Then there are people like Heather McCartney. She lost her leg as a result of a motor vehicle accident. She didn’t run and hide like some. Instead, she turned her tragedy into a miracle. Even while in the hospital recovering from her own amputation, she became an advocate for amputees and artificial limbs. Last summer, I heard Wesla Whitfield, a renowned jazz singer perform at a fundraiser for disabled children. I was surprised when she rolled onto the stage in a wheelchair. At a young age, an automobile accident left her paralyzed. She didn’t let that stop her. Her performance was passionate, riveting, and held me spell-bound.
These stories, while miraculous and fascinating are not entirely unique. Simple people do amazing things everyday. My mother experienced a miracle as well. She lived with me for the last eight months of her life, as her lung cancer rapidly spread. One weekend, I brought mom to the emergency room. Her oncologist advised me to call my family to her side, because her death was near. I called my friend Dr. Awender, an old school chiropractor. Dr. Awender adjusted one bone in mom’s neck and told her that he had turned on her body’s healing power. My husband and I went for Sunday brunch down the street at the Santa Fe Bar and Grill. When we returned to the hospital, my mother was sitting up in bed, demanding to be released.
And this wasn’t her only miracle. One day she told me she almost died. “I went through a rather immense glowing tunnel towards a blinding light. There were magnificent radiant beings on both sides. They asked me if I was ready to come home. I told them no, because I still needed to reconcile with my sister, Pearl, and my daughter, Hildy.” According to my mother, her body became as light as a feather. The pain disappeared, and she experienced an extraordinary sense of love and comfort. She was granted permission to return to her body, in order to mend her relationships—her last and likely most important mission in life.
Mom finally died when she was ready to go. She held my hand in my home while we listened to her favourite music. From that tragic, near death experience, she recognized that she had some work to do. Her purpose at that point was to make peace, and she was best able to understand and get moving on that path after this miracle.
She didn’t fear death, because for several months she would awaken each morning having dreamed of her relatives who had passed on. Mom would describe the parties and events she attended in the dream state and assured me that they were all waiting for her
I believe that the universe works in mysterious ways. There was no possible way that I was going to get off my comfy couch and start the Miracle Makers Club as a healthy, somewhat happy chiropractor. Why would I? Where was the motivation? I had everything I ever needed and wanted. Without my tragedy, it’s safe to say that I would never have the opportunity to heal and inspire millions. I wasn’t following my life’s purpose, and so the universe had to give me a good, hard kick in the butt to get me there.
