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.
