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40,000 feet up and on death’s bed
A Story of Hope and the Manifestation of Miracles
by Martin B. Parker
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
"1010
. . . there it is again," Martin thinks to himself. He sees the large
red numbers displayed on a digital clock at the front of the charter
bus taking him and the rest of his Boeing 777 flight crew to the
airport in Frankfurt, Germany.
He zooms in on the clock with his digital camera, snaps a picture, and
continues his internal dialogue, "Wait 'til Greg gets a look at this.
It's even showing up here on the other side of the planet!" His friend
Greg also takes notice when 1010 shows up on a clock, a billboard, a
television screen, a license plate, or even in a phone number. Because
he and Martin both continuously encounter this peculiar combination of
digits, they have had many discussions over the years about what it
could possibly mean. They have become increasingly convinced that it's
somehow a conveyance from the Creator, perhaps to indicate that He is
near. In essence, they believe it's some kind of sign from God, but
what the sign indicates still remains unanswered. Martin redirects his
camera to the unfolding landscape along the roadway and takes several
more pictures. He soon forgets about the sighting altogether.
Arriving
at the airport, the crew begins to unload from the bus. Martin
overhears one flight attendant question another if the company-issued
4th of July T-shirts that a few of the crewmembers are sporting will
cause any problems at security. "What do you mean?" asks Martin to his
two fellow crewmembers. One of them responds, "Security is extra tight
everywhere for the 4th of July. What if they aren't convinced that
those wearing the T-shirts are part of our crew, even if they do show
their airline ID badges? Security might seriously scrutinize those who
don't look like the rest of us who are in full uniform." "Oh, they'll
be OK. We'll all be together and can vouch for those wearing the
T-shirts," says Martin.
The crew files through the Frankfurt
airport and also through the first security checkpoint with none of the
anticipated scrutiny. Afterwards, the lure of the duty free shops for
international travelers draws several of the Flight Attendants away
from the group. They all have a few extra minutes to do some last
minute shopping and will meet up on the airplane before boarding.
The
spontaneous shopping sprees eventually wrap up. Making their way
through a second security checkpoint near the international gates, one
by one, the flight attendants begin to trickle onto the Boeing 777 to
prepare for boarding. Beate (pronounced Bee-ah-teh), the Purser (lead
flight attendant) of the crew, reaches the airplane and exclaims to the
crewmembers within earshot, "You are not going to believe it! They
stopped me! The security officers didn't believe I worked for the
airline because of this T-shirt!" Separated while at the duty free
shops, Beate had come through the second security checkpoint alone. She
explained to those who had gathered to listen that the security
personnel asked her where her Purser was. She said that she replied
firmly, "I --AM-- the Purser!" Her native German accent only added to
the hilariousness of her recount, and those listening roared with
laughter.
The flight attendants assemble into their positions
and get into high gear to complete all of their pre-boarding duties.
"Nine hours folks," the captain tells the crew over the PA. "Should be
a good ride once we get to cruise altitude. So far, no weather to deal
with in Atlanta.
We may get in a few minutes early." Boarding begins, all systems are
go, and soon they're off without a hitch. As the flight attendants
launch into the in-flight service, they're already wondering how long
their rest breaks will be. The service flows swimmingly as the flight
attendants shine in the aisles to make their people happy and
comfortable. "We really have a good crew this trip," Beate thinks to
herself as she buzzes about to get things done. All is going as it
should.
Beate moves through the first class cabin, taking the
meal preferences from the premium passengers. As she returns to the
main galley, she carries a book in her hand that a passenger, who is
also the author of the book, had given to her. Filled with
inspirational short stories, he explained to her that she might
appreciate one story in particular. He marked the page and kindly
offered it to her to keep.
Ducking into a corner of the main
galley for a moment, Beate reads the short, two-page story. So moved by
it, she approaches Martin and two other flight attendants nearby and
insists that they must hear this story, which she reads aloud.
The
story told of a weary and disgruntled business traveler who’d dealt
with flight delays of several hours due to a snowstorm in Minneapolis. When he finally boarded his flight to Boston, he was greatly relieved there was an empty seat next to him.
But
right before boarding ended, an unkempt elderly woman claimed the seat.
