At 11 years old, I was diagnosed with a large brain tumor. It’s an unusual story, but I’ll share it with you. I was unloading the dishwasher when my oldest brother started annoying me. In response, I hit him with a wooden salad spoon. It happened on August 26, 1999, a date I’ll always remember. My brother was rushed to a pediatric doctor to get stitches, and my mom was in disbelief when she arrived. When we got home, I couldn’t remember anything from that day. My mom asked why I did it, and I was confused and in denial. I was immediately sent for an emergency MRI. The next day, I was diagnosed with a massive brain tumor in the back right temporal lobe of my brain. My pediatric doctor referred me to Emory Hospital in Atlanta. On September 9, 1999, at 5:30 AM, I underwent surgery at Emory. The surgery lasted 18 hours, and while my family was deeply worried, they prayed throughout the entire ordeal. When I woke up, a doctor, who was not a believer, told my mom that I would never fully recover. He even said that he was an atheist. Afterward, I went through a lengthy physical therapy process. For nine months, I was in a state where I could barely function and had no memory, with my only focus being food. On June 11, 2000, I underwent a second brain surgery, this time with a Christian doctor. He told my mom that he believed he could remove the tumor because his hands worked for God. At 12 years old, I was back in the operating room for another eight-hour surgery. When I woke up, I was able to speak clearly, asking for my mom and for chicken. She came to my room in tears. I went from hearing one doctor say I would never walk or talk again to another doctor telling me that I had a calling on my life. I am now free from brain tumors, with part of my right temporal lobe having been removed. I struggled with epilepsy for 15 years, having mild seizures, but today, I am seizure-free and a living miracle. Although I’m currently on oral chemotherapy for tumors in my body, I know this challenge, too, shall pass. I’ve had over 30 surgeries, and now God has called me to become a Special Needs Children’s Pastor. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Looking back at my journey, I grew up Lutheran, wearing a suit and tie, attending church regularly. I thought I was living the right Christian life, but in reality, I was trapped in religion. I was stuck in a cycle of stealing, lying, and cheating, thinking that was how a Christian was supposed to live. I wasn’t truly a Christian at the time, and had I died during any of those surgeries, I know I would have gone to hell. I even tried attending a Baptist church, but it didn’t feel right. Then in 2011, my family moved to South Carolina, and I joined a church called NewSpring. I became a full-time volunteer with the Special Needs department, Spring Zone.

At last, I was tired of the life I was living and ready for a change. I now understand that every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess. That realization came to me during a service at NewSpring on December 21, 2012, at 6:30 PM, during the Fully Alive series. Pastor Perry Noble was wearing a half-black and half-white coat, black pants with one white shoe and one black shoe. He asked the congregation whether we wanted to be on the road to destruction or the road to paradise. That moment was when I knew it was my time to give my life to Christ.