Kicking Against the Bricks: My Coma Story

By Nediya Griffith

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 13:9). Have you ever heard this text before? God speaks to us in many ways, but we have to take the time to listen to what He has to say. In doing this, we gain wisdom. 

• Overwhelmed, stuck in a rut, feeling like giving up? This is the book for you.
• God has given me many a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Nov 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637697078

Book preview

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Kicking Against the

Bricks

My Coma Story

Nediya Griffith

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2021 by Nediya Griffith

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, Ca 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Cover art by Valerie Lang

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-63769-706-1

ISBN 978-1-63769-707-8 (ebook)

Acknowledgments

"

I give praise and honor to God, for without Him, I am nothing, but with Him, I am everything. I am alive and breathing and have completed this book because of Him. May all that I do bring glory to His matchless name.

I cannot express enough thanks to my extended family for their undying support and encouragement. To my parents, Dr. Fitzclarence and Bernice Griffith, my sister, Dr. Heidi Griffith, and her husband, Vinh Lang, and my brother, Dr. Larry, and his wife, Selina Griffith, I offer my sincere appreciation for the prayers and positive and uplifting words which pushed me forward to accomplish my goal. The completion of this book could not have occurred without you.

I thank Eulyssa Jones, who helped me see a different perspective of this world and came to visit me after I came out of the coma, and Esther Edusie and her family, who were at my bedside every day praying for me and supporting my sister, and Rivka Williams and Christopher Gill who prayed for me over the phone. I give my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Latoya Abbott, who communicated with me frequently, encouraging me to reach my full potential.

Finally, I express my deepest gratitude to all the nurses, physicians, and all other health professionals who cared for me and contributed to my recovery. You worked tirelessly to improve my health status and save my life. You performed your profession with honor. Your commitment will not be forgotten.

Chapter One

The Beginning

"

A coma! Really? Sometimes in life, you never would have imagined that the next thing that happened would ever have happened to you. In fact, it is not even on your radar, and when it does happen, it not only shakes you to the core but also all those around you; life is never the same. I was in a coma, and I never saw it coming. I told myself on December 23, 2019, I have been working hard all my life and dealing with illness, and I also have been in school accomplishing different things for several years; 2020 has to be different. It is the year that I have to make a change, and finally live and enjoy life. Up until then, I did not know what the phrase enjoy life really meant. I started making plans, and to be truthful, I had been living under a rock for so long I really did not know what I wanted to do or would enjoy anymore. So I decided I was going to do something I had been interested in doing for several years. I was going to go to Niagara Falls in Canada at the beginning of the year. I know for some of you, going there is not spectacular, but for me, it was a start. Proverbs 19:21 says, Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Little did I know that was not God’s plan for me. In a way, the thought of me going to Niagara Falls is comical, if you know me, because I have a fear of large bodies of water as well as falling water if the height it is falling from is above my head (excluding the shower). I just wanted to break the cycle and get out there and do something. I remember discussing it with my best friend at the time, and she said, If you would stay healthy long enough, maybe we can go. Well, all of the I am going to make time for myself; this is the year, and the excitement of planning ended abruptly in a coma. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV), To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Well, this was turning out to be a very long, long season in my life, and it really could have been the end of all seasons here on this earth. But thanks be to God: He had another plan for me. One of the texts I always heard growing up in church was, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). This text has been so meaningful to me during my journey with illness, and as I became more ill with time, I had to believe and hold onto this text because otherwise, it would have been so easy to lose hope.

Truthfully, I had not been feeling well, if I were honest with myself, for a long while prior to the coma. I had a respiratory infection that I picked up from one of the patients at work, and I was very sick, especially since I am an asthmatic. Things were dire, and my pulmonologist was very concerned that I would die. He said, If you go home tonight with the cat in the house, you will die. You will not make it through the night. This was a very sad time for me because I had to give my cat away, which I had from the age of four weeks for twelve years, to give my lungs a chance so I could breathe. Fortunately, I was able to give him to my best friend who lives in another state, but I did not have a chance to see him or interact with him, which was difficult. Psalm 136:25-26 (ISV) says, He gives food to all creatures, for his gracious love is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of Heaven, for his gracious love is everlasting. Although I was not able to see him, I knew God was in control and that based on His promise, he would be well cared for. While all of this was ongoing, I was still working during the day and barely made it through due to exhaustion and then going home at night and could barely breathe. The amazing thing was that I was still able to see all my patients and provide them with the best care I could give at the time. God sustained me. Colossians 1:17 says, And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He truly held me together.

I was using a nebulizer every night and oxygen to make it through. In fact, I was coughing so much I actually broke two ribs on my right side. It was very, very painful trying to cough and splint broken ribs with a pillow. I tried everything to stop the cough, but it seemed to continue forever, and the light at the end of the tunnel seemed to fade away. It was a very frustrating time for me because at night was the time I would usually catch up on my work from the day, but I was wiped out and now stressed out because I was behind. I cried out to God, Where are you? Where is your righteous right hand? I really need your help. It is easy to throw around the word faith until you actually need to use it. Isaiah 41:10 (KJV) says, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. The thing about faith is you have to be able to apply what you know about God’s character and the promises He has given to you. You have to be able to use faith in order to see the resolution to your situation. When you go through something that pushes you to your limits, faith is no longer a concept; it has to become a reality for you to survive physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10, KJV). If you do not believe this and have faith that this is even possible, what hope will you have? Hebrews 11:6 says, And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. I had to believe! I have to liken this experience to the Israelites after they left Egypt. They just left Egypt after being in grueling slavery for 400 years, and in their hearts, even though God made a way for them, they left and had witnessed so many wonderous miracles, they were fearful of being captured again. So in a way, they were walking, but looking back over their shoulders, fearful, yet moving on in faith and hope of freedom. We often live our lives in this fashion instead of taking each moment for what it is: a new moment that has never been lived. And we can decide what to do with it. We let our past influence every future moment and rob ourselves of change, a fresh moment filled with faith and hope without the negativity of the past. One of the nurses that took care of me said, Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about dancing in the rain. I hope you dance. Pharaoh and his army did pursue the Israelites, but they were never captured. Even though they were trapped on every side and they were facing the Red Sea, and it seemed that their captivity was inevitable, God’s righteous right hand held them up, and the unimaginable happened. The Red Sea opened, and they were able to walk through on dry land to safety. Pharaoh and his army still thought they had a chance, but as God would have it, they drowned when the sea closed over them while in pursuit. Who would have ever thought this would be the way out of their dire situation? Who would have thought there would be a way out? That is why faith is defined as …the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). Faith is believing that because God loves me, the unimaginable is possible.