Not only had he lost his buffer from the world, it was clear his new
seatmate was long overdue for a bath. To top things off, she needed
help in fastening her seat belt. The man reluctantly did so, grumbling
silently to himself.
Making perfunctory small talk, the man asked the woman, “How are you today?” Her answer was anything but ritual.
It turned out that the woman was on her way to Boston to see her daughter, who was terminally ill with cancer. Sadly, while en route to Boston
two days prior, her husband had suffered a sudden and fatal heart
attack. She returned home for a 24-hour ordeal to make arrangements
with the coroner and to have his body shipped back to their hometown.
Ready to resume her journey to Boston,
the woman found that all flights out had been grounded due to the
snowstorm. By the time flights were cleared a few hours later, her
daughter had passed away.
The businessman was overwhelmed with
shame at his earlier impatience and selfishness. He felt the light of
God fill his heart and he made it his mission to do all he could to
help this woman.
The story finished, Beate looks up to
find her fellow flight attendants’ eyes are welled up with tears. In
awe of this moving tale, they are now intent on purchasing their own
copies of this book so that they can share the story with others.
Newly
inspired, they continue with business as usual. It's now getting close
to the end of the elaborate first-class service. The treasured rest
breaks will soon begin and will be over an hour each today. This makes
for plenty of time to lapse into REM sleep.
However,
it will soon turn out that one flight attendant will not be taking a
break today. As the lead flight attendant on the crew, Beate has
paperwork to complete as well as other behind-the-scene duties to tend
to. As a result, it is planned that she will go on the 2nd break. She
takes to her jump seat and unloads a huge black document kit to
retrieve forms she will need.
Within a few minutes, a flight
attendant named Ben comes up from the coach cabin with a question for
Beate. "Do you know what's wrong with the lady in the first row of
coach?" he asks.
"Well . . . no. What do you mean?" Beate responds.
Ben
explains that the woman's husband has told another flight attendant
that his wife is ill and may need oxygen and that she had been
vomiting. Beate instinctively checks her passenger manifest, but can
find no one listed having any special medical conditions – or any
special needs, for that matter.
If a passenger
had to have a medical emergency during flight, it couldn't happen with
a better crew. As fate would have it, Beate happens to be a licensed MD
and, until recently, had been working on her residency as a surgeon.
With
the time off each month that a career as flight attendant can provide,
many pursue higher education, second careers or simply take advantage
of the wonderful opportunity to spend time with their children and
families. Not only did Beate take advantage of this time off for higher
education and a second career, she was also the mother of three boys.
Unfortunately, only a year before, a severely injured wrist bone from
an incident involving a beverage cart on the airplane had ended her
residency. Now with an artificial replacement in a joint in her right
hand, it’s unknown whether she’ll be able to continue her surgeon's
residency anytime soon – or possibly ever.
Beate and Ben go
quickly to the scene. They find Holly, a woman in her 40's, looking as
if she had fainted cold in her seat. Though she has not, she is
potentially on the verge of slipping into a coma – or worse, being on
the brink of death. Beate's first reaction is to send Ben to retrieve
the nearest oxygen canister, Stat!
Traveling with
Holly, is her friend Patty, who sits next to Holly, rubbing her arm
while looking unusually calm. Holly's husband, Blake, and their two
teenaged daughters are standing in the aisle next to Holly, also
looking calm. Beate is a bit confused by their serenity. She asks Blake
if he knew what may have caused his wife to suddenly become so ill.
He
explains that she is in stage four of terminal cancer. Beate,
momentarily stunned, thinks to herself, "How could it be that the
flight crew was never told of this?" The oxygen arrives, and Beate goes
on autopilot as her medical and flight attendant training take over.
She administers the oxygen, and soon Holly seems to respond ever so
slightly.
In order to gain an understanding of Holly's full
medical condition, Beate further questions Blake and Patty. In doing
so, she learns that Holly has virtually no internal organs that are not
being consumed by cancer. Her understanding is that what had begun as
colon cancer had quickly spread throughout her body.
Beate also learns that Holly, her family members and several of their friends are now returning to the U.S. from a place called Medjugorje – a small
mountainside town in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where it is said that miracles
of healing are performed by the spirit of the Blessed Mother Mary.
Beate recalls hearing at one time or another of the countless
testimonies of healing received at Medjugorje.
