We received
a photo in the mail today from a man that we do not know. We have never met this man but he heard the
story of our son Gideon. This picture
that was a pencil drawing of a newborn photo that our friend and photographer,
Sara Rose, had taken was drawn by a man who acted on God’s direction. Joe McNutt drew us a picture and sent it to
us without ever knowing us. Along with
the photo, came 2 articles and a brief letter from him. The letter simply stated that he was a heart
recipient and he thinks about his donor everyday and to remember that our gift
is never forgotten. The articles told
his story…
It seems Joe
was a health nut. He never smoked, never
drank, ate right and ran 5 miles a day but in 1993, he had a heart attack. In 1994, he had another one and this one
placed him in the hospital for 3 months and at the top of the transplant list
at Baptist Medical in OKC. He was bed
bound for his entire hospital stay. One
night his 4 year old grand-daughter was leaving from a visit with him and he
asked her to climb in his lap and pray for him because God listens to
children. She began to pray for her
various family members and then she prayed for her grandpa to get a new heart
and for the doctors who would be putting the heart in. She left at 1020 that night and at 1030 the
nurse came in and ecstatically told him that there was a heart for him. There was a slight problem though because the
heart was small and Joe was a big man.
There was a risk of using a small heart in his big body but it was his
decision since he was at the top of the list and there was another man there
that could use it and who it would fit better.
He asked for time to think, at which she said okay but to hurry
because they needed to start prepping
someone for surgery. He prayed and
decided to give the heart to the other man.
–I want to stop right here. Here
is a man who has a 16% ejection fraction and when he stands that number drops
to 9%. He has been confined to a
hospital bed for 3 months. He has a
heart standing in front of him, ready for the taking. There is a chance that it may not be efficient
but it’s a heart and obviously a viable option because they are offering it to
him. This man gives up that heart to
someone else not knowing when or if his next chance will come.
He was left
in the room wondering, “What have I done?”
Then 10 minutes later, the nurse comes back and excitedly exclaims that
they have another heart and this one will fit him!!—so here I see a man given a
heart, he prays about it, receives an answer to give it away, follows through
with that decision and then God blesses him almost instantly with a more
fitting heart! Talk about
obedience.
So this man
loved art. He started drawing when he
was in the 1st grade and moved onto oil paintings when he was in the
6th grade. He went on to
work for the FAA in a time before computers and drew blueprints, signage,
training materials and instrumentation designs.
Then in 2001, 7 years after his heart transplant, he was in a terrible
car accident that left him with severe nerve damage that affected the feeling
and function of his hands. His painting
came to a screeching halt. In 2007, he
decided to give pencil sketching a try because at least if he messed up, he
could erase it! In the summer of that
year, he received the LifeShare newsletter and he was touched by a story that
had been published about one of the donors.
He decided that he would draw the family a picture and capture their
son. On the signature, he wrote “Glory
be to God” and enclosed a letter much like the one sent to us. He has since sketched over 200 photos for
LifeShare donor families. The article
states that when his right hand becomes to shaky to continue, he will hold his
right wrist with his left hand so that he can finish. Can you imagine? I can see this man’s heart from miles
away. I can picture him being obedient
to God, sketching, shaking and steadying as he completes this photo for a
family that he has never met. Talk about
sacrifice. Talk about seeing how
something that God has used for good. At
any point, this man could have turned from his faith. At any time, he could have just given up but
he listened to God’s calling and now he sketches these beautiful photos, these
beautiful memories to people that he has never met. He will never know the value, the meaning
that this photo has for me, for my family.
Sure, I will write him and I will thank him but he will never truly know
and feel what I am feeling. He will not
know my tears or hear my sobs. He will
not experience what is in my heart. My
letter to him could never bear witness to my true gratitude. I can only say in agreement, Glory be to
God. Glory to God for being a faithful,
loving God who has men like Joe who listen and follow through with His
plan. Glory to God.
