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Maritza healed of stage 5 kidney failure

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Synopsis:

  • Stage 5 Kidney failure
  • Sepsis due to prescription drugs
  • Found unresponsive
  • In coma for 2 weeks
  • Wakes from coma totally dependant on others
  • Dialysis 3 times a week for almost a year
  • God's miraculous hand heals

Full Story:
In April of 2013 I had called my friend, Kim, and told her I felt like I was dying as my entire body wasn’t feeling right and I didn’t think I was going to live. She took me to the hospital and I was told my potassium level had dropped extremely low. At that time, I had an infusion to build it back up.

In May of the same year I had been dog sitting for a friend. She came home; and she later told me they found me unconscious on her couch with her dog laying on me, protectively. I was air-lifted to Kalamazoo. The doctors there couldn’t figure out any reason as to why this had happened.

They found me - basically dead. The EMT carried me out in a sheet that was on my bed, completely unresponsive.

But prayers to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ were all around me!!!!

Then in June of the same year, my sweet friend, Jan, had brought me some goodies she had made. She said I didn’t answer the door. She tried calling me, with no answer, and started calling those of our mutual friends. My friends, Julie, and her daughter, Joy, told me they had come to my apartment and went around pounding on my door and sliding glass door, with no answer from me. They said my shades were drawn, so they couldn’t see in to see if I was even there. Finally, someone called my Pastor and his wife (Rick and Chris) and they called the police to do a wellness check (no one had a key to my apartment, at that time).

There they found me . . . basically dead. Rick and Chris said the EMT carried me out in a sheet that was on my bed, completely unresponsive.

For around 2 weeks I laid in the hospital in a coma. As I’ve been asked many times, “Did I know or sense or feel anything – could I tell anything was happening while I was in the coma?” And the answer is, No. No, I don’t remember existing or being or thinking or anything. I sensed nothing.

But prayers to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ were all around me!!!!

I was told there was no response from me towards any stimulus – even my nephew, Luke, coming in and saying, “Hey Weezie!” (which I always respond to).

One of the nurses said, “I’ve never believed in miracles, but this is a miracle!”

The day before they were going to pull the plug on my life, Chris said my body began twitching. All of a sudden I was coming out of the coma!!! I was told one of the nurses had said, “I’ve never believed in miracles, but this is a miracle!”

I don’t remember coming out of the coma. I don’t remember anything for a very long time after that. They started teaching me how to swallow again, and move and walk – I didn’t understand that because I had done these things all of my life!! All the personal hygiene things I had done all my life were now being done by others. What a totally humbling (and embarrassing) experience! What was going on?

Now, before I go on, I must let you know . . . since I was 8 years old, I have wanted to die!!!! Circumstances, that don’t need to be stated here, sent me into a darkness in my soul and spirit, that I couldn’t find a way out of, at that time.

At 16 years old I had given my heart to Jesus. But I still existed in darkness and loneliness. I was at the altar every Sunday begging God for forgiveness and help out of the darkness and loneliness my spirit was experiencing. I hated life and didn’t understand why God would make me live when all I wanted to do is die!! At that time, I felt I was the ONLY mistake God had made in this world!! Of course, God DOESN’T make mistakes!!

This is a synopsis of my feelings throughout my life. My mom died when I was 16 years old. I knew it was my fault because I wasn’t good enough to take care of her; and I was not good enough to earn God’s grace for Him to allow her to be healed. I was never, ever good enough (in my mind and heart)!

Now, this really all leads up to what happened during this illness of mine. So back to the hospital experience . . . while I was in the hospital, I started dialysis because my kidneys had failed. If you’ve ever seen cows being milked by machines – that’s what dialysis feels like!! I am not a needle person because my veins are so deep; it’s hard to get to them. You lay there for hours allowing this machine to help your kidneys work.

My learning style is by hands-on experiences and seeing something happen. Laying there, watching the machines doing, seemingly nothing, and just causing me pain, was way beyond my understanding. I HATED dialysis – the needles, the time spent there, the machine; people all around, but no one who wanted to talk – just laying there getting “milked”!!!

