After receiving an unusual text message from his beloved wife, a man was worried sick and couldn’t shake away the nagging thoughts about her safety. He kept calling her repeatedly to no avail; eventually, an unfamiliar voice answered the phone and confirmed his suspicions.
It was a hot sunny day in 2018 when Gerald Gustin, from Argyle, Texas, saw a notification on his mobile phone. When he picked it up to have a closer look, he discovered that it was a message from his wife, Kim Gustin.
Curious to know what it said, he quickly unlocked the phone, never expecting its contents to shock him. After reading the message, Gerald began feeling uneasy and could tell with complete certainty that something wasn’t right.
A Strange Message from His Wife
According to Gerald, his dear wife had sent him the following message: “I don’t like the way I feel. I’m going to go home.” Despite having no idea what was wrong, the concerned husband could feel in his bones that Kim was in serious trouble and needed his help.
Although she struggled to talk, her facial expressions were reassuring enough for her family.
Not knowing what else to do, Gerald started calling his wife over and over again, but she didn’t respond. His heart began sinking as he put the number on redial, hoping and praying for Kim to answer and tell him that there was nothing to worry about.
Finally, someone received the call, but it wasn’t Kim’s voice. Gerald recalled that a stranger answered the phone and told him the words he had never wanted to hear—his wife had been in an accident and was being resuscitated. “Is it bad?” he asked, choking before speaking further.
To his dismay, the voice on the other end announced that Kim’s condition was quite serious. Afterward, Gerald learned that his wife had lost consciousness while driving and had a brush with the highway barrier. The person who answered Kim’s phone was a nurse who pulled over to help her alongside a police officer.
Later, Kim was transported to a nearby hospital, where the doctors discovered she had suffered a cardiac arrest. Meanwhile, Gerald left everything and drove to check on his wife, desperately hoping and praying for her to be okay.
Once he arrived and met the doctors, they told him Kim had been without a heartbeat for 28 minutes. The distraught husband also learned that his wife’s condition was critical, and her organs weren’t responding.
His whole life flashed before his eyes when he discovered that Kim might not make it through the night—something he wasn’t ready to accept.
Multiple thoughts raced through Gerald’s mind as he struggled to fathom the idea of losing the love of his life. Being a person of faith, a part of him strongly believed in the power of prayers and miracles. He knew nothing was impossible for God because He could mend broken pieces and make them whole again.
So, in the wake of everything seemingly going down, Gerald put his trust in God. He raised his hands in prayer and begged the Lord to perform a miracle and heal his ailing wife for him and their children.
Fortunately, Gerald’s prayers were answered, and his wife survived the night, but she wasn’t entirely out of danger. Still, the Argyle resident continued pleading to God, believing the subsequent days would bring good news. He recalled how “God spoke to him” in his lowest moments:
“I’m doing a miracle. I’m answering your prayer. If He tells me this is what’s gonna happen, it doesn’t matter what man says. This is what’s gonna happen. You just hold on to it.”
A Much-Awaited Good News
In the days to come, Kim’s condition began improving until the doctors took her off the ventilator, and she woke up from her coma. Although she struggled to talk, her facial expressions were reassuring enough for her family.
As more time passed, she slowly began responding to Gerald and her children’s voices—a moment everyone had been anxiously looking forward to for a long time. The life-changing accident occurred on July 18, 2018, and on August 4, after almost three and a half weeks, Kim received the green signal to go home.
A Renewed Perspective & Sheer Gratitude
The magnitude of her terrifying ordeal wasn’t lost on Kim, and she knew that her healing journey would be lengthy and complicated. Through physical training, rehab, and prayer, the Texas woman found a new perspective on life as a wife, mother, and believer.
After spending many weeks in rehab to regain functionality and strength, Kim reflected on what happened, and all she could do was be more grateful and count her blessings. The fact that she escaped death on that hot summer afternoon was remarkable—something she would never take for granted. She recounted:
“And I’m thankful that [my husband and kids] were able to see God work and see the miracles that a lot of people don’t get to see.”
Celebrating the Gift of Life
Seeing his wife alive, happy, and healthy was nothing less than a miracle for Gerald. “Kim is living proof of a resurrection. We see it every day. She lives a resurrected body,” the relieved husband expressed.
On July 11, 2020, Kim celebrated two years of being miraculously alive and healed with her lovely family. She shared a profound Facebook post with moving images and an emotional caption that read:
“Today has been 2 years since my cardiac arrest, stroke and death! Today I celebrate being alive, God’s saving Grace and His love for me. I am still in awe. It’s been a long road but God and my family and friends have been there every step of the way.”
We hope the Gustins continue to prosper in love and share many beautiful moments as a family. Please show them some in the comments section on Facebook, or feel free to relate an incident that completely altered your perspective on life.
Click here to read another story about a husband who refused to take his wife off life support and prayed for two months until she woke up and hugged their newborn son.