Incredibly,
Holly has received healing there in the past. Beate is told that Holly
had suffered with muscular dystrophy for much of her life, and was
faced with a life bound to a wheelchair. Several years ago, she and her
family traveled to Medjugorje where she received a miraculous healing.
From that point forward, the effects of muscular dystrophy seem to have
vanished from her body.
"This story," Beate
thinks to herself, "is amazing." Her impression upon learning all of
this is that Holly and her family had once more traveled halfway around
the world in hope of another miracle. Yet, sadly, during the journey,
Holly's condition had worsened.
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PART 2
Having
awakened from the first crew rest break, Martin makes his way up the
aisle and approaches the scene. At the first row of coach he finds
Beate down on one knee, quietly speaking to Holly and Patty. Standing
over them are Holly's husband Blake and another flight attendant, Toni.
"Did she faint?" Martin asks Toni.
"No," says Toni.
"What's wrong with her?" Martin asks.
"She
is quite ill," Toni replies. She steps Martin back a couple of rows and
quietly explains that the woman is dying of cancer. He stands in
silence and simply observes the scene. He realizes that everything
seems to be under control for now and there is nothing he can do to
help at the moment.
Martin eventually moves on to the first
class galley and sits on his jump seat to consider what he has just
learned of this seriously ill woman. The one thing he knows he can do
to help is to pray for her. So he does, quietly and to himself. Raised
as a Southern Baptist, the traditional type of Christian prayer is what
he offers. However, he suddenly remembers a reportedly true story in a
book he had recently begun reading told by a Jewish heart surgeon who
was attempting to save a patient with a blocked artery. The surgeon
kept losing the patient during transport to the operating room.
Finally, it seemed the patient was gone for good. The surgeon prayed
for the patient and meditated on a series of Hebrew letters which are
said to bring forth healing. A miracle ensued, as the patient was
miraculously revived and soon, through a sonogram, his artery was found
to have cleared completely – and without surgery. In stark contrast to
Martin's Christian beliefs, the book in which the story had appeared
was about the Kabbalah – an ancient study and science of the Torah
rooted in Judaism.
Martin debates internally why he shouldn't
offer the same meditative prayer for Holly. He had never heard of such
a meditative practice prior to reading about the Kabbalah. He hesitates
for a moment, but then grabs the Kabbalah book from his carry-on bag
and opens it to the page containing the series of Hebrew letters for
healing. With no real understanding of what he is doing, he simply
scans the letters. Slowly, a prayer begins to evolve in his mind. It is
simple and different from what he might have normally prayed according
to Christian teachings. In his mind he finds himself telling Holly to
“breathe and be comfortable.” These words flow continuously through his
mind as he continued to scan the Hebrew letters.
Afterward, he
questions himself, "Would this bring forth some miraculous healing for
her? Would this actually comfort her?" Then he scolds himself for
having such doubts. He argues that it doesn't matter whether he prays
according to a Kabbalistic teaching or a Christian belief, the fact of
the matter is that he spent a moment talking to the Creator in an
effort to bring forth some healing light into Holly's sad and critical
situation. Doubtful thoughts have no place in prayer, he admonishes
himself. That would be faithless. Rather, "certainty" is needed, which
means there is no room for doubt. This spiritual principle was
something he had read in his book on Kabbalah; however, it was
something engrained in him through Christianity as well.
In
this instant, Martin reflects back on seeing the numbers 1010 on the
bus earlier that day. "Could seeing these numbers today have been some
kind of 'heads-up' for the situation we're in now with Holly?" he
wonders. The mystery of these numbers deepens for Martin, though he
surmises that perhaps indeed a sign such as 1010 is but one of many
inexplicable ways God might choose to remind us that He always there
when we need Him.
Martin soon stands to collect his thoughts.
Suddenly, Beate rushes by. "Is there anything I can do to help you
Beate?" Martin asks. She says, "I wish you could! You see, I can give
Holly an injection of Phenergan for nausea, but I'm not sure how her
body will metabolize it. Only about 30% of her liver is functional. I'm
going to the cockpit to call air medical assistance to see if I can
consult with another medical doctor." She proceeds to the cockpit to
make the call and is advised that due to the patient's condition, it
would be best to give the injection intramuscularly as opposed to
intravenously. Good advice indeed, as the phenergan seems to further
stabilize Holly and alleviate her nausea.
