GOD HAS A PLAN

In 1988, I worked as a Marketing Manager and was on business in Perth holding a training conference for four days with a sales team. I was not a Christian at this time.

I was preparing for a marathon at home and continued my training while on this trip to Perth but injured both my calf muscles on the last day due to poor running surfaces and very high summer temperatures.

My calf muscles were strained and solid and I was in severe pain. I returned to Sydney to get medical help.

During the year after seeing at least 25 specialists I was unable to obtain an accurate diagnosis. After 12 months I was unable to walk and ended up in a wheelchair. In 1989 through a friend who was a GP I was introduced to the National Institute of Sport in Canberra. There I had a comprehensive measurement of my calf compartment pressures, which was a critical aspect of diagnosis.

The pressures for someone in a wheelchair for 4 months were 14 times higher than they should have been. I was told, I needed urgent surgery on both calves to open the muscle and relieve the pressure. This was necessary as I would have continued to experience DVT’s in the absence of this surgery. I was told that given my injury was 14 months old I would likely never walk again due to muscular atrophy but the fatal threat of blood clots to my heart would be minimised. This was a very rare condition.

In early 1989 the surgery was conducted by a surgeon, the only one in Australia who had experience with this type of procedure.

I was in a wheelchair on entry and came out on crutches. I was in constant pain in my legs but also my back with the pressure of the crutches. At that time my wife divorced me. Obviously, I had much to deal with. I had to relocate from my country home to Sydney for work. I was given a ride to work and did my job in a wheelchair.

Unfortunately, I was in a place emotionally where I wondered if life was worth living. However, at work one day a good friend visited from Melbourne and I knew he was a Christian.

He enquired as to my well-being and was shocked to hear my circumstances. He arranged an introduction to a local Pastor who took me to his Church that Sunday.

That was the day Jesus came into my heart. I was desperate and had nothing to lose. I heard and soaked up teaching in God's Word especially on healing.

After 18 months I was travelling around Australia and after 2 years I travelled around the world. I was on both Medication, soaked in God's Word, exercising and stretching by faith every step I took.

I was still in pain but I was WALKING.

By 2007 my legs were too weak for me to handle the demands of my job so I had to resign.

This is how it has been until March 2018! I was experiencing major nerve pain which made my muscles rigid and I was unable to stretch.

At Sydney Life Church one Sunday morning, early March I was prayed for by my Pastor for a “pulled muscle” in my right calf, which was so painful, made it impossible to bear weight.

After prayer my Pastor asked me to do something I could not do prior to prayer. I stood up and completed 4-5 circuits of the Church WALKING without pain. Glory to God!

During the following week my right calf was free from any muscle pain or restriction of weight bearing. Praise God, this muscle was healed. At this point I was still believing for complete healing in both calves and for increased muscle strength and freedom from nerve pain, which makes the muscles rigid, restricts my ability to stretch and exposes the nerves to extreme thermal sensitivity.

During the following four weeks I exercised faith to resume a previous stretching routine, which since 2007 had simply caused severe nerve response and pain.

To my amazement as I gently stretched, I experienced no nerve pain. I have continued stretching and have been conducting graduated morning walks.

500 meters, 1 Kilometer, 1.5 kilometers and 2 Kilometers over four weeks.

Answer to Prayer has eliminated the nerve pain and has provided me with a plan and ability to walk again and be free from pain. Only God could do this as I had seen many doctors and specialists who could provide no solutions.

Praise God I am healed. ALL IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.

~ Ian