JCA Student Receives a Christmas 'Miracle'

Miraculous Healing

Tears flowed down the cheeks of friends and classmates who caught quick glimpses of Sarah Thomas strolling effortlessly through the hallways of Joliet Catholic Academy. After more than a year in a wheelchair, it's clear the 17-year-old senior is delighted to be back on her feet.

"I am so happy that the doctors were able to help her," said Kathy Allen, a fellow senior classmate at the Joliet high school. Citing her friend's impressive recovery from brain surgery performed only a few weeks ago, 17-year-old Allen, a member of St. Mary Parish in Minooka, said, "It was so nice to see her back this week."

Before the surgery, Thomas endured persistent fainting spells, blurred vision and chronic fatigue among many other symptoms. The majority of her high school career was marked by symptoms of a disease that diminished the life of the once-active athlete. While just an underclassman, Thomas related how the symptoms muffled the ability of her muscles. Over time, Thomas said, she couldn't feel her feet and ultimately couldn't move her lower body. The variety of recurring difficulties warranted surgery. "It was a slow progression."

Thomas and four of her friends talked with the Catholic Explorer about the effects of the painful muscle loss during a Dec. 9 interview at her home in Joliet. The insights gathered from the casual get together of friends revealed a maturity that comes from honest compassion. The recovery Thomas enjoys is shared with her supportive friends and family. She commended her friends for helping her through the difficult times, especially with school classes and projects.

Talking about the chain of events that ultimately led to the surgery that enabled her to walk again, Thomas mentioned that over the past three years she had consulted with countless doctors and specialists as the symptoms progressed. Thomas' mother, Karen, said, "Every parent wants what is best for (his or her) child," but the situation was dim. She recalled how difficult it was to watch her child lose the ability to move. "There was nothing that I could do to make her better," she said, revealing an intonation of exasperation and frustration.

Confounded, the teen and her family grew frustrated when diagnosis after diagnosis came back without a remedy for her ailment. Test results indicated that there was nothing physically wrong with her. Anxious, angry and disappointed, Thomas said she committed herself to finding some way to walk on her own again.

At odds with medical professionals who deemed her symptoms psychological in nature, Thomas said, "I knew I wasn't crazy." The steadfast teen-ager said she resorted to taking the matters into her own hands. "I am a go-getter," she admitted. Navigating through the endless abyss of the Internet, Thomas explored medical journals and case studies, gleaning insights from other people across the globe with similar symptoms.

Making friends and gathering information in an online chatroom, the hopeful teen-ager discovered that many of her persisting symptoms matched those associated with a disease called dysautonomia, a neurological disorder that inhibits the autonomic nervous system. She also realized that she suffered from symptoms of Arnold-Chiari syndrome, an ailment that causes defects in the lower area of the brain stem. Thomas eventually learned about a renowned neurosurgeon based in Milwaukee, Dr. Dan Heffez, who had performed operations on hundreds of patients with similar symptoms since the late 1990s. The published results were encouraging, said the teen, whose familiarity with medical vernacular was light years ahead of her chronological age.

With the wholehearted support of her parents, Thomas scheduled a consultation in the fall with the physician in Milwaukee. He detected blankets of scar tissue draped around the teen's brain stem from Arnold-Chiari syndrome and suggested surgery as soon as possible. "It was such a relief that someone found something," she said. The dedicated high school honor student was able to schedule the surgery during her Thanksgiving vacation, so she would miss the least amount of school as possible.

On Nov. 21, Thomas underwent surgery. While recovering from the operation, she was delighted to wiggle her toes again and move quite easily from the hospital bed. "It was nothing short of a miracle," said the teen-ager's mother. Speaking about the teen's remarkable improvement, Karen said, "I can't describe it... There aren't words."

Gazing at the family's Christmas tree, the relieved mother said seeing her daughter walk again after the five-hour procedure was the best gift that she ever received.

The devoted parent was also quick to point out that her 16-year-old son, Christopher, and husband, Bill, a commercial airline pilot, were naturally delighted and excited by the eldest child's astonishing recovery. She said that members of the family's faith community, Cathedral of St. Raymond Parish in Joliet, offered words of support and promised prayers for the teen-ager while she was still sick and later when she was in the hospital. "I asked them to (also) guide those gifted hands (of the surgeons)," she added.

In the meantime, the students at JCA prayed for the well-liked student while she underwent surgery. Her friends crafted hand-made cards and asked for signatures and messages from the students of the senior class.

"I told her to call me after the surgery," added one of a list of friends, Lindsey Hagner. The 17-year-old JCA senior and member of St. Dominic Parish in Bolingbrook mentioned that dozens of people also expected telephone calls following the surgery, including students and faculty members. The friends ultimately designed a phone tree system and were able to inform many of the interested people in minutes.

Julia Mikuska, a nearly lifelong friend and fellow member of the Cathedral of St. Raymond Parish, admitted that Thomas' positive attitude throughout the experience was a demonstration of strength and faith. It was a moving example for her friends as well. Thomas was valiant in her effort to grapple with a debilitating neurological disorder. "She was still a happy person even when her condition got worse," she said, mentioning that her friend continued to advise and help others during the ordeal.

Another friend, Hallie Knapp, admired Thomas because the illnesses never stopped her from having fun, talking about shopping excursions and school dances.

Thomas revealed that behind closed doors, depression managed to find an outlet. "I was disappointed in God," she admitted, talking about the initial months in the wheelchair. The teen-ager said she later found comfort and spiritual healing in meditative prayer.

"I am grateful that God gave me this gift of seeing a different perspective," Thomas said, explaining that she now understands and hopes to help people with disabilities. "It's been a blessed experience. I have found my vocation." She divulged that her one-time dream of becoming an interior designer has faded. Today, she plans to devote her life to finding treatments for people; she sees a career in medicine in her future.

Thomas mentioned that her vision still blurs sometimes, and occasionally other symptoms recur. Thomas is still susceptible to fainting spells, a fact that has eliminated the possibility of getting a driver's license. She insisted, however, that the ability to walk again makes up for the stumbling blocks.

Currently, the teen is penning a novel about her experience. She is expected to graduate in spring 2006 and looks forward to the day she will walk across the stage at JCA to receive her diploma. "That's been my goal," said Thomas.

Source: http://www.catholicexplorer.com