Intent on getting some
liquid into Holly, Beate presents a Sprite to her. She holds the glass
close to Holly's mouth asking her to take a sip. Holly's eyes
inexplicably fill with fear and then anger. "No! It's poison! You all
want to kill me! I know I'm dying, but you're not going to kill me!"
Beate
replies, "Holly, I'm not going to kill you and I'm not going to do
anything to hurt you either. Look, if this is poison then it will make
me sick too. See, I'm taking a sip of it now. Watch me." She takes
three sips from the glass to demonstrate. Holly is convinced. With
Beate's help, she takes the glass to her mouth and drinks from it
precisely where Beate had drank, just to be sure in her own mind that
it wasn't a trick.
Beate is then easily able to convince two
first-class passengers to give up their seats so that Holly can have a
seat which fully reclined in order to make her more comfortable. Her
friend Patty or her husband can occupy the seat next to her. With this
accomplished, the only miracle they all seemed to need was for Holly to
be able to hold on until they reached Atlanta.
It is soon
realized that with nothing more miraculous than that, sadly, Holly
actually stood the chance of dying in a hospital in Atlanta as opposed
to making it all the way home to Austin. The airlines generally will
not allow someone in such a critical state to continue to fly. They
will normally make an emergency landing and get the patient to the
nearest hospital. All attempts will be made by the company to insure an
ill passenger has access to full medical attention as soon as possible.
Knowing this, Beate bolts back to the cockpit.
As soon as she
enters, the captain advises her that paramedics would meet the flight
in Atlanta. Beate shares with the pilots her concern. She wants to know
if Holly can be allowed to board her connecting flight in Atlanta to
continue on to Austin, instead of being taken to a hospital in Atlanta.
The pilots are still in direct communication with the company
dispatchers and ask them this very question.
The dispatchers
reply that the company is electing to have Holly transported to the
nearest hospital. Beate's eyes become as big as saucers. Not even
knowing where the words came from, Beate abruptly says, "I'll go with
her."
"What?" asks the captain, surprised.
"I'll go
with her," she repeats. "I know how to tend to her. I can make her
comfortable. I can act as her nurse. I have to do this. I cannot allow
her to be taken to a hospital if she is still alive when we land."
The
pilots are stunned, but Beate has convinced even them. They can't do
anything but let her try. They ask, will she be willing to explain this
to the dispatchers?
"Of course," she says. "How do I talk to
them?" The pilots pull out a headset, place it on Beate and instruct
her on how to key the mike.
Almost immediately she is speaking
live to a company dispatcher in Atlanta from high above the Atlantic
Ocean. She explains that she would like to insure that Holly is able to
connect in Atlanta to continue on to Austin. She is once again told
that the company has elected to have Holly transported to a local
hospital. In reply to this, Beate profoundly explains, "Guys, this
woman is dying. There is nothing the hospital can do for her that we're
not trying to do now. The most important thing we can do is to get her
home to Austin. We have to get her home to Austin. If we send her to a
hospital in Atlanta and she dies there, then we've created a whole new
set of problems for her family. I will go with her to Austin. I can
help her. I know what to do if she starts to get worse. We have to get
her home." Beate lets her finger off of the mike key and asks the
pilots "Did I do it right? Did they hear me?" There is dead silence as
they stare at her in awe. Stunned, she realizes that they both seem to
be on the verge of tears. Beate puts her hand on the captain's arm.
"Are you OK?" she asks.
He replies "Beate, do you know how
many other aircraft heard what you just said? There are at least eight
other airliners over this ocean, including ours, listening in on this
frequency. They all heard your plea. Look at the two of us! Can you
imagine how the other pilots listening in on this frequency are
reacting?" He continues, "Beate there is no way the company will say no
to you. There is no way."
"Oh my God" she says. "I didn't know I was going to make you cry, or anybody cry!"
"You were very compelling," the captain tells her.
Within
a moment or two the company dispatchers are back with a response. The
captain was right. They tell the crew that they are now electing to
allow Holly to connect in Atlanta and express their admiration and
appreciation for Beate's willingness to continue with her.
