Praying a Man Back to Life

In late July 2021, a carefree summer came to an abrupt halt when Annette and Rusty Beggarly contracted COVID-19. Annette recovered quickly. Rusty did not. By August 5th, he was in ICU at Lynchburg General Hospital.  

“They called me and said that he was going to be put on a ventilator and that he would be in ICU. It was terrifying because I had heard of so many people who went into ICU and never came back.” Annette asked to speak to her husband on the phone. “He got on the phone. His voice was very weak. It was horrible because I didn’t know if that would be the last time I’d ever speak to him. I told him I loved him. I kept telling him I loved him. I did think about his dying, and I didn’t want to do this life without him.”

Over the next week, Rusty continued to worsen. Annette’s church rallied around her in 24/7 prayer. Annette says, “I knew they had our back, that they were praying, standing in for me.” Annette believed that God would heal her husband. Yet, she faced the stark reality that he might not. “I had to surrender everything to God. If you choose for him to live, we will praise you forever, but if you choose not to bring him back, we will yet serve you.”

By the end of two weeks, Rusty had declined even further as he developed severe acute respiratory syndrome, known as SARS. Annette countered the bad news with more faith. “I would pray, meditate, praise God. I got his wedding band, and I anointed it with oil. I would read until I reached a point where God gave me a promise. Then, I would set the wedding band on that spot in my bible.”  

There was one positive development during that time. On August 16th, Rusty was declared COVID free. It also happened to be the couple’s 35th wedding anniversary, and Annette could be there with her beloved husband. Their reunion, however, was bittersweet. “So, I went through the door. He was very swollen. He is totally sedated. I stood by his side, holding his hand. I was just so filled with compassion for him.”

Annette drove 2 hours to see Rusty every day. Holding onto hope was getting much harder. “He would look a little more swollen, a little more agitated. I’d talk to him, even though it didn’t look like he could understand me. It was horrifying because I didn’t know if he would have brain damage.”

Then, Rusty’s organs began shutting down. The Beggarly’s son, Russell, is the nursing director of a COVID unit at a nearby hospital. He knew his dad was dying. “It was incredibly grim. I had seen a lot of cases similar to this that had bad outcomes and they did not survive. I did not have a lot of hope that he was going to recover.”

Doctors now said it was time to make a decision … whether or not to put Rusty on advanced life support, which meant a tracheostomy, a feeding tube, and dialysis. 

“It was the most excruciating decision I have ever made in my life," Annette recalled painfully. "They said he might die, he might live, but he had a 50/50 chance to live, and I had to give him that chance to live.” 

After several days, Rusty still showed no signs of recovery. Annette pressed on, held up by the prayers of her family and their church. 

“It was not a good prospect that he was going to live. When everything looked completely dark and bleak, I held on to those promises God gave me and I would say repeatedly, 'God, I trust you with this.'” 

Then, on Sept 19, 2021, Annette, as usual, came to see her husband. This time...“He was sitting up in bed, fully cognizant, totally aware, smiling at me, talking to me. I’m like Jesus, he has been resurrected! I was elated.”

Rusty will never forget the moment he saw Annette. “It was so wonderful to finally get to see her. I mean just the look on her face, it was wonderful.”

The Beggarly’ s son Russell, also has vivid memories of that day. “It was amazing for me to see. Mentally, he’s here again, talking to us. It was a miracle…. a miracle.”

Rusty was filled with gratitude to God, and for the people who prayed him back to life. “It’s just, it really makes me realize how much God does love me. I didn’t realize how much people did care for me. The prayers, the cards, the texts. I just cried.”

And that special woman he calls his wife. “I never realized what she was willing to go through for me. It just awes me how much faith she had.”

After four more weeks at the long-term acute care facility, Rusty went home. Five months later, Rusty was back to work with no physical disabilities. He stays busy making up for lost time with Annette and his family. 

For Rusty, life will never be the same. “I’m blessed every day that I get up, I am still breathing, I’m still walking. It really makes me feel good…. people seeing me knowing how close I was to dying. And that He brought me back.”

Annette overflows with gratitude. “I will never cease to thank God. He gave me my husband back.” She finds every opportunity she can to encourage others to trust God and walk in faith. “I would say hold fast to your faith, press in hard. Grasp those promises you get from the word of God and never let them go.” 

Rusty adds, “One thing is, I’m living proof that God will heal people.”

Annette knows that prayer brought her husband back from death to life. “Pray… there is exponential power in prayer, so much power in prayer.”

To read more about the Beggarly's story please visit: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02FWFgXpdYbdfbp7wRjo2kzDVnujTduFgYnxePzxQYqbL99t2LzAE85yjRJ3q7wKC3l&id=100001481098709