We have this false belief (at least in the back of our heads) that we can live forever. But sometimes life throws a curve ball that we’ve never expected.
On a regular Sunday morning, Ryan Finley woke up, took a wide stretch and pinched his wife, Jill Finley to wake her up as well.
“I went to wake Jill up, which is a miracle in itself as I never, ever, do that on Saturday mornings,” he later recalled.
He called but she didn’t respond. That’s when Ryan’s pulse started to race. He knew something was not right. He immediately called emergency and performed CPR on his wife.
When paramedics arrived they immediately took her to the hospital, with Ryan driving behind it.
After medical checkup, they made a conclusion that Jill suffered a cardiac arrest.
She got a medical procedure done to stabilize her, while Ryan was waiting impatiently outside the ER.
When doctors came out to tell him an update, they finished with “pray for your wife.” Ryan knew when someone tells you that it’s life and death. “When a doctor tells you, you need to start praying, I feel it’s about as serious as it’s going to get.”
Soon after, they informed Ryan that his wife was in a coma.
He just couldn’t fathom the fact that his 31-year-old wife that was alive and well yesterday, now battles with life and death situation…
During the two weeks, Jill was in a coma and got a lot of visitors praying that she would soon wake up and be well. But one day Jill’s cousin came with a Bible in his hand and read to Jill from the Bible for an hour.
Ryan made it as a routine to read passages out loud to his wife with high hope that she’d wake up soon.
After 11 days, Ryan went home to think about whether to wait for his life or put her off of life support as doctors suggested. Doctors were sure there would be no improvement…
He knew that once they took her off life support, she would pass away shortly. On the 14th day he made the choice to take her off life support and let her go…
About 5 hours when she was removed from life-support, Jill started to mumble and move. Ryan was heartbroken to be present on scene while she suffered and stepped out until she passed away.
He recalls the next moments clearly, “The nurse came out and said, ‘I think you need to come in, she’s talking.’”
He went in expecting to have the final words as she enters the spiritual realm, but as he walked in he recalls the shock “I walked in and Jill was talking. First thing she said was, ‘Get me out of here. I want to go home.’”
Ryan couldn’t process the situation, he shook his head in disbelief.
He thought she was just mumbling, but then he asked her about their pets’ names and few mental math questions, all of which she answered without an error.
She even asked to go to her favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. He then knew Jill wasn’t going to the spiritual world… she was coming back home with him.
Ryan was asked what brought his wife back and he replied back without hesitation: “God. Divine intervention. I honestly feel that way.”
It wasn’t as if Jill went back to normal the next day. She had to learn how to brush her teeth again and tie her shoe laces due to decline on some of her motor skills.
But after God gave them a second chance they made sure they would ALWAYS be next to each other, especially when they need it most.
Jill also supports his decision to take her off life support when she was in a coma, as she doesn’t want to spend her life as a “vegetable.”
Ryan says: “there’s still not a night that goes by that I don’t wake up. I’ll usually kick her and if she kicks me back, I know we’re OK.”
