Our Son, a Miracle!
Our Son, a Miracle!
Before our second child was born, I dreamed he would be a boy and that we would name him Jonathan David after the Biblical King David and his friend Jonathan. David, as we call him, was born November 6, 1959 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was a loving and thoughtful child, and I was thankful for him.
He would grow up in
Greenville, South Carolina and eventually marry and have a child of his own; a
daughter named Amanda Blair Butler. David married at a young age, and he let a
lot of extra-curricular activities interfere with his responsibilities as a
husband and father. He and his wife eventually divorced, and his daughter stayed
in the custody of her mother.
David went to work at the Bi-Lo Grocery Store chain in his teens while still in high school. He eventually worked his way up to a managerial position, and he remained there until an unfortunate and tragic accident forced an end to his career. And almost to his life.
David’s work as a grocery store manager took him to several different cities. He always lived in rental housing as he moved from place to place. He didn’t mind this so much in his younger adulthood, but his thinking changed as he got older. He wanted a place of his own. In September of 1998, he accomplished that goal. He bought some acreage in Pickens County, South Carolina located near the town of Six Mile. It was just what he wanted. The property was at the end of a cul de sac which allowed him the privacy he cherished. It was also convenient to his place of employment. And best of all, it was five minutes from Lake Keowee. David loved to fish, and when he wasn’t working at his newly purchased property, he was on a lake somewhere fishing.
David had lived with his
father and me at our home for several years prior to the purchase of his
property. He didn’t like the idea, but he knew he could save money faster by not
having to pay rent elsewhere. 
He continued to stay with us after the land
purchase while the development of the lot and the building of a small house on
it were under way. Every accomplishment in the process was a milestone, and he
recorded those milestones by way of photography. He maintained an album of those
pictures as well as a collection of hand drawn blueprints he had made himself of
the house he wanted to build. He took them every where he went, and he showed
them to anyone willing to look at them as he explained what they showed. This
project ranked right up there next to his love for his daughter Amanda and his
love of fishing.
By November of 2002, David had cleared the land of unwanted brush and trees, dug trenches for and laid electrical and water conduits, poured a concrete foundation for the house and garage, built a concrete block retaining wall, and had others build an enclosed basement area which would eventually house a furnace and plumbing fixtures. After completion of that room, David used it for storage of supplies and equipment. He also put a couch and bed in there so he could stay overnight whenever he wanted to. He had a table for eating and a television set. He had fashioned a homemade grill out of a metal barrel on which he could place a grate to hold charcoal and a portable grill top for cooking such things as bratwursts, steaks and potatoes. Most of the time, the cooking was done outside. If it was too cold to do that, he would take the barrel inside for cooking as well as for temporary heating of the room. We found out later from some of his friends that he would always take the barrel back outside after he was finished with it if he had brought it inside for some reason. He had electricity, running water and a means of cooking and heating. He had all the comforts of home.
By living with us, I knew
David’s schedule most of the time. If there were changes, he would let me know
so I wouldn’t worry about where he was or what he planned to do. He was almost
always at home the night before he had to go to work the next day. On the night
of November 24th, 2002, that was not the case. It was a Sunday night,
and I knew he was supposed to go to work the following Monday morning. Late
Sunday night, he was not at home. He always kept his cell phone with him, but he
had not called me about any change in his plans. I had tried several times,
without success, to reach him by phone. Monday morning came, and I still had not
heard from David. I called the store in Clemson, South Carolina where he worked
to see if he was there. I knew he was supposed to be there by seven o’clock that
morning. I was told that he had not come to work yet. That’s when an
overwhelming sense of concern swept over me. I knew that my husband and I had to
take his mother to a doctor’s office that Monday morning. I didn’t say anything
to my husband about my concern at the time, because I thought we could drive to
David’s place after we were through with his mother’s appointment. But the more
I thought about it, the more I felt that someone should go to David’s place
right away. I called a friend of David’s who knew where his place was, and I
asked her if she would be willing to go there to see if David was there. She
agreed to do so.
