My faith was tested 4 years ago, more than it ever had been before… On July 15, 2009, I received an emergency text from one of my son’s best friends, Blake. I remember what it said to this day. “Colleen, call ASAP! It’s about Dan. He is about to be airlifted”. That was it, that was the message said.

When I was finally able to make the connection(they were in Taylor Falls where phone reception is not the best), I knew it was pretty bad when Blake was speechless and could not get words out. The phone was handed over to a police officer who then proceeded to tell me that there had been an accident and Daniel was hiking(on the MN side) and lost his footing on a loose rock. Rather than being able to fall toward the path, he lost his balance and fell off the cliff. The police officer asked me if I had someone I could call to get me to the hospital, he didn’t want me to drive. I called my mom and sister and my sister and we proceeded to Regions in St Paul.
on the drive there, I lost it and was hysterical and looked at my sister and asked her, “what if he dies Kelly?” she responded with, “He is not going to die. This is Daniel. He is the rock of this family and he is too strong to die”
Well, we finally made it to the hospital and were immediately brought into a room, where we were greeted by the chaplain. I am no expert, but my gut and heart told me this is not good, not good at all.
There is so much more to this story but after he was out of brain surgery (about 6.5 hrs+), we were taken into a private room where the doctor (amazing man), proceeded to tell his mother (me), my daughter (sister-best friend), grandma, aunts and uncles and cousins (that were old enough to hear), that the injuries to his brain were too “horrendous”(his words exactly) and that there was nothing they could do for him and that he was not going to make it. About 24 hours later, we said our goodbyes as all brain activity tests they ran came back the same, no brain activity….we all said our goodbyes and I chose not to have family be in the room when his was officially declared brain dead so they took him down to another area and then took him off life support.
He was 18 years old, his whole life ahead of him. He was such a caring young man. He made the choice on his own to be an organ donor. After he passed, the organ recipients were chosen to receive my sons organs, and operations began. He saved 5 lives. His heart, his pancreas, kidneys and lungs. Kidneys were given to 2 individuals, the other organs went to one person.
So, how do I live by faith? I live by faith because I know that someday, no idea when, but someday, I will see my beautiful baby boy again, in heaven. The Lord has promised me that. Daniel was a believer. At the time of his death, he was not as close to the Lord as he had been in the past but he had given his life to Jesus when he was 6 or 7 years old, renewed his love and turned his life over to the Lord again in his early teens and was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Without this faith and knowledge that I will see my only son again in heaven, without the wonderful friends I have reconnected with through the miracle for Facebook, without my family and friends, without my church family and without all of the love and support I continue to receive, I am not sure I would be here.
Every unanswered question, doubt, insecurity, etc that comes my way, I find my way back to this life changing experience and I can apply it to any difficulty, struggle, loss, worry, pain, etc.
Thank you.

– Colleen C. from Burnsville, MN

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