The Healing Ritual - It's a Miracle

[Music] modern medicine has provided the world with some amazing even miraculous cures but sometimes when modern medicine fails other unexplainable forces can provide the key to survival and when that happens even doctors start talking about miracles after hiking for over 10 miles along a rugged Appalachian Trail Bill Owen was exhausted right at 41 years of age a little fatigue was to be expected but this was something else my breathing became labored my back was tired I was having to stop and take breaks it got to the point where I didn't even want to put my backpack back on it was june of 1991 bill and his son Scott had looked forward to their camping trip for months but now it was apparent that they had to turn back just give a fever this kind of feel achy all over our Mavis the flu or something with the high fever and the fatigue it felt like I had a severe case of the flu and it was clear that that I was getting more and more ill and to continue for another three or four days just didn't seem to be a very practical option for us the Owens returned home to Orlando Florida where Bill's health continued to deteriorate his wife Lim was becoming increasingly concerned miss your eyes she was just very lethargic he couldn't move whites of his eyes were yellow his skin was kind of a funny color I thought he probably had hepatitis at the time Lin called their family doctor and arranged for an appointment that afternoon hi this is Lynne Owen and my husband he's pretty bad off I need to bring him in right away the physician sent bill directly to the hospital his liver was failing and no one knew exactly why me take good care they didn't know what was going on the doctors and the nurses no one really knew when Lynn visited her husband the next morning she was shocked by what she found blood he was sitting up like he was a normal person just sitting on the bed and he looked at me and did not even recognize me later that day bill lapsed into a coma as the days passed Lynn watched as his condition grew steadily worse they called in a specialist and he was totally baffled we can't determine the cause because of that we don't know how to treat it he said he didn't know why it was happening there was nothing that they could do that he had a 25% chance to live I couldn't believe that he could go from the good physical condition that he was in to lying in a hospital bed on life support within a week's time all I remember the sounds of all the machines the beeping the heartrate the ventilator breathing for him breathing out and then breathing in and I was very very scared because we'd been married a long time and I couldn't imagine my life without him Bill's only hope for survival was a liver transplant luckily a team of specialists at the University of Florida's Shands Hospital agreed to take on his case even though it was just a little bit of hope it was still a little bit of hope so we were very excited about that on the morning bill was to be transferred family and friends gathered around his bed Paul Jackson a deacon from his church remembers the atmosphere in the room they were all in tears not knowing what to expect or expecting the worst and totally at a loss everyone in the room laid their hands on bill as Deacon Jackson led them through the healing ritual of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer Oh father of mercies and God of all comfort our only help in time of need whatever his problems might have been we prayed for that because he would be totally healed and restored laying under I did that perfect help it wasn't a matter of him just rising up it wasn't that at all but we pray for that and in God's time if it says well it will happen in addition to the healing ritual Episcopal churches around the world were contacted and asked to pray for Bill's recovery there were many many people praying for bill and it was a load off my shoulders in a way because it was in God's hands at that point still comatose bill was airlifted to shams Hospital where he was subjected to a battery of tests the results were not what had been expected so they met with us and said that they had run all the tests in his liver was showing signs of working [Music] as the days passed bills liver continued to improve he no longer needed a transplant and yet he remained in a coma my son was standing right at his head and he was leaning over and his dad mom and so all of a sudden build opens his eyes and it was a miracle we were just hugging each other and we were crying and laughing and just so happy because he was going to be okay [Music] the doctors at Shands Hospital called me the miracle man because I was so sick and so far gone I was admitted there that many of them didn't think they would see me awake again a few weeks later bill walked out of the hospital totally recovered both he and his wife believe that what happened to him was nothing less than a miracle I believe that the healing ritual that was performed for Bill but that's what caused liver to come back to me a miracle is something that can only be explained by the intervention of a greater power in your life like God it's something that nobody knows why it happened but it obviously did mom I think the fact that I'm here today is living proof my healing was miraculous there's no other way to explain it it's been eight years since Bill Owens miraculous recovery we thought we should check up on it and see how he's doing so he and his wife Lynn join us now from their home in Orlando Florida hello there hi Richard so bill how are you feeling I've been feeling really good I've been very fortunate to have a complete recovery of my health but still participated my favorite outdoor activities backpacking canoeing I've even taken up marathoning and run several marathon in the last couple of years incredible sounds like you're in better shape than ever when would you agree that he's a better man today than he was before yeah I would say he is he's much more caring and sensitive he lives life to the fullest every day so I would definitely say yes this is for both of you what do you think is the most valuable lesson you've learned from this experience well the thing that impressed me the most Richard was the people that cared for me to pray for me there were hundreds of them around the world from monasteries in Oklahoma to churches all over Florida and missions in Africa and I still don't know why they were all motivated to do it but I sure am thankful because without that I don't think I would be here today man I definitely agree with him I want to thank everyone that prayed for him because I do believe that that's one of the reasons he's here with us today also I want to thank you both for sharing your story and for taking time out to be with us tonight thank you thank you [Music]

Channel: Questar Entertainment

Views: 45,274

Rating: 4.8978238 out of 5

Keywords: Questar, it's a miracle, miracles, inspirational, uplifting, richard thomas, liver failure, liver miraculously regains function, bad liver, deteriorating liver, the healing ritual, healing ritual, episcopal healing ritual, prayers, answered prayers

Id: phoB7YABGMk

Length: 8min 51sec (531 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 15 2019