My husband and I, along with his mother and father, were almost at the doctor’s office for her scheduled appointment when my cell phone rang. It was David’s friend who I had asked to go check on him. What I heard changed our lives forever. What was said is not remembered in its entirety, but I do remember I was told that David had been found at his place; Emergency Medical Services had been called; they were on their way to Cannon Memorial Hospital in Pickens County; and David was still breathing. I told my husband what was happening, and he briefly considered going on to the doctor’s office before heeding my objection and turning toward Pickens County.
Upon arrival at the hospital, we went straight to the emergency room. We were met by Michelle Pace, the friend I had asked to go see about David. We were told that the doctors were attending to David and that one family member could go to where he was. My husband went back to where David was, and he saw someone he almost could not recognize. David’s face was swollen almost beyond recognition, and he was unconscious. His heart was beating at a rapid pace, and the doctors were using sedatives to try to bring the breathing back under control. Several hours passed before David could be moved to the intensive care unit. There, members of the family could go back to where David was. By that time, some of his brothers and sisters and his daughter Amanda had arrived. David was hooked up to a breathing device, because he was unable to breath on his own.
During the time we were waiting in the emergency room, we were told by Michelle what took place after she arrived at David’s place. She saw that his truck was there, so she figured that David was there as well. She went to the basement room door and tried to enter, but it was locked. She knocked on the door, but there was no response. She began to look around to see if there was any way she could get in, but there wasn’t. She knew there was a convenience store about a mile away, so she decided to go there to see if she could get some help. Fortunately, there was an off-duty fireman at the store who overheard Michelle talking about the circumstances. He said he thought he might be able to open the basement door, and he accompanied Michelle back to where David was. The fireman was able to open the door, and they found David face down on his bed, unconscious and barely breathing. His clothes were on the couch next to the bed. It appeared that David had vomited while lying on the bed. An ambulance was requested which took him to Cannon Memorial Hospital.
Now here we were in the emergency room waiting area while doctors worked earnestly to keep him alive behind doors that we were not allowed to enter. All we could do was pray and wait. Several hours later, he was moved to the intensive care unit, and we were allowed to see him. He was hooked up to tubes through his nose and mouth and had an IV device pumping glucose and medicine into his arm. The doctors had done what they could, but it would take a miracle from God to keep him alive. His heart was racing so fast that they had to keep him completely sedated for three days. He was swollen from the poison and completely helpless. It was not easy to see our handsome, loving son barely alive.
His dad got down on one
knee in the intensive care unit and poured out
his heart for David, asking God
to heal him for God’s glory. I stood by Bill’s side and prayed with him. The
Word of God flooded into my soul at that time, and I shared that Word with the
many who came to see David and support us. There were Scriptures such as “For
with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37) and another “With men this is
impossible but not with God, for with God all things are possible” (Mark
10:27). I firmly believed, and always will, that God is able to do anything He
wills to do.
We were amazed at how many co-workers and friends poured into the hospital to support us and be close to David. We heard account after account of how David had been helpful to many of them: “He came and fixed my bathroom”; “He helped me fix my truck”; “He loaned me money when I needed it”; “He fixed my brakes”; “He popped a dent out of my car so I wouldn’t get in trouble” and on and on. Many talked about his smile. Many said that he was a good boss and that he was fair in his dealings with them and the public. This encouraged us, because it helped us to see how other people perceived David.
Prayer chains began to form on behalf of David. In his store; at countless churches; in Mexico where one of our sons, David’s younger brother, Stephen, and his family lives; on computer web sites around the world and by individuals who cared to pray.
After about a week at Cannon Memorial Hospital, it was decided by hospital staff there that David could be better served at Greenville Memorial Hospital since that hospital had more staff, more equipment, and was a teaching hospital where staff were more up-to-date on medical techniques. The hospital staff at both hospitals were very helpful in their care for David. They also were very frank and honest. A neurologist told us that David would be a vegetable for the rest of his life. They didn’t give us much, if any, hope that David would recover. After several weeks in the intensive care unit, he was moved to a room on the neurological floor. Members of the family stayed with him every day and every night from that day until he was released from the hospital weeks later.
