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| Author Toni Shiloh |
Thank you so much for having me.
Would
you tell us about the one of the most difficult things in your life you have
had to overcome, with God’s help? Answer:
I’m so thankful for God’s love and the gift of prayer. It
has seen me through many illnesses with my youngest son, who has sickle cell.
He’s only seven but has been through a lot these few years. At almost two years
of age he had his first spleen crisis where it swelled up, causing intense pain
and dropping his blood count in the low anemia stage. (Since he has sickle
cell, he’s always anemic.) He spent a few days in ICU, got pneumonia from the
stay, and finally a blood transfusion to make him feel better. After that he
had pain crises in his legs and arms. I’m talking about the kind of pain that
needs morphine to manage it. He’s had multiple spleen issues that finally had
the doctors decide to remove it at age 5. Fevers that go over 103 and earn a
trip to the ER for IV antibiotics.
This past summer he was diagnosed with severe obstructive
sleep apnea. Since he really needs oxygen (low oxygen can cause a pain crisis
and other sickle cell related issues) they decided to remove his tonsils in
hopes it will correct the issue. So surgery number two under his belt and
another hospital stay (he’s had one every year except for one year since he’s
been alive).
Through it all, I’ve prayed. Prayed that God would heal him.
Pray that my son would feel God’s presence and rest in Him. Pray that my son
would pray to God on his own free will. And most importantly, others have
prayed for us. I can’t tell you what it means to feel the Body at work, knowing
countless people are praying for your child. It’s comforting beyond measure and
fortifies my strength. And I know it’s prayer because I’d be a nervous wreck
without it.
So as I sit in a hospital room with my son, I know we will
overcome illness with prayer.
What
passages in the Bible have been most helpful to you in those times? Philippians
4:6-7 is my go to verse. It reminds me to prayer with a grateful attitude and
the beauty of the peace that follows.
What helped you get through or helped you cope with this difficulty? Prayer has always helped me. That and the love and prayer from friends and family. Knowing they are praying blesses me.
In this
latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic
influence through reading about a disorder or situation? In Returning Home, Evan loses his leg and has to deal with the
struggles that brings. He also has to decide if God will be the forefront in
his life. I hope that his struggles will help readers trust in God and look to
Him through all things.
BIO: Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness.
Toni’s Links:
Blurb for Returning Home
Jo Ellen Baker is shocked to find out that the boy who
teased her mercilessly throughout high school, has returned to their hometown
of Freedom Lake, and he’s missing a leg. When his mother asks her to renovate
their carriage house to give him a place to gain his independence back, she
wants to say no. But one look at him brings a rush of forgotten feelings.
Evan Carter can’t believe he has to return home and live
with his parents. Every hope and dream he ever had dissipated in a car crash
that cost him his leg. Stuck in a wheelchair, he’s forced to reexamine his
relationship with God and the local carpenter, Jo Ellen Baker.
Will renovating his home open the door for a mended
relationship, or are some wounds too deep to heal from?
Question: Have you experienced the power of prayer?
Giveaway: Toni is offering an Ebook giveaway (in Mobi, Epub, or PDF format) to one of our readers.
Question: Have you experienced the power of prayer?
Giveaway: Toni is offering an Ebook giveaway (in Mobi, Epub, or PDF format) to one of our readers.
