March 13, 2006

We walk by faith

By Chris and Cindy Conner, from a testimony written by Nancy Virden

On January 25, 1995, Cindy Conner, 30, of Parma, Ohio, was taking care of her 7-week-old baby boy, David. Around 1 a.m., after placing David in his crib, Cindy felt excruciating pain in her left arm. Her frantic cry woke her husband, Chris, from a deep sleep.

Chris called an ambulance and Cindy’s grandparents, who came to stay with David and 2-year-old Shaunna while the Conners went to the hospital.

An EKG in the emergency room indicated Cindy had suffered a massive heart attack. When medication was administered, she appeared to relax. But Cindy had actually reacted to the medication. A blood clot formed and reached her brain. Instead of resting, Cindy had experienced a stroke and slipped into a coma.

As word spread of the crisis, friends and family members prayed. Phones rang and young mothers and retirees dropped their chores to lift their cries to heaven.

At the hospital a surgeon prepared to operate on Cindy. He told the family that Cindy’s survival chances were slim and she could end up severely handicapped.

“There is a Physician greater than you; you won’t be alone,” Cindy’s father told him.

Families gathered at Bethel Temple Assembly of God in Parma to pray during the surgery.

Chris remembers the huge grin on the surgeon’s face following the operation. Within minutes of the surgery’s conclusion, Cindy had opened her eyes. Immediately, she was breathing on her own and she had spoken.

The coming days and weeks still offered challenges. Cindy suffered from medicinal allergy, partial paralysis, and memory problems.

“A nurse gave me a Bible,” Cindy says, “but I couldn’t read it. The pages were a blur, and I couldn’t have comprehended anything even if I could have seen it clearly. That was a very tough moment for me. I just held it and cried.”

Two months after the heart attack, Cindy went home. Chris took a leave of absence from the facility management board at Bethel Temple. Every day he coached Cindy through a workout schedule to revive the use of her arm and leg.

In the years since, Cindy has exhibited a remarkable recovery. A former secretary/notary, Cindy has recovered proofreading and grammar skills. Typing is therapy for her hand.

“I have to count my blessings,” Cindy says. “The Bible says, ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on’ (Philippians 3:13,14, NIV). I think on that.”

Chris also has a favorite Bible passage: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24,25).

Chris and Cindy Conner attend Bethel Temple Assembly of God in Parma, Ohio (Russell DeBord, pastor). The full version of this testimony can be found at www.haloministries.net/WeWalkByFaith.htm.