David was still in a coma, and he remained so during his entire stay in both hospitals. A machine breathed for him during those first weeks. Oxygen and humidity were provided constantly. A trache was inserted in his throat, and a stomach tube was inserted in his stomach for feeding purposes. A catheter was also inserted. After the trache was put in place, he no longer needed tubes in his nose and mouth. But soon the doctors told us he was biting his tongue and grinding his teeth together due to a medical phenomenon known as “ storming “. Storming occurred when the brain’s activity centers caused involuntary seizures of various types. In fact, it was discovered that David had bitten one area off on the front side of his tongue already. For that reason, they put in a device known as a bite block which was supposed to keep David’s upper and lower jaws from coming together. Although necessary, you can imagine the agony of having your mouth continually propped open as wide as it could go. He was diagnosed as having double pneumonia in his lungs as well as having hypoxia of the brain. There was a blood clot in his leg as well. This accident left David with nothing more than his brain stem functioning, which meant that only vital body functions existed such as breathing and blood pressure. The vital functions were operating below the level of consciousness by reflex action, in which any particular stimulus could evoke an automatic response. No part of David’s body was under his control. We were told not to expect David to ever voluntarily respond in any way to any stimulus.
He stayed in Greenville
Memorial Hospital until January 6, 2003. Even then, he should not have been
released. His physical condition was such that hospital and doctor care were
absolutely necessary. But insurance companies were telling the hospital that
they would no longer pay for any future care. As it neared the time for David to
have to leave the hospital, we were informed about our options for post-hospital
care for him. The strongest advice was to put him in a nursing home. The
placement staff and social workers had looked into who would take a patient
having the physical needs David had, especially a patient with a trache . They
said they knew of only one place within a hundred mile radius which would be
willing to take David, and that place was a nursing home in North Carolina in
the Asheville/Hendersonville area. This place would be able to give him physical
therapy as well as bathe and feed him they said. My husband and I decided to
visit this place and see for ourselves if this was the place for David. We
arrived and walked in, but there was no receptionist there. We decided to walk
around and look the place over. There were only two halls on the ground level of
a one-story building. We walked up and down both halls without telling anyone of
our purpose for being there. We looked like visitors looking for a particular
room. It didn’t take too long before my husband and I looked at each other, and
he said “Let’s go”. We decided then and there that we could not put him in that
or any other nursing home. The nursing homes do the best they can, but many of
them are understaffed and unable to meet each individual’s needs. We decided we
would take David home from the hospital and do our best to take care of him as
God gave us the strength and wisdom to do so. One of our daughters volunteered,
along with her husband, to
help us. We said that if David was a vegetable, he
was our vegetable; and we would love and care for him and meet his needs. That
decision having been made, we received encouragement from the hospital staff,
and we were shown how to take care of David. Preparations were also started at
home in anticipation of having him back there. The hospital arranged for a
representative from a home health care business to come to our house to
determine what equipment and supplies would be needed, and then to order those
items for delivery to the house. A hospital bed, a humidifier, an oxygen
machine, a suction machine, a wheelchair, a hydraulic lift and all kinds of
medical supplies were brought to the house. We finally were ready to arrange for
an EMS unit to bring David home. We looked forward to not having to go to the
hospital every day, and we looked forward to ending the all-night stays there;
but at the same time, we were trembling in our boots at the prospect of being
responsible for David on our own. We knew that we would have the services of a
home health nurse for a while, and that helped, but we still felt woefully
inadequate for the tasks ahead.
On January 6, 2003, we had David brought home from the hospital. He was put in his bed, and all the machinery was hooked up to him and turned on. There was only one more thing to do. Before the accident, we always left the back porch light on every night for David so he could see how to get in the house when he came home. After the accident, my husband said he was going to leave that light on until David came home again. On January 6, 2003, the light was cut off. David was home.
Of course, he still couldn’t respond to us in any way. He was still comatose, but he could open his eyes. We noticed, though, that he didn’t seem to focus on anyone or anything. We gave him the best care we knew how to give: feeding him, bathing and shaving him. I had hoped by now we would have seen a remarkable miracle, but I was thankful for things being as well as they were.