But
Beate needs more than this. After expressing her gratitude for their
cooperation, she keys the mike again and continues with, "Guys, I have
another request. I would like to have the customs and immigrations
personnel meet our flight and clear Holly on the aircraft as well as
all the others traveling in her party." She explains, "It will be too
much for her to go through the normal process of waiting in the lines
with all the other passengers. Also, we will need a quiet place for
Holly to rest in between her flights. I want to keep her away from the
crowds."
The dispatchers assure her they'll do all they can to
help. Beate thanks the captain and first officer for all they've done.
"Sorry I made you guys cry. That was the last thing I expected," she
tells them.
What she is about to be told by each of them will
bring her to tears as well. The captain explains that he knows exactly
what Holly's husband is dealing with. "I lost my wife to colon cancer,
Beate. Not quite two years ago," he says.
Astonished, Beate clutches her heart with one hand. "I am so sorry" she says. "I didn't know."
There
is a pause. Then the first officer says "I lost my mother five years
ago to colon cancer, too. We can both definitely relate."
At first speechless, Beate then says, "I can't believe this. I just can't believe it. I am so sorry."
Beate
remains in the cockpit long enough to regain herself. She witnesses the
captain call air traffic control to request a new cruise level. He
wants to get down out of the jet stream they're flying against in order
to pick up some speed. He asks for a lower altitude. The first officer
says, "My Lord, do you know how much fuel we're gonna be burning?"
"I don't care," says the captain. "We have more than enough. We're puttin' the pedal to the metal."
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Part 3
Beate
smiles at this exchange and then returns to the cabin. She finds Martin
working away in the first class galley. "You've long since missed your
break," he says to her. "Why don't you sit down and rest for a few
minutes?"
She answers, "It's OK. I don't need a break."
Pausing, she looks around at the service carts he's preparing and says,
"Looks like you're about ready for the last service. I'll help you with
this."
"Everything is done" says Martin.
"Oh my God! My paperwork!" she exclaims.
"Done," says Martin.
"Well,
I have to go and do the liquor and wine inventory and lock the kits
away for landing. And I have to close out the Duty Free cart."
"Done."
"Did you do all of it?" she asks in amazement.
Playful,
Martin answers, "Yep, all of it. I'm doing EVERYTHING. You don't have
to worry about a THING. But right now . . . I'm trying to fly the
airplane and I can't talk." He rushes around the galley flipping on and
off light switches and frantically presses buttons on the ovens as if
they were flight controls.
Beate laughs. Just what she needed, and perfect timing, too.
Martin
then explains that no, he didn't do everything, but that everyone did
everything. "They all just did it, without even being prompted. We need
to write this crew a good letter of recommendation," he says. "Beate,
this is the true definition of a CREW: when everyone pulls together,
knows what to do and just does it," he tells her.
Relieved and grateful, Beate hugs Martin and says, "Thank you so much for what you've done."
"Well,
thanks for saying that, but I'm telling you it was pure unadulterated
teamwork! So be sure to thank everyone on the crew." He pauses, then
says,
"You know Beate, I want to tell you something that might sound kind of crazy," says Martin.
"What is it?" asks Beate.
"Well,
it's kind of an 'Unsolved Mysteries' sort of thing, but I think there
could be some weird kind of connection . . . Well . . . Like I said, it
may sound crazy!" Martin explains his intrigue with the numbers 10 10.
He then shows her the digital picture he took of the clock on the bus
that morning and describes the thoughts he had at the time. He is
relieved when Beate responds, "I kind of cue into the mystical side of
life sometimes too. You know, this is just one of those things that
makes you go 'Hmmm?'"
Then, as if rehearsed, they both scratch their chins and in unison repeat "Hmmm?" They both have a good laugh at themselves.
The
final cabin service soon commences, during which the flight attendants
are asked about the "ill lady" by a few of the first class passengers.
The crew answers carefully, advising them she'll be OK, although those
within view of Holly could well see that she might not make it.
The
remaining passengers becomes aware of the seriousness of her condition
only when it is time to land. Beate wants to ensure that the paramedics
had immediate and unfettered access to Holly when they met the
aircraft. Eloquently she makes a touching announcement over the PA in
English, and then in German, imploring everyone's assistance. No one
will be allowed out of their seats until the paramedics can get to
Holly.
