Life After Death Threatened: How Prayer Brought Back My Life

By Maurice J. Robinson

Just imagine that you have become unconscious from an unknown viral infection and have been that way for more than eight days in the hospital. When encephalitis or a brain abscess was determined, author Maurice J. Robinson knew at this time that most adults dont live very long to talk about it. But for him, God had another plan. He just wanted Maurice to believe in Him and to believe that the new life would come. At that point, it was out of his hands; he had to depend on his family and friends to ask God to bring him back to life. Read how God would answer!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449776077

Maurice J. Robinson

Maurice Joseph Robinson Sr. is a walking and talking miracle. In 2002, he experienced a near-death illness attributed to a rare type of encephalitis. To this day, the causes of his illness and his ability to survive it remain mysteries to the doctors and specialists who attended to him. To him and those close to him, the answer is clear—it was a miracle. His experiences gave rise to an even greater faith that he is eager to share. Through his words, you can experience a new perspective on why we are here and how to make the best of the time that we are given. Maurice lived in northern Florida, where he was unconscious and hospitalized for two months from this life-threatening illness. He was stricken with this deadly illness that kills most adults who contract it almost immediately. His story is about how God listens to our prayers, if only we ask and our friends ask for mercy and another chance at life again on this earth. Four years ago, he moved back to Virginia after living in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, for fourteen years. He visits Florida occasionally to give book talks on his history of the area. In his book, learn how his friends and family persuaded God to spare his life by just asking Him the correct way.

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Copyright © 2012 Maurice J. Robinson

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Scripture quotations taken from the New American Bible translation, Copyright © 2002 by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7607-7 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7606-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7608-4 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012922035

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/06/2012

Tables of Contents

Abbreviations

Preface

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Medical Symptoms Appear

Brain Abscess Determined

Unconscious for Eight Days

Miracle of Life Began

Living Again

Learning How to Live

How could this be happening?

Second Miracle of Recovery

MRI’s & Spinal Taps

Memory Loss and Recovery

Why would God do this to me?

Writing a History Book

Learning from This Sickness?

Why write about my illness?

God’s Way to Recovery

Author’s notes

Also by Maurice Robinson

Ponte Vedra Beach: A History. 2008. The History Press, Charleston, SC.

Hidden History of Ponte Vedra. 2012. The History Press, Charleston, SC.

Presentation Page

Presented to:

By

Date

Bible verses are taken from:

The New American Bible (NAB), Catholic Bible Publishers.

Wichita, Kansas – 1972

To Helen, whose faith and hope in my recovery, has gained for her, one day, an everlasting place in heaven.

Abbreviations

Preface

Over ten years after a life threatening illness Maurice Robinson walked into my office to say hello and informed me that he is writing a book about his illness. I immediately remembered Maurice as he had a life threatening illness which was of an uncertain diagnosis and uncertain prognosis.

In January 2002 Maurice developed an acute headache and subsequent confusional state which progressed to coma. I first saw him in an unresponsive state with fever and on a ventilator. He suffered a large left temporal lobe abscess with marked swelling. The risks of diagnostic procedures including lumbar puncture (spinal fluid analysis) and neurosurgical biopsy were felt too high. He was, however, started on multiple antibiotics to cover virtually all types of infection. We never could identify the actual source or type of infection and later found he had a treatable immune deficiency.

Maurice remained critically ill and I recall chatting with his wife concerning a grave prognosis. Miraculously with time and antibiotics he began to slowly awaken and recover. We were concerned that he would have residual cognitive and physical disability. However, he was able to leave the hospital within two months and had progressive improvement to our surprise and pleasure. Maurice slowly returned to his normal self without any disability. He is very productive and prolific having authored two prior books.

Substantial evidence exists that mood and emotions are associated with physiological responses, immune function, and health outcomes. Most data indicates the state of well being can even predict cardiovascular disease. We also now have evidence that life satisfaction, optimism, and positive emotions correlate with improved health and longevity.¹ Does faith with improved life satisfaction and well being improve health, lessen vulnerability to illness and promote recovery?

Maurice has strong faith! This may well have helped him recover from his life threatening illness. I hope you will be as absorbed and uplifted as I am reading Maurice’s recounting.

– THOMAS M SNYDER, M.D.

1. Ed Diener and Micaela Chan, University of Illinois and the Gallop Organization draft, October 29, 2010.

Acknowledgements

To be able to look back upon one’s past life with satisfaction is to live twice.

– LORD ACTON

First and foremost I must thank God almighty, for allowing me to remain here on earth for a little longer to be a witness that through prayer, anything is possible, and to testify that miracles do happen. For this, I am most humbly grateful.

I also must acknowledge that the love of my life, Helen, the hope she continued to give me, and all of the prayers she said throughout this life threatening experience were a major contribution to my survival. She was my eyes, ears and my decision maker. Her faith that God would answer her prayers kept everyone calm and hopeful. She was, and continues to be, the glue that holds the family together.

Special thanks go to my son, Christopher and my brother, Norman, who were at the hospital and together had the forethought and ability to write up and record their thoughts and notes of the happenings during the first week of my unconsciousness.

My great appreciation is extended to the many doctors and nurses in Florida who patiently and professionally handled my unusual illness in a way that ultimately allowed them to feel God was working miracles through them. I can’t mention each of them now, but I do have the names of each and every nurse and doctor who assisted in my miraculous recovery which I will talk to you about later in this book.

Special thanks, though, has to go to the main doctors who made the correct decisions to bring my life back: Dr. Don Smith, emergency room, Dr. Thomas Snyder, Neurologist, Dr. Pablo Pella, Infectious Disease/Internal Medicine and Dr. Kevin Holthaus, Internal Medicine.

My gratitude must go to the staff and the employees at Beaches Baptist Hospital, now the Baptist Medical Center Beaches. Thanks goes first to the very caring doctors and nurses who through their hospital officials had them placed on their staff and to the administration for their caring and decision to keep me at the Beaches Hospital. I will never forget your concern and caring to bring me back to life.

Thanks to the many friends and family members who encouraged me to write the story of this death–defying experience, one which could have happened to anyone, but not just anyone would be alive again to experience and tell about the miracles happening.

Many thanks go to those editing my story, especially Joan Robinson, Dr. William Cooper, Ellen Brown, author, Father James Gordon and most importantly to Hunter Robinson for his comprehensive editorial review and suggestions.

A special thanks must go to Dr. Thomas Snyder, my neurologist in Florida, who helped and assisted in bring my life back and for writing an uplifting forward to this book.

My appreciation goes to my publisher, Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson, for their assistance in accepting my spiritual writing for publication.

Why would you choose my book on life after death? Do you