My daughter and I begged the doctors to remove the bite block from David’s mouth before we brought him home. They declined, because they were afraid he would continue to bite his tongue as he did at first. They said it would be impossible to get a new tongue but possible to get new teeth should his be ruined. Frankly, we got the impression that they didn’t think he would make it anyway. Before we left the hospital, David had begun to yawn, and the bite block was pushing one of his front teeth forward. The doctors suggested pulling all his teeth. We hoped his teeth could be saved, so we didn’t agree to that option. The doctors did what they thought was best. They felt that a way to suction him in case he threw up or became choked in some way was a necessity. The bite block would provide such a way.
The bite block continued to be a problem, though. Now two teeth, both in front, were being pushed forward and appeared to be loose. As the weeks went by we noticed even more teeth had been affected by the bite block. The home health care nurse suggested we have a dentist look at him. She passed that on to our family doctor who arranged an appointment with a dentist one of her nurses was familiar with. My husband and I went to see the dentist to explain the situation and to find out if anything could be done for David. The dentist agreed to look at David’s teeth, and arrangements were made to transport him to the hospital at Greer, South Carolina. He was admitted and prepped for the dental procedures to follow. As it turned out, David had to have eleven teeth removed because of that bite block. The dentist put the bite block back in after the surgery until he could make a better one that wouldn’t affect David’s teeth or be so unsightly. David continued to yawn at times, and the bite block came out once or twice. We were able to get it back in, but after awhile my husband said he was going to try and leave it out and see how David did. He did fine, and we never put it back in his mouth.
One day, after about 3 months of being home, it seemed as if David could understand what was going on to some degree. Of course, we had from the beginning talked to him as if he could understand and perceive all we said. Our thoughts were that the Lord was healing his brain cells that had been destroyed and when He had completely healed all the brain cells, David would be restored again. By now, his feet and hands had begun to develop problems, but he could move his neck and head.
One day, as I stood by his hospital bed, tears began to flow as I remembered our strong, handsome son who could no longer do things for himself. He was so caring and protective of me after my brain surgery, and now he was unable to even communicate with us. Two scriptures stood out to me, even though they were not in the context of usual healing scriptures: “I have seen his ways and will heal him” (Isaiah 57:18a) and “Yea, I have spoken it, I also will do it; I have purposed it, I will also bring it to pass” (Isaiah 46:11b). Now, as I looked at David, my thoughts were that I’m going to hold on to God’s Word no matter how things appear to be. I wanted it to be true that “they perceived that this work was wrought of our God” (Nehemiah 6:16c). I don’t know what that may mean in David’s life. My sister and I prayed for my brother’s healing many years ago, and the Lord saved him and gave him the ultimate healing by taking him to heaven. I would never want David to get well and then go back in sin. His soul is more important to us than physical healing or anything else. God is all wise.
We were performing our regular tasks for David one morning when an unexpected event occurred. My husband made a comment about it, and David laughed out loud. That convinced us that he could understand what was going on around him. Then on Mother’s day, he said “yeah” and “ok” to me as I was talking with him. I jumped up; stood by his bed; and said “Praise the Lord!” That was the beginning of his ability to communicate with us and respond to our questions. We encouraged him to say yes or no to questions like “are you hurting?” or “are you cold?”. He would respond to us, but he would not initiate communication on his own.
Now that David could talk and we knew he could understand what was going on, we saw him laugh at what was funny and cry at what touched his spirit, such as Christian songs we would play for him. When people would come and pray with him, it touched him deeply and would cause him to cry. We felt like the Lord was speaking to David’s heart and drawing him closer to Himself. We agreed that this terrible experience was worth it if it meant David was making a total commitment of his heart and life to Jesus Christ. When David heard the scriptures read to him, he was deeply touched. 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” seemed to especially mean very much to David. He also cried when we read to him about the mercy of God. It was if he realized that but for God’s mercy he wouldn’t be alive, and he was trusting in God’s mercy to heal him. He also cried when we read accounts of Jesus healing people in Bible days. But what he would cry most about was when he heard of Jesus being slain on the cross.
We hung a family portrait in his room and I pointed out who each person was and also showed him a picture of him and his daughter. You can imagine my sad surprise when he told me: “I can’t see” and began to cry. We had suspected for some time that he was blind, but we weren’t sure. His eyes became a matter of prayer because we had read about Jesus giving sight to the blind while here on earth. David said to me: “I would like to be able to see.” I assured him I was praying for that to happen and trusting the Lord to heal him.
