Hospital extends God's grace to hurting families

Baptist Hospital

Ken and Tammi Hatfield brought their son, Zachary, above, to Baptist Hospital for specialized care for a tumor

Contributed photo

"God used North Carolina Baptists and the Mother's Day Offering to find me and help me in a time of need. I could never say thank you enough," said Clell Starling, a member of Laurel Springs Baptist Church near Boone.

Starling, a widow since 1980, retired to Watauga County after teaching public school for 35 years. She recently began to lose sight in one of her eyes and came to the Wake Forest University Eye Center at N.C. Baptist Hospital.

Under the care of Dr. Keith Walter, she received a corneal transplant.

The long road to restoring her vision has been difficult, but Clell sees God's healing hand at work. Her sight is gradually returning - and the insight of her faith continues to grow clearer and deeper.

Clell lives on a fixed income, and she carefully budgets her money to meet needs and help others. "Having a fixed income is wonderful, but it leaves little room for emergencies," she said.

Three surgeries in rapid succession led to a frightening accumulation of hospital bills that were nearly overwhelming. Always responsible, Clell did everything possible to make payments - but the burdens were unrelenting. "I prayed to my heavenly Father and tried my best not to worry."

The answer to her prayers arrived in a letter from Baptist Hospital. Her eyes filled with tears as she read the relieving news of God's grace: "The balance of your hospital bill has been paid by compassionate and mission-minded North Carolina Baptists in the name of Jesus Christ and His love."

"I read the letter and could only think that this was a miracle from God," she said. "Look what God has done for me. He sent perfect strangers to come by my side to help me. I was doing the best I could, and His grace came my way.

"God used North Carolina Baptists to answer my prayers. God bless all of those who played a role in our Master's work."

Ken and Tammi Hatfield from Statesville feel similar heartfelt gratitude for the Mother's Day Offering. "We cannot say thank you enough to North Carolina Baptists for helping with our son's hospital bill. We cried tears of relief for this gift," Tammi said.

Their son Zachary has a hemangioma, or vascular tumor, over his left eye. They brought him to Baptist Hospital for specialized care. "It's hard to see your child hurt, but we know he's getting the very best care," Tammi said. "His doctor is wonderful, and we're trying to hold onto hope that the tumor will eventually recede."

Fears for their son were compounded by financial burdens. Tammi has been out of work for months due to her own health problems. "The loss of income put us in a tremendous bind with lots of pressures. Then we had the hospital bill and didn't know what we would do," she said.

"We were extremely surprised and ecstatic for the gift from the Mother's Day Offering," Tammi said. "They lifted a big burden off our shoulders, and their thoughtfulness will forever be in our hearts and souls. God bless them all."

Paul Mullen, director of church and community relations at Baptist Hospital, said, "The Mother's Day Offering is for very deserving people, like Mrs. Starling and Zachary's parents, who need a helping hand to pay unexpected hospital bills. Every dollar of every gift helps these patients and families who have nowhere else to turn for assistance. I'm so grateful to North Carolina Baptists for their tremendous compassion and generosity, for sharing Christ's love and giving real hope."

Mother's Day Offering materials were recently mailed to N.C. Baptist churches. Materials can be obtained by calling (336) 716-3027 or visiting www.ncbhmothersday.org.