The full Boeing 777 lands and parks at the gate in
record time. All the passengers do exactly as they are instructed. No
one flinches. The paramedics immediately get to Holly and begin taking
her vital signs. They know that neither her family nor Beate wants her
transported to a hospital. For the moment, Holly rests, comfortable in
the fully reclined first class seat. Mixed in with the paramedics are
customs and immigrations personnel.
Beate is mightily relieved that everyone is able to come through for Holly and her group.
With
things going as planned, it now becomes apparent that there is no
immediate need to get Holly off of the airplane. "Now we can let the
other passengers leave," Beate says to another flight attendant. Out of
respect for Holly, she adds, "but we'll need to have them deplane from
one aisle only."
It will be the aisle opposite Holly's. An
announcement is made explaining this and soon the airplane is emptied
accordingly. The customs and immigrations personnel complete processing
the paperwork for Holly's and her group, and leave. Only Holly, her
group, the flight crew and the paramedics remain. A sense of relief
seem to prevail.
Slowly, the flight crew begins to disassemble.
Though, in an effort to assist Beate, her fellow flight attendant
Martin remains with her and Holly's group for a while. A gate agent on
the scene, Michael, advises Beate and Holly's husband Blake that a
private room in the Elite Flyers Club has been reserved for them.
Beate, Martin, and Michael, along with Holly's family and the rest of
their group, proceed to this special room. It's quiet adn
well-furnished, with a television. They settle in for an
hour-or-more-long wait for the connecting flight to Austin.
Holly
is placed in an overstuffed chair and her feet are propped up on an
ottoman. She appears to become more alive in this room, and now seems
to be more aware of where she is and of those around her – perhaps the
result of no longer being in the pressurized environment of the
airplane.
Encouraged when he notices Holly's slight revival,
Martin sits in a chair next to her. He extends his hand and introduces
himself.
From behind an oxygen mask, she replies, weakly, "I'm Holly."
"How are you?" Martin asks.
"Oh
. . . OK," she answers. Not knowing exactly what else to say, Martin
sits silent for a moment and observes the conversations of those in
Holly's party who are nearby. He touches Holly's arm and says, "We're
going to take good care of you. If I can get you anything, just let me
know." Holly smiles and through her oxygen mask utters, "Thank you."
Assured
when he learns that the gate agent Michael will be assisting in Beate's
efforts to get Holly home, Martin eventually leaves the scene. Michael
has already made arrangements for Holly and her group to be transported
to the gate for their connecting flight to Austin. The flight will be
on the airline's connection carrier using a small 50-seat regional jet.
As the time to make the connection draws near, everyone in the group
prepares to move on to the next flight.
Beate has been anxiety
ridden over making this connecting flight. She knows that this lull
could be the calm before a storm of procedural logjams or, worse yet, a
rapid turn for the worse for Holly. There are many hurdles yet to clear.
"What
if the captain of this flight won't let Holly aboard in such critical
condition?" she agonizes. "We're so close to getting her home," she
thinks to herself. In her mind, she checks in with the higher power.
"God please let me get this woman home alive," she implores.
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Part 4
As
they reach the gate where their small jet awaits, Beate sees that
standing nearby is the captain who will be flying it. Knowing that by
now this man would have been made fully aware of the dying passenger
trying to board his flight, Beate wastes no time getting to him to
explain the situation.
She smiles and takes his right hand
into both of hers. At about 80 miles per hour and all in one breath she
explains, "Hi. My name is Beate. I have just come from Frankfurt,
Germany, and I am going to be traveling with my friend Holly here as
her medical aide. I am a trained and licensed MD as well as a flight
attendant and I can tend to all of her needs and handle any emergency
with her if necessary. I want to thank you now, because I know you're
going to help us get Holly home as safely and quickly as possible. So
thank you very much."
He is taken aback. He has no idea how
to respond at first. Shaking her two hands interlocked with his right
hand he says "Oh . . . well . . . you're welcome." Gazing over at Holly
who sits limp in her wheelchair, he thinks, "My God, this woman IS
dying!" He looks back at Beate, moved by her determination and
commitment.
Next, Beate is greeted by the one and only flight
attendant, Tracy, who will be working in the cabin of their small jet.
