From Gastroparesis to Miraculous Healing: A Teenager's Story

Childhood Diagnosis and Struggle

• 👶 Chris was born with chronic pseudo obstruction syndrome, a congenital defect causing complete gastroparesis, meaning his stomach was paralyzed.
• 🚫 He was unable to digest food, leading to projectile vomiting and an inability to gain nutrition for years.
• 🏥 His nourishment came primarily through feeding tubes: one to decompress his stomach and another to deliver formula to his small intestine.
• ⚡ Daily life involved constant challenges like severe heartburn, difficulty with travel due to carrying nutrition, and fatigue from insufficient energy.
• ⚠️ Medically, his condition was life-threatening, with doctors repeatedly informing his parents they didn't know how long he would live.

Faith Journey and Turning Point

• 🙏 Chris and his family were non-denominational Christians who, at the time, believed in cessationism, meaning they thought supernatural healings had ceased.
• 🗣️ A turning point occurred when his mother heard God prompt her to speak with Bruce Vanata at a benefit dinner.
• 🤝 Despite initial skepticism, Chris's mother approached Bruce, who then invited the family to his church the following day.
• ✨ At the church service, Chris experienced a pulsating sensation in his abdomen, which he understood as God preparing him for healing.
• 💬 He made a promise to God: if healed, he would share his testimony widely.

The Healing Experience

• 🙏 During a prayer session led by Bruce Vanata, Chris felt an intense pulsating sensation, described as flexing his abdomen repeatedly.
• ⚡ A powerful electric shock sensation went through his body, which he felt as God jump-starting his stomach.
• 🍽️ Days later, after a basketball game, Chris ate a full meal of Chinese food, his first time processing solid food, without any abdominal pain.
• ❓ For two weeks, he continued tube feeds out of disbelief, but eventually woke up realizing he felt hunger for the first time, prompting him to stop the tube feeds.

Doctors' Reactions and Long-Term Impact

• 🩺 Two weeks after stopping tube feeds, Chris met with his GI specialist, who was skeptical but happy about his recovery, unable to explain the healing.
• ⚕️ Doctors had treated him his whole life and had indicated no possibility of recovery; his feeding tubes were eventually removed after a final surgery to close the insertion sites.
• 💪 Over a decade later, Chris is stronger, healthier, and has sharper mental clarity, enjoying food and socialization without feeling like an outcast.
• 🌟 His perspective on God shifted from a distant being to a personal relationship, fostering an ongoing dialogue and making him a better person.
• 💖 He learned that falling short of God's glory is part of the human experience, emphasizing the continuous nature of faith and relationship with God.