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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1997)
Family relies on faith for healing strength Standing by GREGG MADSEN is a senior news-editorial major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. Only when life is hanging by a thread do we truly realize its value. For one Nebraska family, that thread is thin, but the value of the life hanging from it is immeasurable. Only when faith is put to the test do we realize how strong it really is. For the same family, their faith is solid as a rock. b" Tucked away in a corner of Lincoln’s Madonna Health and Rehabilitation Center, a 17-year-old boy lies comatose, fighting for his life. His name is Adrian Regier, and for the last six weeks, his parents,-siblings and hun dreds of friends have been patiently waiting and praying for him to regain conscious ness. for his parents, Ron and Lone, each day holds new promise. They have begun to realize how precious Adrian’s fragile life is. They have begun to understand how life-giving their faith in God is. They are heroes of faith, trusting in what they believe even in the most difficult circum stances. They are standing firm on the f solid rock of their beliefs. : j The walls of Adrian’s small hospital ;ff 1 room are covered with banners display- J I ing get-well wishes, and two bulletin j 1 boards show Bible verses that friends J j| and family have given as encourage ment. f m Ron and Lorie have been by § m Adrian’s side since Sept. 26, the night f 11 he was injured while playing football for Wheatland High School. He was knocked unconscious when his head .jf snapped back onto the ground after J| he was hit by an opposing player. His coma is severe. On the eight-level Rancho-coma scale, it is a level II, 1 surpassed in severity only by a level jg But levels don’t concern the Wmu Regiers. 1'jk Por tne last six weeks, Kon and Lorie have stood strong, retaining a positive attitude about the recovery of their son. They are a family with a deep faith in God, and that faith has not been shaken through this life-changing situation. They haven’t become more spiritual through this tragedy, they’ve sim ply retained the same faith they’ve always had. The Bible verses on the walls put their thoughts and actions into words. Pray without ceasing. Their prayers have been for Adrian’s recov ery. But they have also prayed specifically for peace, for strength and for God to give them joy in some form each day. Along with their prayers come actions. Each day (both Ron and Lorie must guide Adrian’s arms through a series of motion exercises to keep his muscles in working order. They intent ly watch his heartbeat monitor as Adrian goes through sleeping and waking periods of the coma. They talk to their son as if he were con scious, believing he can hear the words of encouragement they give him. They talk to vis itors: Lorie with intensity and con viction, Ron with a soft, strong tone - choosing each word with careful deliberation. Their lives back in Madrid, Neb., have became a distant memory in the last six weeks. Ron has left his business, Regier Equipment, during harvest time. With a gentle smile, he explains that it doesn’t matter to him that he can’t be home. “You learn to focus on today and not get concerned about tomorrow,” he says. “Tomorrow doesn’t even matter because of what needs to be accomplished today.” The prognosis is unclear. He could be in this condition for three months or three years. Ron and Lorie are thankful for the doctors and grateful for their efforts to help Adrian recover, they have decided his recovery is in the hands of a greater power. Not by might or by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. “You don’t go to the doctors to give you the positive scenario,” Ron says. “Where we find our hope is in the Lord.” The Regiers have left their lives back in western Nebraska, but their faith has followed them to Lincoln. Amid storm, their peace is resting upon the rock of God. J Adrian’s parents have stood by their convic tions during this time of unbeliev able pain. They have stood beside his bedside, ready for the minute when his responses will increase and he will become his old self: smil ing, talking; able to give his love back to them. Their faith has brought them through so far, and they are convinced it will continue to do so. Though their prayers are for Adrian’s recov ery, we know that the Regier’s have already won the battle by standing firm.