They introduce themselves, and away from Holly and the group, Beate
explains the situation to Tracy in an effort to reassure her. Again,
she is so compelling that Tracy shows no signs of reluctance, and she
and Beate bond almost instantly. "One more fiery hoop jumped through,"
Beate thinks to herself with relief.
Holly is lifted out of
the wheelchair by Blake and Beate and carried up three steps at the
door of the airplane. They gently place Holly into her seat at the very
front of the small cabin. Blake will sit next to her and Beate will sit
in the row behind them. The rest of their group will sit in each of the
rows behind them all. After what seems like an eternity to get settled
in, they are eventually airborne.
During the two-hour flight, Holly fades in and out of a sleep-like state. Blake asks Beate, "Do you have any kids?"
"Yes," answers Beate. "Three beautiful boys."
"What does your husband do?" he asks.
"Well, unfortunately he would be my ex-husband. He's a Major in the Army, stationed in Washington, DC."
"I'm sorry," says Blake.
"It's okay. We were married for eleven years. It just didn't work out.
But if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have the real love of my life, my
three boys."
Blake smiles. Beate proudly pulls out a small
album containing about ten photos of her children. She glows as she
displays the photos, explaining who is who and how old each of them is.
Holly abruptly awakes. She pushes the oxygen mask off of her
face begins to vomit. Tracy, directly in front of her, grabs a trash
bag and holds it under Holly's mouth. Beate then takes hold of the bag.
At first nothing seems to be coming up. Beate is not
surprised, because by now Holly should be almost completely dehydrated.
An I.V. is definitely in order, but of course not available at 30,000
feet. Holly leans more directly over the trash bag and this time
something does come up.
"Oh no," Beate mutters, under her
breath. Holly has begun to regurgitate blood. Beate and Tracy do all
they can to help Holly until the episode passes. Exhausted, Holly
crumples against the back of the seat – barely even able to hold up her
head.
Beate takes Holly's pulse and watches her breathing. Her
pulse is almost nonexistent and she is breathing at a rate of only four
breaths per minute. Beate knows that this could be the end for Holly.
Over the PA, the captain advises that they will be on final approach
into Austin momentarily. "You can do it!" Beate implores in her mind to
Holly.
The small jet touches down in Austin. Astonishingly,
Holly's breathing has improved and is now up to about 12 breaths per
minute. To everyone's relief and amazement, she seems to be stable.
"Thank God!" Beate tells herself as they taxi in.
The
passengers aboard are allowed to deplane before the attempt to move
Holly. Again, Blake and Beate handle this. As they place Holly into a
wheelchair on the tarmac, her eyes are open and she is now able to more
fully hold up her head.
Beate pushes the wheelchair towards
the terminal building to an elevator that will take them to the baggage
claim level. At baggage claim, just outside of the security checkpoint,
a large group of Holly's close friends and some other family members
greet them. Elated and relieved, Beate exclaims in her mind "We did it!
THANK YOU, GOD!"
It will only be a few more minutes and
Beate will have to say goodbye. The aircraft they've just come in on
will soon be returning to Atlanta, and Beate will be on it. She begins
to say her farewells to the group. Blake and his family exchange e-mail
addresses with Beate, and they promise to keep in touch.
Beate says goodbye to Holly's children and then leans down to say
goodbye to Holly. She half hugs Holly who doesn't have the strength to
hug back. This moment nearly brings Beate to tears, but she remains
silent and composed.
With her return flight to Atlanta only
moments from departing, Beate leaves the group rather quickly. She
heads to the security checkpoint in order to gain access to the main
terminal. As she reaches for her airline ID to present it to the
security personnel, to her horror, she realizes that she's left it on
the airplane out on the tarmac!
The company issued 4th of
July t-shirt she's been wearing the whole time only adds to the crisis
she's suddenly found herself in. She has no proof that she is a flight
crewmember and she's wearing a t-shirt! Turning as white as a sheet,
she hits herself in the head with the ball of her hand.
Before she can begin to explain to security the whereabouts of her ID,
the captain who brought her to Austin miraculously appears and yells
"Beate! I've got your ID here!" He heroically tosses it to her and
yells, "She's with us!" to the security personnel, then adds, "and
we're running late!" He waits for Beate to clear the security
checkpoint and then they both make a mad dash to the airplane.
