It has been eight months since my adventure with the Almighty. Iâm not a preacher or a prophet, just a man who for three days mystified a medical community and mesmerized a spiritual one. Iâve done several interviews and even had my story told in a popular readerâs digest magazine. A Hollywood producer wanted to tell my story in a miniseries. I passed on that one, but I did write a book!
The faithful, as God calls them, said it was a miracle and a sign from above. The less than faithful, mostly the scientific community, came up with other theories. My favorite was I had enough stuff sparking around in my head and movement in my body to keep me alive, but anything plugged into me shut it off⦠meaning shut me off. Paul might have been on to something. So any electrical instrument they used on me acted like an . They said a respirator didnât count because it was mechanical and did not produce electricity, at least not the invasive part they slam down your throat.
As a result of this whole ordeal, I got the credit for one thingâa new medical term named after me. Aside from Jesus and a few others who were , one stands out the most: Lazarus. He was the man Jesus rose from the dead, and it was Lazarus they chose as my partner for the new term;
Not a disease, disorder, or even a syndrome, just an . Someone at the press conference asks what the odds were for anyone else to experience this effect. The spokesman huddled around the others on the panel, and after a silent debate, they concluded the odds were one in six billion. Since there are about six billion people on the planet, and I was the only one to have had it; you do the math. I guess Bev was right about her statistics class.
I am happy to say most of our lives are back to normal. Everyone involved continued with the same old routine as before. I still run my legal practice and even expanded it. I picked up where Clark left off and do a significant amount of pro-bono work for those in need. Bev continues with her volunteer work. Paul remains at the hospital as medical chief of staff. As a complete shocker, he also serves as an assistant chaplain at St. Grenadine Hospital. Dr. Bengla resigned and became a bedpan salesman. Mike has not been seen since.
Our friend Kent returned to the ministry, and we all go to his church, quite often I might add. Paul and his ex-wife did reunite and attend church on a regular basis; theyâve even got a little one on the way. Bev teaches Sunday school, and I lead a newcomerâs group. You can bet they toss out a bunch of questions. Kent pulled me over after Sunday service one day and told me Iâd been great for business. He was joking, but we do draw a crowd. Kent is back in the right line of work. Of all the people I have ever met, he is the godliest. Kent and I remain close friends to this day.
As we were leaving church one Sunday, I got a message that simply read: