God is Faithful; What is Your Assignment

by Blanche Bunce

We were greeted that morning with a beautiful Texas blue sky. The sun was shining and we were off for a fun day of shopping. My sister-in-law, Janice, and her daughter, Kathy, and I had just arrived at the First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas, when I received a phone call from my sister that turned my life upside down. She was calling to tell me that my precious husband had been in a motorcycle accident and was being life-flighted to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was about 500 miles from home and about 250 miles south of Tulsa. We said a hurried good bye to my friend, Millie, whom I was meeting at the flea market, then Janice, Kathy and I rushed back to the motel to pack, check out and begin the arduous drive north to Tulsa. It would be six hours from that phone call before I could see my husband. As we covered the miles, I thought about God’s goodness and prayed for Gary as I drove. I felt God’s peace as we traveled. I couldn’t wait to get to the hospital and talk to him, to let him know that I was there with him. Little did I know that it would be many days before he could acknowledge my presence at his bedside.

Upon arriving late that afternoon at the Trauma Unit of Saint Francis Hospital, I found my husband in a medically induced coma, wearing a neck brace and on a ventilator. He had fractures of the T-4 vertebrae, sternum, scapula and ribs. His right lung was punctured. Gary had been with my brother-in-law, Melvin, and our friend, Mark. The three of them had been on many motorcycle trips together. I was thankful that they were with Gary. They are men of God and know how to pray.

Our son, Brett, arrived at the hospital later that evening from Waco, Texas. He slept on the floor of his dad’s hospital room. Janice, Kathy and I took the chair and the daybed that were in the room. We experienced God’s protection and provision in so many ways. That Gary had no head or neck injuries was the first of many miracles that God revealed to us. His full-face helmet was found about 50 feet from him, the chin strap still buckled. A neurosurgeon met with us early the next morning and gave us his grim prognosis of Gary’s condition. As soon as he could make arrangements, our son, Bradd, drove 16 hours from Newberry, South Carolina. He slept, too, on the floor so that he could be near his dad. We stayed around the clock in Gary’s room as the ventilator and other machines worked to keep his body going. At one point, he had eleven IV bags dripping fluids. Gary had pneumonia and his lungs were damaged from his broken ribs. I dreaded subjecting him to surgery, but the doctors reiterated how necessary it was. Surgery to stabilize Gary’s spine was scheduled.

Word spread of the accident and surgery. Earlier in the year, Gary was in Costa Rica and Nicaragua for a month, helping our missionary friend in Costa Rica set up and support a medical clinic in Managua, Nicaragua. We are members of Campers For Christ, a Christian RV ministry whose membership covers the U.S. Gary had people praying for him across the U.S., in Costa Rica and in Nicaragua. We were ready for our second miracle. On November 4, Gary underwent surgery to stabilize his spine. The surgeon placed hardware and did some clean-up work in the spinal canal. After the surgery he reported to us that the stabilization procedure was successful and additionally, he found that Gary’s spinal cord had not been transected. He indicated he was not optimistic. But, oh, how we are!

The next hurdle on his road to recovery was transition from a ventilator to a trachea tube. The doctors indicated that while a serious procedure, the placement of a trachea is commonplace. Gary did not tolerate this procedure well. His vital signs took a massive drop but God was with him again. The next obstacle was weaning him off the ventilator for breathing on his own. Doctors worked for days tweaking the machines in order to train his lungs to increase the oxygen level. The day came when they pulled the tube going down his throat and we thought we had passed this milestone. Late that same night, just as I lay down to sleep at Hospitality House, Bradd called me; Gary wasn’t doing well; they were going to intubate him again. I rushed back to the hospital to find the bright lights on, his plummeting vital signs starting to rise and once again, on the ventilator. It was distressing the next day to hear the doctor apologize to me for her failure in getting him off the ventilator. Thankfully, a team of young doctors continued to work with Gary and three weeks and two days after the accident he was breathing on his own.

The social worker at the hospital told us about Hospitality House. We went on the waiting list and the day after Gary’s surgery we checked into Hospitality House. What a haven! We could feel the peace of God when we entered the apartment. The concern of Rachel, Stephanie, Toni and many other volunteers gave us assurance that God was near. It was a special blessing to find a meal prepared for us when we returned to sleep each night. That people we did not know would care enough for us to provide such wonderful food made us aware of God’s love and watch care. We felt so blessed by God’s provision. Being on the receiving end of such love and generosity was very humbling, yet we felt God’s love in such a special way.

Gary was in the Trauma Unit at Saint Francis Hospital for five weeks, and then was transferred to Mid America Rehabilitation Hospital in Overland Park, Kansas. The day after his four hour ambulance ride transfer, a blood clot was detected in his leg and he was rushed to Overland Park Regional Hospital for implanting of a vena cava filter. We are thankful that the blood clot was detected before it caused an even more serious situation. The next example of God’s love to us was in a quiet moment at yet another hospital where Gary was taken for a procedure. It was time for the feeding tube to be removed. I was giving information to a nurse while Gary was in the procedure. He quietly pointed out to me that if Gary’s body had been injured just a little higher, he would have no use of his shoulders, arms or fingers. Gary was a patient for three months at Mid American Rehab. After a month of home health care, he is entering the next phase of his recuperation, rehabilitation as an outpatient. We are believing our God for the full regeneration of his spinal cord and restoration to complete health.

Before taking early retirement in 2006 I was a paralegal. I knew the importance of having a will, living will, power of attorney for healthcare decisions, and doing financial and estate planning. Gary and I had discussed it and had the documents prepared before we retired. I was so glad that we did. I did not have to spend any time considering those issues since the documents were in place if I needed them. I would encourage everyone to take care of these issues while enjoying good health

I want to thank the staff and volunteers of Hospitality House for their ministry to me and our family. Except for a quick trip home to retrieve more clothing, Janice remained with me. Everyone else had to go back to jobs, families and responsibilities. We were many hours away from home; we had packed for a four-day trip and 80 degree weather. We were living out of my car. Our family traveled every weekend from Kansas City to Tulsa, tearfully leaving each time to return to their duties at home. When my dad was not at the hospital he prayed for me daily over the phone. Once Janice and I were able to check in to Hospitality House, our family had peace of mind knowing that we were no longer living out of my car. I will never forget Toni Moore’s words to me regarding the ministry of Hospitality House, Matthew 25:35 where Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me meat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in”. The love of God was shown to me repeatedly through the ministry of Hospitality House. I had the assurance God loved me and that He has people always near and ready to proclaim and show God’s unconditional love. Hospitality House of Tulsa was a refuge during this storm in my life.

When our missionary friend, Dan Salas, was back in the United States and spoke at our church, he presented a simple yet powerful message about being faithful to our calling. His message was, What Is Your Assignment? I can clearly see the assignment given the volunteers at Hospitality House and they are faithfully carrying out their assignment with excellence. My assignment is to encourage and care for my husband through this time of restoration, until he is back on his feet, walking again. God is faithful; what is your assignment?