When we came home from the hospital David was still on oxygen. But after a couple of months, he was tested and found not to need that anymore. Now only the humidifier played its loud hum-drum sound in his room. After a period of time he only needed that at nights or if he had a cold or respiratory infection. Then one day we were able to take him off the humidifier, and we were thankful for that as well. His arms, legs and feet still could not be straightened. The physical therapist said that it was a neurological problem. In other words, his brain wasn’t telling his body to function normally. One night I was reading an account in the Bible about a woman who was “bowed together and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said unto her, “woman thou art loosed from thine infirmity” and He laid His hands on her; and “immediately she was made straight and glorified God” (Luke 13:11b-13). I knew that this same Jesus was our Savior and Lord and could do the same for David if it was His will. I began to pray that the Lord Jesus would have mercy and lay His healing hands on David.
One day during this time I asked David if he knew who I was. He said he didn’t, and I told him I was his mom. He said: “I wish I knew that”. I told him the man who takes care of you is your dad. He said: “It can’t be”. He said: “I don’t know anybody or anything, and I don’t know who I am either. It’s weird.” I tried to assure him that in time he would be able to know people and to know who he was and to be able to see, by the help of the Lord. He just wept as he told me all of these things. I knew we were completely at the mercy of the Lord.
As the weeks went by, David
would say more and more words. He was able to actually carry on a conversation
with people and what he
said made plenty of sense. We knew he understood
everything and knew what was happening in his life. Still, he didn’t just start
speaking to anyone but would wait for them to say something to him first. A lot
of that may have been due to the fact that he couldn’t see. His former wit
hadn’t left him, and he caused us to laugh many times.
He had a hard time with short term memory. When people came to see him, he couldn’t remember them coming or who they were. That bothered him, and it still does. Most of the time, he didn’t know who we were either. He now knows who we are and who he is, without a doubt. We would ask him about different people and occasions in the past, and he would answer correctly. So we knew that somewhere in his brain this information was still stored. It was just a matter of his being able to recall what he needed to recall.
Then a day came, close to nine months after the injury, when he started to initiate conversation when he knew someone was in his room. What a delight that was to us and we were happy for it. We thanked God for every milestone and each step of progress we saw in David.
Little stepping stones might not have seemed much to others, but we knew each one was a step closer to recovery for David. He had not been able to squeeze our hand at our request until close to ten months after the accident. Many emotional ups and downs took place, and during those times I would again commit the situation to the Lord and pray: “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight” (Luke 10:21b). I knew that whatever the Lord allowed would be best for all concerned because He is a righteous God and sovereign above all.
His dad told David that he had told the Lord that if He healed David, he would personally take David around to different churches, and they would give David’s testimony together. He asked David if he would be willing to do that. At first he felt too shy to say yes, but then he told his dad he would go with him.
During the days, weeks and months of caring for David; the clock pretty much determined what we did. It wasn’t just 2:00 PM in the afternoon; it was time to give him water. It wasn’t just 12:00 noon or 8:00 PM. It was time to feed David. Every two hours from 8:00 AM until 12:00 midnight there was a schedule that had to be met.
Then came a time, at nearly eleven months from the time of the accident, when the doctor said David’s trache could be removed. We were told that when the trache opening healed, we could start feeding him some by mouth. That was a good milestone for us because we accepted it as progress from the Lord. We were able to give him food by mouth for the first time in nearly a year. He said it tasted good. We were very grateful. The assurance from God’s Word that: “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6) kept our hopes alive that God wasn’t finished His work yet.
David’s communication with us after eleven months was very intelligent. One time I told him I loved him and he replied that he loved me too. I told him I appreciated that. He thought for a minute and then said: “I appreciate you, mom”. What a blessing that was!
In talking about his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, at first he told me and other relatives that he could not ask the Lord to forgive him because he had done so many bad things. He felt, as so many people do, that they have to get better before they can come to Jesus for salvation. We assured him that all of us come to Jesus just as we are and ask for forgiveness for sins, trusting only in the blood of Jesus Christ as the covering for every wrong in our lives. He did ask for Jesus’ forgiveness, and that blessed our souls as nothing else could.
