Prayer for Miracle

          Hello, I'm Linda Lee Starling, 34 years old and married to a wonderful man.  Steve and I have two boys, Justin and Cody.  (I am also cousin to DeeAnn Harmon.)

         I like to tell you my story.  When I was about one year old, I was sick with ear, throat, and kidney infections.  The infections got in my bloodstream and went to my brain, damaging my cerebellum nerve and muscles.  I also had a high fever 104, which wouldn't go down.  Mama took me to the doctor 3 or 4 times in one day.  The doctor said go to Duke Hospital (North Carolina).   

       By the time I got there, I broke the thermometer, cause my fever was so high.  I had several grand-mal seizures and went into a coma over 48-72 hours.   The doctors said I would likely have 24 hours to live.  Family members (aunts, uncles, grandparents, and my parents), friends, and pastors of several communities stayed at Duke Hospital and had prayer going on until I came out of the coma.   I had to learn all over again how to walk, talk, potty train, and eat from the table.

       Later, I graduated from high school, was married, had Justin, and later divorced from my first husband.  I worked and went to college to get credits for the job I was taking.

      In 1993, I met Steve,  we dated 11 years and married.  We had a son, Cody.  I even got blessed to go to work with the Postal Service.   

     June 15, 1999, Steve woke up with me having a really bad seizure.  He called 9-1-1 and I was rushed to the local hospital.  I stayed there several hours.    Over the next few weeks, I had blood drawn, x-rays, CAT scans, and other tests done.  Even a local neurologist misdiagnosed the seizures.  Months went by, and I asked my family doctor for a second opinion.   My doctor sent me to Duke hospital in Durham, NC.

      The doctors put me on three different medications and my seizures continued happening more and more.  I couldn't tell you when I went into a seizure and when I came out of one.  Sometimes, if Steve was gone to work, the boys would call my aunt next door and call my mama.  The boys knew what to do and how to act when I was in a seizure.  Bless their hearts!   They kept me from harming myself.  When Steve was home, he acted quickly also talking to me while in a seizure until I came around.   Bless his heart!  They have been very good to me, and taking on the role of caregiver.

      I could no longer drive after June, 1999 until I was seizure free for nearly two years.   I couldn't work, cook for my family, use a lawn mower, bathe myself unless supervised by an adult.  I couldn't even climb up to take a light bulb out of a light fixture.  I have burned myself cooking.  I've fallen a lot and one time sprang my ankle.  The boys learned at an early age about cleaning and helping cook.  Justin was 10 years old and Cody was not yet 5 years old at the time.

     I live on a farm with horses, chickens, and dogs.  One morning, I went out to feed the animals and had a seizure on my way back to the house, and I fell.   Steve had gone to work, and the boys had gone to school.   The good Lord knew there was a reason for having a dog, "Bubba".   Well, Bubba stayed with me, licking my face when I came out of the seizure.  Thank you Jesus for giving me Bubba.

      By the time 2002 was here, I was having more and more seizures.  The doctors at Duke had changed my medication again to slow down the seizures.  During the week when Steve worked and the boys were at school, I either stayed with mama or my aunt unless Steve had a day off, then he took care of me.

      That summer, 2002, Steve and I were in an auto accident, all because of a man in a hurry to get home to his family.  It totaled our van.   The Highway patrol officer, rescue personnel, and other drivers said, it's a wonder we lived through that terrible wreck.  I had a seizure while on impact, and was taken to a local hospital.  A couple days later, I had to transfer to Duke Hospital.  After that about every two weeks, I had to go to Duke for two months.  The doctors were really concerned about me, and the wreck I was in.  I  tell you, the devil really thought he was gonna' kill me, but no, God stepped in and let me know I was gonna' be OK.

      June, 2003, I was admitted into Duke for 11 days.  The doctors did not allow me to take any seizure pills.  They monitored me for 24 hours.  I had to go 36 hours with no sleep, then the doctors let me sleep for 6 to 8 hours.  Why?  They wanted to see if when I was sleep deprived, seizures would happen.  Tell ya' the truth - the seizures happened even when I was asleep.  The last two or three days at Duke, my seizures were really happening a lot and rough.  One night, the doctor on call and two nurses came into my room and had to revive me, because I was so into the seizure that I couldn't wake up.   The last day at Duke, the neurologist - Epileptic doctor came by to talk to me and Steve.   He told us since the medicine wasn't working, the only alternative was brain surgery.   He gave us 30 days to think about it, and let the doctors know.  I told the doctor, then and there, "if it will give me a normal life back, I don't need to think about it - let's do it!"  The doctor said there was a high risk of not making it through the surgery, and with my seizures being so hard to control I really did need to think about it.  The doctor asked Steve for his opinion, and he said, "I support whatever she wants to do".   I told the doctor, I'm willing to take the chance on my life to be seizure free.   God knew there was a reason fro me to do this.   I thank God for giving me the chance to tell the doctor to do the surgery.  It was worth the sacrifice for my family members and friends today.

      September 9, 2003, I was admitted for surgery on Sept 10th.  My family and friends had been notified in advance and joined in prayer for me.   They kept in contact with Steve, my mama and Steve's mama, and my Step-daddy's cell phone number.

       The surgery was supposed to last 6 hours, but it lasted nearly 12 hours.  You see, I woke up twice in the surgery having seizures.  I even remember one of the doctors saying this wasn't supposed to happen.  The doctors tried an experiment on me while in surgery.  They woke me up to see if I could recognize shapes and colors and speak a few words two or three times.  I got three out of five problems right.

      When I came out of ICU into private room the nurses were getting me settled in.  I had a cather tube to be taken out.  I told the nurse I had to use the bathroom.  I know they were only helping me, but I said I wanted to go by myself.  And I did.  I went all by myself.  God knew I could do it.

       When I returned home, I had the left side of my hair shaved off, and bandages wrapped around my head for protection of the scar to heal.   My face was bruised and the left side of my face was numb, and my speech was slurred.  It took me four or five months to heal on the outside, but the inside of my scar took a year to heal.

       As of today, January, 2005, I still have my scar on the left side of my head and always will.  My hair has frown back, and my speech is no longer slurred.    I can return to cooking and cleaning, even cut grass.   Late July, I found out the Dept of Motor Vehicles will let me drive again.  The Postal Service is letting me return to work.   Steve really took good care of me, and still today, he helps me with washing my hair.  Cody still loves to do my make-up and Justin still helps with my hair to cover the scar.

       God has given me a second chance of life, and I tell you... I never gave up on God, and He never gave up on me.   September, 2004, one year after my surgery, my doctors got to see me, and hug me.  One of them said, "Lee, we don't have a wall big enough to tell your story and how you battled seizures, the surgery, and are now seizure free.  You are that miracle patient!"  

      I thank God daily for living, for my family and friends supporting me, praying for me and being there when I needed them.  I wouldn't be writing this today if it hadn't been for God.  I am living proof of what God can do.  NEVER GIVE UP HOPE AND FAITH.  Pray and Believe in God.  I do.  Thank you for letting me share my story.

God bless you daily,
Lee Starling

PS- You can write me at my address or email:

Lee Starling
PO Box 1082
Princeton, NC  27569

Email:  Lee1082@aol.com