Brother Boyd Helm

The Easter weekend, 2007, was approaching, and Brother Dick Addison and Sister Gail were going to be out of town at Port Saint Joe, Florida. Therefore, it was my responsibility to cover the song service on Easter morning. The service was nearing the end and, while I led singing with my hand raised, a sharp pain struck me in my backbone area. The pain was so intense that I began to sweat profusely. It felt like I had been stabbed with a spear, yet the pain never eased. It was like a blade continually passing through my back. I managed to close out the service, then Janet and I immediately left for the Emergency Room.

Later, Brother Dale arrived at the hospital and stayed for five hours while the physicians began the evaluation. There were many X-rays taken of my back, spinal cord, and lower side. When the X-rays were  reviewed, the doctor commented, “Well, I do not see any tumors or black spots, so it does not appear to be cancer; but we need to do bloodwork to help determine what’s going on.” Brother Dale and I prayed and I made my confession that it is not cancer. That night I was admitted to the hospital for further testing.

After four days, my personal doctor literally ran into my room saying he figured out that I had osteomyelitis caused by a bone/blood infection. It looks like an old pork chop bone, white and a little gray looking, dried out and dead. My doctor was not familiar with this disease, so after consulting with the CDC, a plan was formulated. I had to have an infusion port with two means of access to the chest cavity. I was to receive 45 days of treatment with Vancomycin daily, the strongest antibiotic available. Once a week my blood was to be drawn to check the ratio of antibiotics in my system.

Brother Dale was either in my room or calling me a couple times a day and praying with me. I was finally released after nine days. Each week, then, I had five days of treatment in the oncology department with all the cancer patients. I got there at 6:00 am, left at 8:30, and went on to my job for the next eight to ten hours. I was so exhausted when I got home that I literally fell on the living room floor in severe pain, crying out to God to take me, until I fell asleep. After a couple hours I got up and went to bed. On Sundays I went to the hospital later in the day. Often, Brother Addison went with me, bringing his guitar. We sang Gospel songs with the oncology patients. 

A med-tech named Karla was assigned to my case. During the fourth week she showed me a vial of my blood. It was 25% red and 75% white. “Do you know what the white matter is?” she asked. I shook my head,”no,” and she said it was triglycerides. They cause heart attacks. Wow! Was I shaken! It was a Wednesday, so that night I went to the altar for prayer. The following week I told Karla that they would not find the white matter because I had been prayed for. It never showed up again! The best part was that I needed only 23 treatments instead of 45. Praise to God!

In the third week, on a beautiful Saturday, I was feeling a little better and went outside with the horses. We had five. I had learned how to clean and trim hooves because I was on my way to becoming a Farrier. In the pasture, in the middle of five horses, both my legs went numb. I fell to the ground thinking I am paralyzed. I used my elbows to pull myself away from the horses. Thirty minutes later the feeling came back to my legs so I could get up. At the ER, the doctor said my threshold of pain had raised so high that my muscles just gave out! This pain was ten times that of any kidney stones I ever had.

Janet and I have sat under Brother Dales’ ministry since 1995. I carried cassettes of his Seals sermons in a drink carton in the back seat of my car. When the car started, so did the cassette player. The teachings and the revelation God gave brought me healing many times. Through the ministry my faith continues to grow. I promise this, I have no doubt that we can overcome any situation. I am thankful that God allowed me to sit down at Lula. He is still guiding my journey. Thanks to Brother Dale for being a part of my life and letting me be a part of his.