Sermon Illustrations
Alabama Teen on Life Support Makes Miraculous Recovery
A thirteen-year-old's recovery from a traumatic brain injury is being hailed as nothing short of a medical miracle.
In early May of 2018, doctors at The University of South Alabama Medical Center were set to terminate life support for young Trenton McKinley, who two months earlier was seriously injured after a small trailer towed by a dune buggy flipped and landed on his head.
His accident resulted in seven separate skull fractures, and he was eventually declared brain dead. Trenton's mother Jennifer Reindl was informed that his prognosis was grim.
"They said he would never be normal again," said Reindl. "They told me the oxidation problems would be so bad to his brain, that he would be a vegetable if he even made it."
So unlikely was his recovery that medical staff had been lining up potential recipients for organ donation. Reluctantly, the parents gave their consent for the procedures.
"Five kids needed organs that matched him," said Reindl. "It was unfair to keep bringing him back, because it was just damaging his organs even more."
Yet, one day before doctors were scheduled to pull the plug on his life support, Trenton showed flickering signs of life. Since then, he's not only regained consciousness, but showed a great sense of humor. Regarding the sizable dent in his head, Trenton quipped: "I could turn sideways and put salsa in there and eat chips and dip out of my head. No more washing dishes for me!"
Potential Preaching Angles: It's not over until God says it's over … even death cannot stop the will of God from unfolding.