Christina Rohrer's Story
(Christina is a high school student at the school I teach.)

Have you ever been told that you had something in your body that could cause you to die very suddenly?  In May, I was having severe headaches in the right side of my brain, so we went to the hospital to get it checked out, and we found two problems, an AVM (a malformation of veins and arteries) and an aneurysm (a swollen artery).  The AVM was located inside my brain, so if it was to bleed, it could be fatal.  The aneurysm was located outside of my brain behind my right eye, so if it bled, it would not be fatal, but it would affect my eye. Because of this, we decided that we should get the AVM operated on as soon as possible, and wait for the aneurysm surgery.  That is what I did this summer vacation.  I had open brain surgery on August 5th.  The operation went well, but when it was over, I started having trouble seeing with and moving my right eye.  The doctors decided that this was because of the aneurysm, and they said that if I wanted my eye to get better, I should have another surgery.  Even though I really did not want to go through the pain again, I had my second brain surgery on August 26 and 27. This may all sound horrible, and to tell the truth, it did not feel good, but now, looking back on it, I am so thankful for this experience.  While going through this experience, I learned so much about God, and I became closer to Him than I ever have been before.  He gave me so much peace before both surgeries that I was able to go into the operation room without fear.  He has also helped me to heal so quickly and to be able to pretty much return to my normal life.  My right eye is still in the process of healing but it has improved a lot since the surgery, and I know that that too is a gift from God.  I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful God in control of my life, because He knows exactly what He is doing, and He does not make mistakes.  He has a plan for my life, and He is going to use me in a wonderful way that will bring Him glory.  He showed me this through my difficult experience this summer, and I am so grateful to Him.  God also showed me what a gift life is and that it is not something to be taken for granted. I am so happy that He allowed me to keep living, even though I know that even if I had died, I would be with Him in heaven.  It is never too early to make sure that you are ready to die.  I realized that all too well this summer.   - C.R.

Praise God!  And please keep Christina's continued recovery in your prayers!  Thank you.