Inside: Use this free “God never leaves us alone” (featuring this classic quote about angels from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland) printable as a reminder that angels are with us, and we are never alone. This Latter-day Saint printable is also great for gifts, ministering, and lesson handouts.
On Monday, June 3rd, at 1:00 pm, my daughter was life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Over the weekend, she’d thrown up a few times, complained of a headache, and had a low-grade fever.
We thought she had a 24-hour bug.
Boy, were we wrong.
Before we had rushed her to the ER on that fateful Monday morning, we found her on the floor of her room. She’d fallen down trying to get dressed. She could barely talk. She couldn’t walk.
She leaned into me as I rushed her into the emergency room. As we waited to go into a room, I stroked her hair and told her she’d be all right.
A lone tear streaked down her face and she asked, “Are you sure?”
My heart broke. No, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was something was terribly wrong.
The ER staff gave her an iv and thought she’d perk up.
But she went downhill fast. I called my husband in a panic. He rushed over to the hospital to be with us.
Would she be all right? What was wrong with her? Can we fix this? Why is she in so much pain?
As they strapped her into a gurney to fly to Primary Children’s Hospital, the look of fear on Sami’s face haunted me.
But she didn’t open her eyes once during her helicopter ride.
When we don’t know what’s wrong…
Shortly after arriving at Primary Children’s, a swarm of doctors came in to tell us that she had viral meningitis. She would get better in 24-48 hours.
Okay, I thought. I can handle that.
I kept vigil by her bed. The only thing I ate were snacks available on the ICU floor. I dreaded going to the bathroom. What if she woke up while I was gone?
And once in a while, she would open her eyes. Until they got her pain under control, she would moan and writhe in pain. But she couldn’t stay awake.
After 4 days in the ICU, she was almost completely unresponsive. They called it a coma. And I freaked out. Comas are serious business.
She was supposed to be getting better. But she was getting worse.
Infectious Disease and Neurology doctors came in and out. No one knew what was wrong. Clearly, she had meningitis and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), but there something else.
She had an infection in her lungs. Had that spread to her brain?
Every single test came back negative.
No one had a prognosis because no one had a clear diagnosis.
Eventually, they told us that for some unknown reason, her immune system attacked herself. No one knew why. It seems meningitis and encephalitis were the reaction to her body attacking itself.
At times, the grief and fear were overwhelming. How could I live without my Sami girl?
For four days I sat in the ICU at Primary Children’s. For four days, I heard life-flight land over and over again.
The sick children kept coming in. I saw and heard and felt the parents wearing the look of grief and pain and fear that rips your heart out. Sometimes I cried for my Sami. Sometimes I cried for the parents and children all around us.
And yet. I knew God was there.
God never leaves us alone. God is always there.
I really knew that God was with all of us. I knew we were not facing our heartache alone.
Tears streamed down my face every time the doctors left the room, leaving me with more questions than answers, but I felt God right there. The pain was there, the emotion was there…but I knew God was there too.
God never leaves us alone in our suffering.
I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
We were moved to the neuro-trauma center after 4 days in the ICU. She wasn’t a threat to herself. She couldn’t wake up.
Finally, the neurology team decided to give her high-dose steroids to bring down the swelling in her brain.
The miracle that has humbled us to the core.
The high-dose steroids worked miraculously fast.
We were told to make long term plans, that Sami would probably be in the hospital for months.
We were there for 3 weeks. It was a miracle that surprised everyone. The doctors and nurses who had seen her only a few days previously were shocked to see her in the hallway headed to therapy.
Sami is expected to make a full recovery. Sure, she will spend her summer in therapy and at doctor appointments, but she’s home. I will work all my life to show my gratitude to our Heavenly Father.
Loss and suffering are universal.
While I was in the hospital keeping watch over Sami, so many of you reached out to me. Wonderful women who were familiar with tremendous loss.
And I’m betting you’re familiar with loss too.
Your loss may be medical related. Or it may not be.
You may be suffering from the loss of a marriage, a home, a pregnancy, a job, or a relationship. Or maybe it’s the loss of youth or health.
Or maybe you are experiencing the loss of a hope or a dream.
Loss is real. It hurts. And sometimes it just hangs on. We can’t seem to find relief from the raw and aching pain.
And yet we know where we can find peace.
We look to Christ. He lifts us up and sends his angels to comfort and help us.
And as we grieve we realize that we will never be the same.
We are more.
We are more compassionate. We are more kind and caring. We are more faithful.
And while we mourn with each other, we realize that angels come to our aid. Some of the angels we can see, and some we can’t see.
Hang in there, girl.
This free printable is my very small way of saying thank you for your support and love on social media during our suffering. And it’s also my way of saying, hang in there, girl.
You are not alone.
This quote by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has been hanging up in my home for years.
I’m so excited to give you this printable. I hope that it inspires and comforts you the same way it has me.
It’s a visual reminder that no matter what loss we are suffering, God never leaves us alone.
And for more inspirational and ministering help, check out these these uplifting and pretty printables in the Teepee Girl shop:
- Grieving & Condolences Printable Kit
- Philippians 4:13 Printable Kit
- New Testament Printable & Wallpaper Kit
- Come Follow Me 2019 Printable & Journal Kit
Thank you for your service, your goodness, and making the world a better place.
It’s an honor to create printables for you.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk, “The Ministry of Angels,” © By Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
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