The nagging headache that had lasted for weeks finally became unendurable. The last thing 44-year-old Rick Vice remembered before passing out was crawling to the toilet in the empty apartment to vomit. He had gone to the apartment to work on the plumbing. No one was present to hear the thud as he fell against the wall. His last thoughts were of his wife, Diana, and his two young daughters, Sarah and Emma.

“Please God, take care of my family,” he uttered as he passed into unconsciousness.

Bruno Itin, a local businessman, was not supposed to return that day, but in God’s providence he arrived an hour later to find Rick lying on the floor. As the ambulance raced to the hospital. Rick began regaining consciousness. His vision was distorted, and the pain in his head was excruciating.

Upon receiving the news, Diana, Sa rah, and Emma rushed to the hospital, unprepared for what was to become an agonizing battle for the life of the man they dearly loved and on whom they depended.

Cat scans and x-rays were eventually sent to a team of neurosurgeons at Meth odist Hospital in Indianapolis, md. The conclusions were unanimous. An earlier chiropractic manipulation had damaged a vertebral artery at the base of Rick’s brain, and without surgical intervention he faced a likely death. Rick was immediately transferred to Methodist hospital’s critical care unit.

The surgery plan was technical, un proven, and risky. Dr. Troy Payner agreed to attempt to bypass the damaged artery after it was determined that it was Rick’s only hope for survival. Surgery was set for Saturday, Jan. 15, 2000, at 8 am.

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You,” Pastor David Long read to Rick and his family prior to surgery. Rick felt an indescribable peace as Pastor Long continued reading from Psalm 57: “And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth…

“We love you, Daddy,” Emma and Sarah sobbed as their father was wheeled into the operating room. “I’ll see you soon,” Diana promised as she kissed Rick’s forehead.

Over 50 people gathered in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting the outcome. Family and friends were there to offer support to Rick’s wife and daughters as they faced this Y2K crisis with hopeful anticipation.

The minutes seemed like hours as anxious chatter filled the waiting room. Dr. Payner sent updates periodically to Rick’s family via the telephone. Six hours into the surgery the calls stopped. Diana began to wonder why the surgery was taking so long, since it was originally estimated to last three hours. Sensing the anxiety, Pastor Long gathered the dozens of friends and family members into a large circle. As everyone grasped hands, Pastor Long led them in a fervent prayer, asking the Lord to spare Rick’s life.

At about the same time, doctors were looking to the same Source for answers. The original arterial bypass plan did not work. The blood was not flowing in the direction the doctors had anticipated. One surgeon assisting Dr. Payner in the surgery later recalled, “We had smoke coming out of our ears. We had to look up [to God] for help.”

Prayers were answered. Dr. Payner and his team of surgeons and medical professionals came up with an alternate plan. With painstaking precision, Dr. Payner rerouted the artery and veins, stitching them together with sutures so tiny that the work required a high-pow ered microscope, steel nerves, and a steady neurosurgeon’s hand.

“Thank you, clear Lord,” were Rick’s first thoughts after awaking from the clay-long surgery. The nurses in the critical care unit were jubilant. Many of the nurses had grown fond of their special patient. Rick had earned a reputation for being not only a model patient, but also a gentleman whose kind and considerate manners were mentioned frequently among the nursing staff. Many of the nurses were saying prayers of their own for a successful surgery and eventual recovery.

Prayers were answered. On Jan. 25, nine clays after being admitted, Rick was released from the hospital.

At home, Rick was sleeping most of the day and night. In the waking moments he was up vomiting. Within three weeks he became disoriented and mentally confused.

The cat scan revealed the doctor’s suspicions. Hydrocephalus, a fluid buildup on Rick’s brain, was causing the symptoms. Less than one month after his original surgery, Rick was hack at Methodist Hospital undergoing another surgical procedure. Dr. Payner inserted a shunt on the right side of Rick’s brain to allow the fluid to drain properly. A few clays later he was sent home to recuperate.

Within three weeks Rick’s condition had worsened again. He became un aware of his surroundings, and the vomiting increased. Another cat scan revealed more hyclrocephalus. The shunt appeared to be working, however, so the doctor took a sample of the spinal fluid and sent it to the lab for testing. The tests revealed that Rick had developed a spi nal meningitis infection, probably a re sult of the shunt surgery.

After returning to Methodist Hospital for a third time, Rick received strong antibiotics to fight the infection. The antibiotics and the narcotics used for pain took their toll, as tests revealed a deterioration in Rick’s kidney function.

Within two weeks of withdrawal of the medication, tests indicated that the infection was under control and that kidney function was improving. Eventually, surgery was performed to remove the original shunt, and a new one was placed on the left side of Rick’s brain.

When Rick was unable to move his right hand, the recovery room nurse suspected something went wrong during the routine surgery. She notified the doctor immediately. The doctor’s initial evaluation revealed that Rick had suffered a slight hemorrhage during the surgical procedure, resulting in a weakness on his right side. The hemorrhage also affected the language area of Rick’s brain: and he was diagnosed with aphasia, an inability to use or understand words.

“He will get better,” Dr. Payner reassured Rick’s family. Diana played these words over and over inside her mind as she tried to fight back the intense fear. She didn’t know how much more she and her family could endure. She didn’t know how long Rick’s business could survive without him. She didn’t know how she could handle all of life’s challenges without being able to communicate with her beloved partner of 20 years. Then she remembered those comforting words of the Lord, ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” And He didn’t.

The support from family and friends was overwhelming. As Rick spent the next few months recovering and engaging in physical anti speech therapy, nearly every family from the Reformed Presbyterian Church took turns bringing meals. The church youth mowed the Vices’ large lawn, trimmed hushes, and pulled weeds. Pastor David Long and the elders visited often to offer spiritual support. The church prayed often anti fervently for Rick’s recovery.

“We couldn’t have survived without our church family,” commented Rick. “It was an amazing thing to see God’s people dedicating their lives to serving others.

“Pastor Long pointed my family and me to Christ during every anxious moment.” continued Rick. “He spent dozens of hours with cis during this ordeal.”

Diana’s brother, Jim, left his job and home in Florida, traveling to Lafayette in order to keep Rick’s business working during his absence. Diana’s parents also traveled from Florida to help during this time of crisis. They juggled both office and household responsibilities while of ofering emotional support to their daughter and her family. Diana’s brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Marilyn, offered their support and assistance in countless ways. Many other relatives helped also.

“I consider Diana’s family as my very own,” explained Rick. “I’ll never be able to repay them for all they have done for us.”

On July 4, Rick returned to work, nearly six months after collapsing in the empty apartment building. He believes he was given a second chance at life, a chance he doesn’t intend to waste.

“Words will never be able to express my gratefulness to the Lord for all that He has done for me and my family,” commented Rick. “My outlook on life has changed completely.

“Things that I used to think were important are no longer priorities in my life,” he continued. “While I think it’s important to work hard to support my family. I realize that taking time away from my family and God to make a few extra dollars isn’t worth it.

“I also owe my life and existence to the Lord, and I want to make a difference in the lives of others as a way of expressing my thankfulness to Him for all that He has blessed me with,” said Rick. “I want to serve His purposes and not my own anymore.”

Rick finds it difficult to speak of his ordeal without shedding a few tears. And while he still suffers a few side effects caused by nerve damage from the surgeries, he is thankful to be alive.

“I cherish every minute that God gives me to he with my family,” he said. “I’ll never take them for granted, and I’ll always be thankful for God’s amazing grace and mercy in my life.”