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Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Testimony from M. Canavan
My husband and I were excited to find out that we were expecting our second child after 17 years. On December 9th 2011, while 3 months into my pregnancy I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy; which is a chronic disease of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure. The doctor made it clear to me that I was very sick and immediately I was placed on medication for the condition. I was devastated and scared which made me have more anxiety than I could handle. I didn’t know how I was going to cope with this news.
Later that evening my mother knew how upset I was, and searching for answers reached out to my aunt Patsy, who is a retired nurse. The only thing that she could do was to offer to bring me to a healing service that Sunday evening after. Father Nigel was leading the service and noticed my distress and my aunt filled him in on the diagnosis. He brought me to the front of the service and had everyone who was attending lay hands on me and prayed for my health, and the health of my unborn baby. Father Nigel also prayed for the medication I was taking, and for my pregnancy to be full term and natural. It was an amazing feeling that rushed through me that evening.
The original cardiologist referred me to a heart failure specialist, I seen him the day after attending the healing service. The doctor explained to us about the various options that I could be dealing with, like being sent out of state for treatment, and possibly being put on a heart transplant list. He also made it clear to us that it would be better to treat me if I wasn’t pregnant; suggesting that we might want to consider terminating the pregnancy. If I was going to decide to proceed with the pregnancy then I might have to be put on bed rest and face early delivery depending on the state of my condition. By the end of the visit he noticed how upset I was and suggested running another test. That same day, one hour later, the doctor called me himself saying that he thought I could use some good news. He wasn’t sure if it was the “medication”, but the test results came back better than the first. It showed that my heart was at the low end of normal. Thank you Jesus!
We decided that we were definitely going to have this baby. I continued to go to healing services on Sundays and Tuesdays. I would pray for strength, a complete healing of my heart, and for my baby to be healthy, strong and happy. When the test results kept showing up better than the last, I thought that maybe the cardiomyopathy would be gone after the pregnancy, and I could possibly come off of the medication. But the Doctor insisted that I would be dealing with the condition, and be put on a stronger combination of medication for the rest of my life. As discouraging as it was to hear that news, Father Nigel and the community of Christ the King helped me to sustain my hope and faith.
The pregnancy went full term without any complications or bed rest, and our baby Michael Christopher was born perfectly healthy, strong & happy. He is our true miracle. The next day, my blood pressure was reading on the low side. It was not considered unhealthy, but it was low enough as to where they would not give me my heart medication. I was reluctant and told them that I had to take my medication; I took it every day religiously. They explained that they couldn’t give it to me because my blood pressure would drop even lower. I realized then that this might be a good thing. I was feeling anxious about not taking the meds and I made an appointment with my cardiologist the next day. He told me that the last test on my heart showed no sign of cardiomyopathy and I no longer needed to take any medication.
I was overwhelmed with joy and I thank Jesus everyday all day for my health and my little miracle baby Michael Christopher. I want to also thank Father Nigel for all of his guidance and healing prayers. And thanks to Lynn for her words on that first night of healing, that she sees me giving my testimony holding my baby. Those words definitely helped me to cope. Thank you to everyone that prayed for me, and to my family who were there through this difficult time. Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
The Christening of Michael Christopher.
By Fr. Nigel Mumford+
I had the privilege of Christening Michael Christopher. I remember the service so well. As I was about to pour the water over his forehead, he looked at me as if he knew who I was. It was a look of love, joy and recognition. It was as if he was saying I know you!
I not only baptized him with water but with my own tears of joy. I was weeping so much I could not even see the words on the prayer book.