Soon Beate is back on the little jet and headed for home. Since the
same flight crew that brought the jet to Austin is also taking it back
to Atlanta, she is rejoined with the flight attendant Tracy. Beate
discusses the long ordeal with her, which is now coming to a close.
They talk about the miracle she believes Holly and her family were
hopeful enough for to fly half way around the globe.
From a
medical perspective, Beate begins wondering if in any way it was
foolish to think that the Blessed Mother Mary would appear on a
mountainside and instantly cure Holly. She considers the question of
whether or not the miraculous results she feels the family may have
been hoping for should have been sought on an operating table or
through continued chemo or radiation therapy.
Still
emotionally wired from what she'd endured over the past 18 hours, Beate
tries to rest on the flight home. The sun has set and the lights of the
little towns below dot the landscape. She shares with Tracy the book
containing the story of the impatient businessman delayed by the
snowstorm. Before Tracy can finish reading the story, the captain calls
back to her on the interphone and instructs her to tell Beate to look
out the right side of the aircraft.
Beate moves over to the
window to bear witness to an incredible fireworks display over the city
of Atlanta. It's the 4th of July and the sky is alight with a rainbow
of flashing colors. They match the rainbow of emotions Beate is feeling
inside.
Suddenly, as if the words had walked up her
backbone, she thinks, "Anyone with hope is no fool." That's the one
thing Holly and her family held onto. But the question still lingered
in her mind: Could a miracle have actually taken place the way they'd
wanted?
The next evening at home, Beate checks her e-mail. Her
heart races when she sees that she is already hearing from Holly's
husband Blake. "She's dead," Beate thinks with great certainty.
Blake starts out his e-mail by offering profound gratitude for the
extraordinary efforts by Beate to see that Holly got home. He shares
that once there, Holly's head had begun to clear. Holly had said to
him, "So I must have made it all up. It must have been my imagination."
"What do you mean?" Blake asked.
"The hospital in the sky. I thought there was a German woman who was a stewardess and a doctor."
He explained to her that she had been on an airplane returning from
Europe. "The airplane environment probably reminded you of the ICU
after you had one of your surgeries. But yes, there was a German woman
who was a stewardess and a doctor."
Holly responded, "She was very nice."
Blake then asked her, "What was it you liked about her?"
"She said she wouldn't hurt me and she didn't."
"Her name was Beate Maria," Blake told her. It was something he'd
learned only when Beate wrote out her full name during their exchange
of e-mail addresses.
He continued, "It's German – and in
English, it translates to 'Blessed Mary'. Blessed Mary took care of you
without hurting you and made sure you returned safely to Austin. She
traveled with you all the way to make sure everything would be okay.
She did a very good job didn't she?"
Holly smiled and said, "Yes, she did."
This exchange had taken place at about 3:30 A.M. on Saturday morning,
July 5th. Within minutes of their conversation, Holly had slipped into
a coma.
After reading this, Beate is floored with a myriad of
emotions. Trembling, she stares at the wall in deep introspection. She
hadn't even considered the implications of the translation of her name
into English.
Suddenly it all makes sense to her that
perhaps a miracle did take place for Holly and her family. Interwoven
in the tapestry of events that occurred on Holly's flights home,
perhaps there were indeed a number of miracles.
She
considers that it was no coincidence that a book containing a story
teaching selflessness was shared with her at the beginning of her
flight from Frankfurt – though she knows she would have done everything
exactly the same, even without reading the story.
Reflecting
on the feelings she had when she saw the fireworks over Atlanta from
the airplane, a rush came over her. "Miracles are real," she thinks, "
but they're concealed in the everyday world around us. We're all
responsible for bringing these miracles into the world through our own
selflessness."
Everyone involved indeed had brought forth
some kind of light to this situation. Considering how many people were,
in retrospect, positively affected during Holly's return from
Medjugorje that day, it dawned on Beate once more, "Anyone with hope is
no fool."
----
Epilogue: Holly survived for almost
a month after returning home to Austin that July 4. She died peacefully
at home the following August 6th.
The Journey of Miracles
© 2004 Martin B. Parker. All rights reserved.
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