I decided not to go to dialysis because I was just sick of it! My rebellious act of anger!

For almost a year I was on dialysis, Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, week after week, month after month!!! Angry and tired and feeling very lonely in the entire experience! In fact, one day during the last week of May of 2014, I decided not to go into dialysis because I was just sick of it! I didn’t call them to cancel – I just didn’t go!!!!! My rebellious act of anger!

The following scheduled dialysis day, I reluctantly, went in and they put me on the machine – again! For about an hour and a half . . . then the doctor, making his normal rounds, came to me. He gave me the long lecture of how I was on the low end of the high end of needing dialysis, having stage 5 kidney failure. And in saying this he said, that at that point, “I would not need dialysis anymore, right then” (but probably again in the future- his words)!!!

I just sat there as they were removing the needle from my arm repeating, “THANK YOU JESUS!!!!” and crying!!! GOD HAD HEALED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maritza Helping in the kitchen

Understand this, I had not even prayed for healing!!!!! The evidence (in my mind) was, God had chosen not to heal my mom, so how could I expect anything better, like healing, for me (whom I thought wasn’t as worthy and needed as my mom was, or anyone else)!!! Ah, Satan’s mind games – what an EVIL being he is!!!!!

There was so much more than the physical healing God had given to my body that was happening! All of a sudden, I was ALIVE!!

My healing came from God Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth!!!! I am not any more or less important to God than anyone else! I did nothing to “earn” His healing! God just loves me – that’s it – no more, no less!!!! Doctors had/have no explanation for this healing God has allowed in me – none!!! When I have my yearly check up visits with the kidney doctor, he reminds me that I will one day need to be back on dialysis!!!!

But see, there was so much more than the physical healing God had given to my body that was happening! All of a sudden, I was ALIVE!!!! Ah . . . that darkness that once so plagued me was removed!!! If you have never walked through a lifetime of darkness, depression and suicide, it’s the closest thing to hell on earth there is!

Trust me, I still feel lonely and depressed some days... (but) the darkness does NOT reflect God!

I was alive by God’s grace and choice, and HE had HEALED ME – how could I ever dishonor, and almost spit on His gift of this miracle of healing in my life, by always wanting to die and leave this world??!! Do you hear me . . . the darkness was/is GONE!!!!!

Trust me, I still feel lonely and depressed – some days – but I don’t stay in the darkness and let it consume my very soul! I can’t!!!! This is not why God allowed me to live; the darkness does NOT reflect God!!!!

My perspective of what life is has changed. I work hard, and often, to remember the pains, disappointments and sorrows that are here on earth are but a short time, and often mean very little in the scheme of what our Lord is doing in our lives and in eternity. I’m very far from being perfect in mastering this perspective – but it’s become very important to me to try to remember.

The fist of fear of having to go back on dialysis punches at me every 3 months when I have my blood work done to check my kidney function. Being alone, this fear sometimes gets bigger than my faith, or so it seems. But God only requires the faith of a mustard seed, and some days, that’s all I have. But I’m also holding on to Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Before all this happened, I use to ask God, “Why do I have to live?”

But... He had a plan for me and my life... ME!?

Amazing grace!

I have no control of today or the future without God’s hand - leading and guiding me each day!!

Maritza leading a fun game at the Christmas Tea

Before all this had happened, I use to ask God, “Why do I have to live?”or “Why am I so alone in this world you keep me in?” My thoughts were, “Just let me die, PLEASE GOD!!!!” Oh how many times did I beg God for that – to let me die!!!!! But God wasn’t/ isn’t finished with me yet – how exciting!!

But look . . . He had/has a plan for me and my life – ME!!??!! Amazing grace! So many worship songs come to my head and heart of God’s amazing grace and love. God’s love for me has healed me and there’s not enough “Thank You” in this universe to give to God Almighty for this wonderful gift of healing of my physical body AND His healing of my mind and my soul!

On an end note, the prescription medication I had been taking, as prescribed, for over 5 years had caused my body to become sepsis, which threw me into this coma and illness.