On Christmas Eve of 2003, he kissed me on the cheek. What a thrill. It was a kiss of appreciation like he used to give me before going out the back door to go to work with his cup of coffee and egg sandwich in his hands. We noticed that if we let David naturally talk to us, he remembered things; but if we questioned him about things that required an immediate answer it would sometimes confuse him. I guess it’s sort of like taking an exam at school. You know the material, but when put on the spot to recall it, sometimes our minds go blank. I know that was true of me when I was in school. We are still waiting on the Lord. He is never late.
On February 4, 2004 I was preparing to feed David some applesauce for his breakfast. I asked him, as I usually did, if he would like to ask the blessing or if he wanted me to pray. Sometimes he would say, “I will”, and sometimes he wanted me to pray. On this occasion he said “You go ahead”, so I did. Then without me saying any more, he prayed “Thank you God for getting me through another day”. He had never prayed spontaneously like that before. I was amazed and thrilled.
About a year and a half after his accident, we saw him begin to move his right arm and hand. What a joy to see him reach up and scratch his head. That was a remarkable improvement. We never cease to be amazed at God’s wonderful mercy to David and to us.
On September 18, 2004, as I was giving him some medicine to prevent ulcers, the radio was on, and someone began to sing “Amazing Grace”. David joined in with her and sang: “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost but now I’m found; was blind but now I see”. He listened as the second verse was being sung as if he didn’t know the words to that verse. When the third verse began, he joined in: “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun; we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first begun”. During this time I stood as still as possible so he would not know I was there. In my heart I was praising the Lord.
On October 1, 2004, I turned the overhead light off in his room (it has a silent switch) and he said: “the light went out, didn’t it?” I said: “yes and how did you know I turned the light out?” He said he could see that it went out. That was also a cause for us to rejoice in the Lord. David said: “we praise the Lord for everything, don’t we?” and I said: “yes and He is worthy”. David wholeheartedly agreed with me.
At times my husband and I will go into David’s room and hear him singing along with the radio. Today, the song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” was playing, and he sang with them: “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace”. What a blessing it is to hear him sing, in his condition. The fact that he can’t see is also significant in that song. There are other songs he knows the words to, and he says them before the ones singing them have a chance to sing them.
Our children have always been very special to us. We’ve tried to treat them as if each one is the favorite. Each one really is, in his or her unique way, our favorite. When something like this happens to one of the children in a family, it causes us as parents to know how fragile life really is and how we should cherish the time we have to spend with our children. Our lives and theirs are held by only a thread and are in the hands of the Lord. If we could help parents to love their children and understand the problems their children face each day, we might have more compassionate families. This tragic incident brought a bond to our family that nothing else could do. We know that at any time, we could lose one of them, and we want them to feel our love and help each day. Our hugs became a little tighter; our greetings and partings a little dearer. May that same affection become a part of every family who reads these comments.
David has progressed in
intelligence enough to have very meaningful conversations with us and his
visitors. He improves every year. And though he still can’t see and can’t walk,
we hold on to God’s unchanging Word. His limbs are bent and unyielding, but
they are not impossible for God to straighten. He is certainly not the
vegetable that we were told he would be, and to God be the glory for that.
David does know who he is, and even though his brain hasn’t completely healed,
we look to Jesus for that to happen. A healing by degrees is just as much of a
healing as an instantaneous healing. An example of his desire for attention and
someone to talk with is: “What’s your name? My name is David Butler; I have a
brother named Charles Butler, and one named Stephen Butler. I have a sister
named Donna Butler and a sister named Ann Butler (even though his sisters have
husbands with other names now). Sometimes we might hear these same statements
15 times in succession. It’s OK with us, though, because we have him alive, and
we 
are trusting in the Lord for his complete healing in soul and body. We plan
to keep you updated on his progress, as the Lord leads. If you are a praying
person, we would appreciate your prayers for David. He is now 47 years old. He
truly is a miracle.
The Lord has brought David a long, long way since his accident, for which we are thankful. The Lord is continuing to work. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).