“Miracle Boy” McLean

Thirty four days he lay in the ICU in a coma. The doctors and nurses did not think he would ever wake up.  They had asked for his mother in Jamaica to get a special visa to comes see her boy before it was too late. When she came, they asked her to sign the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) paper. They told her that even if her son survived he would be a “vegetable.” That his brain had suffered irreversible damage from the seizures and  the lack of blood supply to the brain.

Day after day she waited at her son’s side. And she prayed. And she told the nurses that God had spoken; that  her son would walk again.

When she mentioned to them  one day that she had seen her son blink—they had squashed  her hopes right away. Said not  to be optimistic. That  a blink more than likely does not  mean anything, in their experience.

But this boy that everyone thought would be dead, one day woke up.

I first met him and his mother on a Monday at work when I heard someone screaming “Nurse! Nurse!” urgently. I saw this woman rush out of the room asking for someone to come in to see her boy. I was the first one to come in and see  him wildly  convulsing, hooked up to a tracheostomy and I thought this was another hopeless case that came out of the ICU. I heard this woman exclaim and claim her son “In the name of Jesus! In the name of Jesus!”  Driving out the demons in the name of Jesus.  And I became like one of the unbelievers who thought “What is this woman thinking? This boy is having a seizure and she thinks  it’s the work of  demons.”

And so this story  unfolded right next door to me. I would get updates everyday, that this boy was standing, was walking. And I was the first one who thought and said the word  “miracle.” 

Then he was swallowing. Walking more. Getting stronger. And the doctors who visited him came out shaking their heads saying it is a miracle. The staff who discussed  his case on rounds declared the same. The ICU nurses who did not think he would make it came up to visit. And marveled to themselves. And spoke of this comeback patient who  they all thought would not make it, and made it.

Then his  tracheostomy came out and he was talking. Then his feeding tube was pulled out. And he was eating everything. And he was free. He was walking the length of the hallway and back. This tall, gaunt, 24-year-old Jamaican boy  everyone but his mom thought would not make it, made it back from the grave.  He was walking.  Just as  his mother with the black Bible and the power of the Name of Jesus on her lips had said that Jesus told her.

On the day of his discharge,  his 54th day in the hospital, I came to see them:  my “Miracle Mclean”  and his praying mother. And I asked if I could take their picture and share their story.  Their God-Story.

This Bible verse comes to mind: “And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. “Revelations 12:11

And so this year, my list grows----Michael Morton, Christopher Coleman,  Nikki Cruz, Nick Vujicic, and now Glenn Mclean. Hallelujah to the blood of the Lamb! They have overcome. And  by His Name, so will we.