Deadly Low Platelet Count Has Man Praying for Answers

Brenda Scott says, “I almost felt paralyzed I knew we had to get him to the doctor quickly cause he could bleed out, he could die.”

Mike and Brenda Scott live on a historic farm just outside Nashville, Tennessee. Mike is a renowned banjo player and country music artist who is a regular at the Grand Ole Opry. Several years ago Mike developed a strange and mysterious condition that nearly ended his life.

“I was out mowing and I've got some briars and a few things," says Mike, “and I had a few briar scratches, I come in the house, and I started noticing some speckles, like little spots all over, and then started seeing some on my neck.”

“He wasn't too concerned about it, although it was looking worse, you know, by the minute,” remembers Brenda. “But then he showed me his tongue. And then when I got a close look at his tongue, that was frightening.” Unsure of what was going on Brenda rushed Mike to the ER. Doctors soon determined Mike's platelet count had dropped to a life-threatening level of 175. Normal platelet counts are above 150,000 and people normally do not survive a drop below 2000. 

“The oncologist, told us that, you know, he's lucky to be alive,” Brenda remembers.

Mike was at risk of bleeding to death internally. He received a blood transfusion that kept him alive but made tests for what caused his condition inconclusive. As he was transferred by ambulance to a specialty hospital, Brenda reached out to friends and family for prayer.

“First on my list to call was people that I know are serious about prayer. And they believe in prayer, and to know that they could pick up and just, you know, cover me and carry us in prayer. That just meant the world.”

Not long after their prayer chain began, Mike's platelet count returned to normal. Doctors were unsure what caused the reaction and the reversal. Mike says, “we were praying the whole time. People – churches, my goodness, my wife, uh all my family, everyone was praying, you know. And the whole time we're like, okay, but what caused it?” 

Brenda says, “we didn't want to live in fear that, you know, this could happen. But it was, you know, kind of in the back of our minds that, you know, because we don't know what caused it, we don't know if it could happen again. So, you know, it was concerning in so many ways."

In January of the following year, Mike severely injured his left hand while repairing a door spring on a large trailer. Fifty stitches left Mike in a lot of pain so he took a prescription anti-inflammatory for the swelling. Almost immediately he saw the same spots and blisters that he had just five months earlier.

Brenda remembers, “I-I was just engulfed with fear. And the fear was, hit me strong, and it hit – actually it hit me before the faith did. And I, but then, I began to lean into God and I said, ‘God, you did this once, you saved his life, and will you do it again?’ And so I began to pray and then, of course, um was able to make contact with people that would pray with us.” 

Mike was rushed to the hospital a second time. Once again a large prayer chain developed on his behalf, pleading for his life and for answers. Mike says, “here we are again we’re right back here in this again and I said, ‘God this is yours, you did it once, you can do it again.’”

New blood tests revealed that both of Mike’s medical emergencies were due to an allergic reaction to iodine found in his anti-inflammatory medication. Mike says, “and then my doctor, he finally comes in and-and uh, he said, ‘Well, Mr. Mike,’ he said um, uh, ‘now we know what has caused this,’ and uh he said, ‘you don't want to ever take these again.’ And I said uh, ‘No kidding.’"

Mike was one of two patients in the country that have survived such a low platelet count. It has been five years since his near brush with death. Mike and Brenda continue to marvel at the power of prayer and God’s presence in their time of need. Mike says, “the power of prayer and the people we had praying, I like to know that we’ve got people who can reach God in prayer. It gave me a new perspective and you know life is fragile.”

Brenda says, “Whenever we’re in a bad situation like that, God is there with us and will see us through. And what he’s done for others he’ll do for us. We can count on him.” 

“And I know if I can call out the name of Jesus, He'll do what He says He'll do. It might not be in our timing all the time.” Says, Mike. “Isaiah 43 and 2 says, God, says, ‘I will not only set you free but I will – I will see you through.’ And in that, He saw me through, not once, but He saw me through twice. And uh I'm just so thankful for that, because um I'm not finished, I'm not finished till He says I'm finished.”