Church Pianist Saves Life of Pastor's Wife
By Cary Monaco, editor
It’s not everyday that you hear about a church pianist saving the life of her pastor’s wife, but that’s exactly what happened on January 29, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. However, as dramatic as that is, it’s only part of a story that in whole is an incredible testimony for God’s glory.
Things looked grim indeed for 56 year-old Sandy Patterson, whose husband, Ron, pastors Harvest Baptist Church in San Angelo, Texas. After years of being kept alive through dialysis, her kidneys were at the point of no return. If she didn’t receive a kidney transplant soon her life on this earth was done. Texas hospitals had turned her down as a potential transplant recipient due to her fragile health. As it has been with thousands of others, the renowned Mayo Clinic was her last chance, humanly speaking. The doctors there were at least willing to try. Of course, the Pattersons knew that it was all in the Lord’s hands.
Finding a suitable donor wasn’t coming easy. Seven people, family and friends, had already been turned down as potential donors for various reasons. Doctors explained that if an acceptable donor wasn’t found soon it would be too late to perform a transplant.
That’s when God began impressing upon Belinda Peevy’s heart to go forward with testing. The long-time church pianist didn’t tell the Pattersons because she didn’t want Sandy to suffer another bitter disappointment if she wasn’t a suitable donor.
After Belinda passed the initial stages of the donor process Ron Patterson received a surprising call from a Mayo Clinic doctor who said, “Bring Belinda Peevy with you. She needs further testing.”
“She didn’t tell us about starting the donor process so that we wouldn’t be disappointed,” he recalled. “It was just awesome news.”
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard Belinda was going to Mayo with me,” Sandy revealed. “I still can’t believe that someone would give part of themselves like that.”
A week after flying to Minnesota for blood and renal function tests, Peevy learned that she could donate one of her kidney’s to save Sandy’s life.
“I had no fear or apprehension whatsoever,” the 49 year-old remembered. “The Lord gave me complete peace about it.”
Her husband Robert was somewhat hesitant at first, but soon found comfort.
“I knew it was God’s will as everything fell perfectly into place,” he stated.
Among the things that fell into place was Belinda being able to miss five weeks of work with no loss of income. Since she had never used it, Belinda had 80 hours of sick leave stored up. In addition, she took two weeks of paid vacation during the recovery period. The final week’s pay was mainly recovered through a special offering by the church. Her air travel was paid by a “transplant fund.”
Donning matching surgical caps made by a caring friend, Sandy and Belinda went to surgery together Jan. 29. Doctors proclaimed the kidney transplant a success, but additional complications would imperil Sandy’s life for the next several weeks. It got to the point where the Pattersons starting having doubts about whether she would ever leave the Mayo Clinic alive.
An infection in her leg which kept destroying tissue would require five additional surgeries. Another two surgeries were needed to treat infection at her incision. At one point the limb infection was so bad doctors declared that the leg would need to be amputated. Remarkably, the leg healed, leaving stunned medical professionals with no explanations.
Sandy had an explanation though, and she wasn’t shy about sharing it with all the doctors and nurses treating her.
“I was able to tell I don’t know how many doctors about how God had healed me,” she said.
Following two long, often torturous months at Mayo, Sandy did leave alive. In many ways more alive than ever before.
“I’ve become much closer to the Lord through all of this,” she testified. “Before each surgery I would wonder if I was going to wake up in heaven or on earth. When you go through something like this you know how close the Lord is to you, and that He really, really is with you.”
The pastor’s wife has also grown much closer to the church piano player.
“Belinda is an unbelievably loving and compassionate person,” Sandy commented. “God has put a tremendous bond between us. I always wanted a sister. She is my sister.”
During a time of testimony after Sandy returned to church, the Patterson’s presented Belinda with a gold necklace containing the inscription, “Thank you for the gift of life.”
