Our middle son, Luke, had just spoken with an Army recruiter when he developed a severe case of mononucleosis. It was complicated by “kissing tonsils” that almost met at the back of his throat and threatened to impair his breathing. After a long convalescence, Luke’s ENT, Dr. David Parks, recommended their removal.
Surgery went well, and Luke returned home to recover. As a former dental hygienist, I knew that adult tonsillectomies are not only extremely painful, but they are also prone to secondary bleeding. So, I followed every post-op instruction to the letter and watched him closely for any signs of trouble.
A week after the procedure, someone invited me to a concert. They teased me for declining, but Luke was now in the window of highest delayed complications. Though he seemed to be doing well, I couldn’t explain the uneasy feeling I had. I just knew I couldn’t leave him alone.
Later that night, I awoke suddenly, sensing someone standing beside the bed. “Mom…” Luke hoarsely called out in the dark. I turned on the light to see him holding a basin. Then he coughed, and a stream of bright red blood poured from his mouth.
He was hemorrhaging.
I helped Luke to the couch, then ran to the kitchen. Instinctively, I grabbed a glass, filled it with crushed ice and water and brought it to him.
“Luke, ice water may help stop the bleeding. Hold some in the back of your throat for as long as you can and then let it run out of your mouth,” I instructed Him. “Don’t gargle or swish.”
Then I turned to our oldest daughter and said, “Hannah, call 911.”
The ambulance team soon arrived and walked into what must have looked like a crime scene. Blood had pooled on the hardwood floor, and Luke’s clothes were soaked.
I gave them Luke’s history and explained what I’d done. They marveled that the ice water had slowed the bleeding and immediately loaded him into the ambulance. “Lady, it’s not like we could have put pressure on the wound back there,” one of them said as he carried his jump bag out the front door. “It’s a good thing you were here, ‘cause we wouldn’t have known to do that.”
Later that day, after Luke was admitted and resting, Dr. Parks entered his room and pulled up a chair beside me.
“The strangest thing happened to me last night,” he said. “Something woke me from a sound sleep. At first, I thought that someone had spoken. I sat up and listened, thinking it was one of my children. But the house was silent.”
Wide awake now, Dr. Parks quietly rose, dressed, and then went down to the kitchen. He ws drinking coffee a few minutes later when his pager went off. He read the message, grabbed his keys, and immediately left for the hospital.
Dr. Parks was cauterizing Luke’s wounds in under an hour. “I could not have been more prepared for surgery, he reflected in amazement. “It was if someone knew.”
I believe Someone did.
The entire night was nothing short of a miracle.
“Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.”
—Psalm 40:5
September 8, 2025
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