Even had 104 degree fevers at some points, but was right as rain a few days later.

The last month of her life here on Earth had come. A week before she had gone, we had set up a hospital bed in our living room, yet she refused to go to sleep. She would sit at the edge of the bed and insist on staying awake. It got pretty bad. She developed water retention in her legs, and even after trying to get her to lay down and fall asleep, she only would for a few minutes, and wake back up again.

It got to the point where she would scream, and be in tears, and us in tears. I finally couldn't take it anymore - I went outside, dropped to my knees in tears, and prayed.

God, please. Help her. Please help her get some rest, ease her pain, and let her be at peace.

Three things I asked; that she goes to sleep, that her pain would be relieved, and that she would be at peace.

Not even an hour from that prayer, she finally went to sleep. She slept for three days, like a baby.
My first prayer had been answered.

The morning of October 3rd came around, and I was watching her sleep, to make sure she was okay, when my aunt came in and took over. I went to bed, but only for a few hours, when I got a knock on my door - my brother, pointing to her room. She was bleeding from the nose, and mouth. We rushed her to the hospital, and all of my family had been there.

We waited patiently, most of us feeling.. peaceful. Like everything was going to be alright. The doctor had come out, and pulled my dad inside. Moments later he came out, in tears, "Her heart stopped."

I didn't hear him at first, but saw the look on my sisters' faces. I broke down. Apparently, the doctor was going to try and revive her.. but, odds are it wouldn't happen. Well, we didn't need those odds.

The doctor came out, and told us she was back - for maybe 15 min. She was unconscious, and he told us she wouldn't be able to hear us. We got to go in, and say goodbye. We gathered in, and one by one we said goodbye..

My father was the first and last to approach her side. He kissed her forehead, as tubes were coming out of her mouth to pump out the blood. I remember her heart rate vaguely - it was 118/64, or something like that.

We were all in tears, but I heard him distinctly, as I was right next to him..

"Marcia, it's okay. Don't worry anymore. Go home to Heaven, to see your mother and father. I love you. It's okay, go home.."

Immediately as he said this, I noticed her heart rate drop in half, and he continued, "Don't cry." Her eyes filled up with tears - they said she wouldn't be able to hear us, but we believe she did, and that tear was her saying goodbye.

She had flatlined. The doctor had come in, checked her pulse, and stated calmly, "Time of death - 10:05" and just like that, it was over.

I hope by sharing this with you all, it impacts you in some way. I only wish to honor her memory, and try to get others to learn not to take things for granted, because when it's too late, I don't want people to be left with regrets.

Also, I know this is probably not in the best of forums, but I chose it because of the, well, simply put, miraculous workings of God in her life. They stretch back even farther, and there are other, finer details to her testimony, which perhaps I will share if you are interested, but for now I suspect this has gone on longer than I had anticipated, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. Mods, if it is in the wrong forums, please move it.

Goodnight, fine ATS members, and God bless.

Amen! Awesome testimony, God is good!!! One thing that resonated with me is the "heat". That's a tell-tale sign of the miracle working hand of God, that "heat". He healed instantly my back as well as my addiction, instantly I was freed and never had another desire for the drug again in my life. Christ issoo good, I loved reading her story. Glory to God. Also congrats on 1K.

Touched! Cried!
Praise be to Jesus Christ!

I hope all is well with you!

I appreciate you taking the time to share this testiomy! I love reading things like this that show family having a faith and drawn together. Thank you.

I do want to read the one called "90 minutes in heaven" or something like that. I've heard the man's testimony when he's been interviewed, but you always know the book carries a lot more description.