Sandy Sasser

"Grandaughter's Heart Healed."

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The Great Physician

There is an old hymn from the 1800’s whose first verse begins:

The great Physician now is near,
The sympathizing Jesus;
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,
Oh! hear the voice of Jesus.


Praise be to God! I heard that healing voice of Jesus on October 10, 2001!

My granddaughter was born September 19, 2001 with a heart condition known as coarctation of the aorta. It is a narrowing of the aorta between the upper-body artery branches and the branches to the lower body. This blockage can increase blood pressure in your arms and head, reduce pressure in your legs and seriously strain your heart. This condition was discovered after a pediatrician check-up of my granddaughter, and at only 10 days old, she was admitted to Duke Hospital for surgery. It was very painful to watch her little body being connected to so many tubes after surgery. It hurt so much to see such a small little being’s cries unable to be heard because of tubes being inserted down her esophagus. My heart would break as I watched my daughter cry over her first baby being in such a condition. Then the day came when she seemed to be getting a little better, but the surgeons said she needed more surgery.

Oh, how my heart ached thinking of her little body having to endure another operation! She had already been in the hospital more days than she had been at home since her birth. My daughter also had complications during labor and had to have the baby by C-section, so that added to the difficulty of the situation because she herself was not physically strong. There was nowhere else to go with such pain in my heart for my daughter and granddaughter but to Jesus, the great Physician! Every night when I left the hospital I would go home and get on my knees by my bed and cry to Jesus. I laid all my hurt at his feet.

On Wednesday morning, October 10, 2001, I awoke to the tender, compassionate voice of Jesus saying, “I will heal her.” My heart was overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness knowing how much Jesus cared and had heard my prayers. The strength of his words kept echoing all day and I could hardly wait to share the good news with my daughter. The doctors had scheduled my granddaughter for the second surgery on the following Monday. When I arrived at Duke the next morning, I went to my daughter’s room and there I saw that sweet little baby lying next to her. As I entered her room, she told me that the surgery for Monday had been canceled because Taylor’s condition had so improved. I looked at her and told her that it was not a surprise to me because Jesus had already visited me and told me he would heal her. And he did! Not only did Jesus touch Taylor, but the report was that every baby in that intensive care nursery that night had improved! The great Physician, the sympathizing Jesus had visited!

Taylor came home on October 27, 2001, a little over a month from the day she was born. Today, she is a healthy 8 year-old girl with beautiful blond hair and full of life . . . . all because of the Great Physician! When she comes to visit now and the conversation turns to that time eight years ago, we reminisce how Grandma’s friend Jesus woke me up with good news and how he came to that nursery that night and lovingly touched her, and not only healed her, but touched all those other little babies.

We were shopping one day recently and she wandered to the front of the store. I could still see her, and I noticed she was chattering away, as she often does, with one of the sales ladies. As I walked up, she was telling her about how she had to be in the hospital when she was first born. Then she looked up at me as if to say, “Can I tell her what happened?” I nodded approvingly with a smile and a definite “yes!” She looked up at the lady and said, “Jesus healed me!” The lady smiled, and with tears glistening in her eyes, turned towards me and held out her arms to show the raised hairs and said, “That sends chills all up me!” I told her of that morning when Jesus woke me and said that he would heal Taylor. A sincere testimony of Jesus can be felt by hearts whether some admit it or not. It was obvious and precious that this lady felt it.

I pray that Taylor will never forget what Jesus did for her that day. I know I will not, and I will speak of it many times with her. Maybe one day Jesus will touch her heart again in a way that she will get to know him and his voice.