Miracle Moments
Brought to you by: Molly Maid of Birmingham, www.mollymaid.com/birmingham
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
On October 2, 2021, Brady McLaughlin and his son, Major, geared up for a camping weekend with friends at Oak Mountain State Park. While on a bike ride, Major’s bike tires lost traction and he fell. During the fall, the bike handlebars hit Major which of course was painful but there were no obvious injuries. “I carried him to my truck, and we sat in the air conditioning for a few minutes to cool off,” Brady Mclaughlin says. However, once they returned to the park, a lethargic Major threw up. After he threw up for the second time, Mclaughlin and his wife, Malynda, with the guidance of Major’s doctor, decided to take the almost 7-year-old to Children’s of Alabama Emergency Department. 
Doctors at Children’s realized that Major was lacking oxygen in his blood. A CT scan revealed that the bicycle handlebars hit Major’s kidney “perfectly the wrong way,” McLaughlin remembers. Major had suffered a shattered right kidney and an uncontrolled urine leak. Urologist David Joseph, M.D. discussed the injury with Major’s parents. “There were a lot of questions and unknowns, but Dr. Joseph told us that surgery needed to happen right away,” McLaughlin said, adding, “It is a miracle that Dr. Joseph was there for Major that day since he is a world-renown urologist that has been practicing for 35 years.” There were many unknowns going into emergency surgery and when they asked for a prognosis, the McLaughlins were told “we don’t know if he will make it out of surgery.” Immediately family, church family, and friends surrounded Major in prayer. People from all over- some the McLaughlins didn’t even know thanks to social media- started to pray for Major’s healing. “I have never seen a mobilization of prayer from God’s people like I did for this,” McLaughlin says.
The surgery lasted nearly five hours and resulted in Major’s right kidney being removed because of multiple fractures. What carried them through the hours of uncertainty? Their faith in God. “We had nowhere else to turn except to God, nor did we want to go anywhere else except for God because we know He is the ultimate healer and provider,” explains McLaughlin. The family clung to God’s promise found in Isaiah 53:5. They also listened to two worship songs during Major’s emergency surgery- “Land of the Living” by Pat Barrett and “Too Good Not to Believe” by Bethel Music. McLaughlin firmly believes that Major’s story is a testament to the fact that “God is still working miracles today- right now.”
As he looks back on Major’s accident, McLaughlin remembers the supernatural peace and comfort God poured over his family. “Major didn’t even cry once while in the hospital,” he says. During the weeklong hospital stay, McLaughlin regularly updated social media with prayer requests and praises. “We had multiple people reach out telling us that they hadn’t connected to God in years but Major’s story stirred them to reconnect with the Lord and pray for the first time in years.” Major is now completely recovered and living an active life.
-Melissa Armstrong
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