Phil was crippled and lost...but now he walks in the light of God’s love!

It was an ordinary night for Phil: work the midnight shift, clock out at 8 a.m. and go home to sleep. But something strange was happening with his legs. The next morning, Phil got up and fell flat on his face. He couldn’t walk.

In six weeks’ time Phil’s weight dropped from 185 to 138. Still unable to walk, Phil lost his job and began a battery of tests. With no health insurance, medical expenses quickly depleted his savings. Doctors finally determined he’d developed multiple sclerosis.

Phil was afraid. One of 10 children, he’d worked since the age of 12 and had never depended on anyone. He raised three children on his own, taking care of all their needs. But MS made independence impossible.

He was unable to keep his home or care for his 17-year-old son, Will. The two went to stay with Phil’s younger brother. But the disease progressed, and Phil’s relationship with his brother deteriorated as well, he needed help and a place to stay.

Then, while walking almost five miles to a doctor’s appointment using a walker in the heat of summer, he laid down to rest and passed out on a lawn. When he awoke, a doctor was standing over him. She told Phil about Open Door Mission. He checked in that day.

The Mission gave Phil a bed, a shower, a meal and a chance to heal. He entered the New Life Recovery programs , which provided him with spiritual counsel and help for his physical needs.

“I believe that without their help, I could have been dead by now,” he says.

After graduation, Phil transitioned into working for the Mission, starting a couple of nights a week on the security desk. After six months, he was able to put down his walker and get around on his own. Today he’s the full-time overnight supervisor, has a car, and lives in his own apartment off the premises.

Though he still grapples with the physical challenges of MS every day, life has improved dramatically for Phil.

“I’m a lot happier person than I’ve ever been in my life,” he says. “I’ve got a much stronger spiritual side that’s very much balancing everything out. I believe the Lord will take care of me, and when He calls me home, I’m ready to go.

Meanwhile, Phil finds special solace in John 3:16, the very first verse he ever learned, at age 3, and one that has become more meaningful with time: For God So loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

More Stories of Hope and Changed Lives