Rebecca Larson’s story of faith and healing is an example of how God touches our lives every day. We simply need to be aware of His presence, His timing and His miracles.
A vibrant, stay-at-home mom, Rebecca dedicated 20 years toward taking care of her children, husband, and aging parents. Yet in the fall of 2018, as family needed less of her attention, Rebecca began to wonder what the next chapter of life could bring. She was searching for answers and often prayed about her future.
Rebecca was ready to take on a new career and was looking for guidance, when she finally heard God telling her to go to school and make a change. She proceeded and enrolled in school.
One Tuesday morning, after attending a math class, she came home to find her hardworking husband, Alex, sitting in the kitchen. While it was unusual and unexpected that he came home from his downtown Denver office in the middle of the day, he offered a simple explanation when asked: “I don’t know. I know I need to be home. I need to be here. I can’t work right now.” While unusual, Rebecca was thrilled to have extra time with him.
That’s when everything changed.
A noise sent Alex into the other room to investigate. Rebecca describes a hand touching her face as she began to scream. However, what Alex heard was more of a muffled “squeak” than a scream. Rebecca couldn’t speak. The left side of her face was going limp and she was starting to cry. Rebecca couldn’t see or feel her left arm. Alex tried to calm her down and told her he was going to call 911, but before he could make the call, Rebecca managed one word: pray. Alex quickly stopped, prayed with his wife and then immediately proceeded to call for help. He knew she was having a stroke and time was of the essence.
Seven minutes after he called for help, EMTs arrived. Seventeen minutes later, Rebecca was in the Castle Rock Adventist Hospital emergency room.
“The entire situation was very scary,” Rebecca recalled. “I knew my mind wasn’t working. I was screaming for my arm. I couldn’t see it or feel it.” Her nurse, Amy Gerlach, provided her affirmations and kept reassuring her that “Lee” was working on her arm. But like her arm, “Lee” was invisible to Rebecca.
A CT angiogram found a blood clot and a tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) was administered within 16 minutes of arrival. While everyone around her knew she was having a stroke, Rebecca didn’t.
Once the TPA kicked in, Rebecca began to see the outline of Lee Hamilton, critical care technician, and then pixels of him came into focus. Suddenly, she could see Lee. “I was so thankful to see him; it was amazing. I began screaming, ‘It’s Lee! I can see Lee!’”
The next critical moment in Rebecca’s treatment came when she was transported by helicopter to Littleton Adventist Hospital. She was staring at the sky and looking for God. She felt as though He was missing and began to pray “God, where are you?” As she continued to look to the sky she heard God saying, “Rebecca, I’m here. You don’t need to see me.” She found peace in this statement and began repeating Deut. 31:8, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” This kept her calm and helped her stay strong for the duration of her treatment.
The road to recovery
After surgery, and a couple days in ICU, Rebecca was discharged for home. The TPA had dissipated the blood clot, and while she had a long recovery ahead of her, she was strong enough to leave the hospital. After some investigation, it was determined that Rebecca had a rare abnormality in her Carotid artery which causes blood to linger or “dwell” longer and increased the likelihood of clots developing, causing her stroke.
Rebecca acknowledges many people for her survival: most importantly, the 911 dispatchers who first identified and provided the paramedics with the first clear evidence of a stroke, and the first responders who came to her home and delivered her to the hospital in record time. She also credits Amy and Lee in Castle Rock Adventist Hospital ER for keeping her safe and reassuring her during the most critical time of her care. along with Dr. Witt who diagnosed her stroke and administered the TPA, and the helicopter pilots who flew her to Littleton. Rebecca thanks the nurses in the Littleton Adventist Hospital ICU and Dr. Nichols, her interventional radiologist. She is very grateful to her friends, her daughters, and her husband for their continued faith and support. And most of all she thanks God for setting up the circumstances of her stroke that allowed her to receive timely and life-saving care.
Life after her stroke is different for Rebecca; its slower. While she is giving herself grace to take time to heal, she is aware of the changes. Although she no longer feels like an eagle with keen sense and quick movements, she is grateful to be here. She now feels more like an owl, watching, listening, observing, and moving slowly. While she had patience before, she knows God is calling her to be slow and deliberate in life.
Rebecca’s friends and family have all helped her seek and hear God’s voice post-stroke. When she started to ask “Why me?” she was encouraged to ask, “God, what now? What can I expect from You now?”
Her answer from God came, loud and clear: “Expect love from me. Love others as I have loved you.” As Rebecca continues to heal, this is her new focus in life.
In fact, after 20 years of a strong marriage, she now admits it wasn’t perfect, “I learned it can be even better!” In fact, she contributes much of her healing progress to her husband. She believes he was home that day to care for her. His quick action got her to the hospital. He prepared their home for her discharge from the hospital (he sound-proofed the master bedroom) and has helped manage life in general since Rebecca’s stroke. Alex is quick to ask if she is resting enough and always looking for ways to decrease unnecessary activities. He attributes these actions to his love for Rebecca, “I want my wife to get better now. I want to grow old with her.”
As for Rebecca, she feels love all around her. She believes life is sweeter now than it was before. Everything is special, and nothing is taken for granted.
At Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, we focus on extending the healing ministry of Christ by caring for those who are ill and by nurturing the health of the people in our communities. In 2018, Castle Rock Adventist hospital took the initiative to become accredited by the Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center. This ensures best practice stroke care for our community and allows for patients, like Rebecca, to receive these life-saving treatments.
With gratitude to the Larson family for their testament, this story is shared by Centura Health.
