On a typical Saturday afternoon in my Home Music School, I was teaching a Voice Class and my 96-year-old mother was her usual self in her own room-watching TV after having her breakfast and morning medications.
Before I continue let me state that for a long while now privately and in my local church I had been doing a Bible Study on Mark 11:22-26.
It reads: Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever you desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
It had gotten into my mind and into my spirit. I did not fully understand why I was studying on this particular scripture for such a long time and making it a part of my everyday life.
Back to Saturday afternoon around 1:30pm I heard the " voice of God, literally the Holy Spirit " speak in my inner ear a command to"check on your Mom". It was so sudden and urgent until I had to move right then without question.
When I walked the ten steps to her room and opened her door, she was in her recliner in Respiratory Arrest (cessation of normal breathing) with Bradycardia (heart rate of about 12 beats per minute).
I immediately cleared our house of any and all students and called 911 and my husband who was at the kitchen table to assist me. Once the Firemen and the Ambulance attendants arrived I was a nervous wreck.
Yet, I could only say one phrase "No, it is not her time, she told me she was going to live to be a hundred".
You see, Mom had just celebrated her 96th birthday on June 30th and had prayed for the congregation at church and blessed everyone with a long life. She said to me while eating a piece of her birthday cake that she was 96 and 97 was on the way.
Mom is the Mother of the Faith Covenant National Church of God, Rochester, NY, The Akoma African American Women's Gospel Choir of Rochester, NY, who is the Founder of the Nona Patterson Chambers Scholarship. She is a Gospel Singer. She birthed 10 Children. She had 2 daughters and one son alive to date.
She is a Grandmother, Great grandmother, and a Great Great-grandmother.
She wanted to live. However, it did not matter how much she wanted to live. It did not matter that she was the Mother of the Church. It did not matter about her having a large family who loves her very much. It did not matter about her having the Nona Patterson Chambers Scholarship. It did not even matter that I knew her wishes. The Only Thing That Really Mattered: She had a "Living Will" signed by an Attorney giving me permission to stand in the gap for her when she was not able to speak for her self.
Alive and well
Mom is alive and well and has no symptoms of ever having the attack.
Doctors Amazed,
The doctors were all amazed and stated," we've never seen anyone regardless of age recover so quickly and completely as Mrs. Chambers. She is an amazing Woman of God and still has a work to do upon this earth.
Why tell this story? If it had not been for my Mom's Living will, I would have been unprepared to fight for her life. Statistics states that 7 out of 10 Americans do not have a Will of any kind.
We had only prepared her will a year before this happened. God my Father in Heaven had led me to do the right thing. He prepared us spiritually and physically for that Life Event.
Oh there has been lots of sickness but never to hear the Doctor say over and over again that she only had 24 hours to live and since she is 96 years old, just let her go.
Just educating and informing on the importance of having an Up to date Last Will and Testament, Living Will, Health Care Proxy, and or Power of Attorney is very necessary. According to Hodgson, Russ, Andrews, Woods & Goodyear. 'New York Law requires clear and convincing evidence of what the patient would want. It is recommended that you consult your attorney in regard to the preparation of a health care declaration or Living Will". Complete Will Kit and Legal Advice starting at $13.95 for standard plan http://www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/qpinkston The Caregivers & Widows Survivors Fund Become a Partner today 585-503-4114 http://akoma.org
