I stand with Thomas Peters. Do you?
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As you may know, on July 16th Thomas was in a horrible swimming accident, which left him in critical condition. Since then, he has been stabilized (praise God!) and continues to make his way down the path to recovery. It has not been an easy road and the journey ahead will be long and strenuous, but God is always good and Thomas continues to leave us all in awe (which is nothing new for Thom). This man’s journey has been nothing short of amazing and it’s only been a few weeks. So, I can only imagine what great things are to come.
You can read more about Thomas’ road to recovery and current updates on the Recovery blog.
The latest update on Thomas’ recovery is that he had a CT scan on Sunday, which showed that his lingering infection had cleared, so he was finally able to be scheduled for his spinal surgery. This is exciting news, as Thomas has been waiting a while for the infection to clear, so he could have this surgery.
The surgery is scheduled for this morning at 7:30am EST. So, he might even be in surgery as you read this. Please pray for Thomas, Natalie, and his Doctors and nurses.
To give you a little more info on the surgery — it takes 6-8 hours and involves 2 main phases.
Remove the Halo, that he has been wearing the past few weeks. They will then go in the front, left side of his neck and remove the broken vertebrae, and put a titanium cage in its place. A metal plate, spanning the 4-6 vertebrae, then needs to be secured for stability. After that, the front incision will be stitched closed.
Go in the back of his neck and insert bars on either side of the, now fused, trio of vertebrae, stabilizing with screws at the 4, 5, and 6 vertebrae. Back incision will be stapled closed (these will be removed 2 weeks later).
Post surgery, he will have to wear a surgical collar for about 6 weeks. Once healed, he is expected to retain 90-95% of his neck mobility and there are also no expected setbacks regarding his trach/respiratory progress.
I’m telling you, people. This man is a hero! Please pray for him and stand with him in prayer. I know that God is using Thomas’ pain and suffering for good, and I am confident that we will see amazing fruits stemming from all of this.
In the meantime, we need your help! There is so much you can do and we need to you to stand with us, as we stand with Thomas and Natalie Peters.
Pray, pray, and please pray some more. Pray for Thomas on August 13th at 7:30am and beyond… for his surgery, for his Doctors and nurses, and for everyone else involved in the surgery and care of Thomas. Pray for Thomas’ continued strength and perseverance. And please pray for Natalie’s health and strength, as she is with Thomas through every moment of this journey.
2) Follow Thomas’ progress, share his story, and encourage others to pray for him.
God sometimes has bigger plans for us than we have for ourselves… and this is how I see this journey for Thomas. I can only imagine how many people’s lives will be changed through this. How we handle life’s struggles can be a witness to others about our faith and our beliefs. To see Thomas and Natalie faithfully praying together, receiving the Sacraments (in their hospital room), and living out their vocation of marriage in the truest of forms, I can only imagine how many people’s lives will be touched. So, please follow the recovery blog, share Thomas’ story with everyone you know, and ask them to pray for Thomas and Natalie.
3) Support Thomas and Natalie, and stand with them.
Thomas and Natalie are beacons of light in the world and have both dedicated their lives to the faith. As you may know, Thomas is the editor of Catholic Vote and the Communications Director for the National Organization for Marriage The least we can all do is support them during this time of need. And Natalie has “stood by her man” (to quote the old Tammy Wynette tune) through many difficult battles for marriage and the faith; and she is a warrior for the faith in her own right, as she is a witness to marriage and the faith at her job and in life, daily.
If you can spare some extra dollars to help them during this difficult time, they would be immensely grateful. There is a long road ahead for Thomas and Natalie and anything that we can do to help support them until they’re back on top, we should strive to do.
You can donate to help here.
4) If you live in Washington, D.C. and/or know someone who does, please attend and/or spread the word about the Benefit Concert for Thomas and Natalie Peters, featuring Luke Spehar.
The Catholic Information Center is hosting this evening of fellowship, music, and support for the Peters’ on August 14th at 6pm. If you live in Washington, D.C., we hope that you’ll join us. If you don’t live in D.C., please spread the word and encourage everyone you know in the area to attend.
I stand with Thomas and Natalie Peters, and I’ll strive to do anything I can to help them over the coming weeks and months. This will not be an easy road for either of them, but I have to believe that God is working and that He will bring more good out of this than we can imagine.
Thomas and Natalie are my heroes. They are revolutionaries for the faith and our values. They continue to be true witnesses of the faith and of marriage, every single day.
We need to stand with them and support them in any way that we can. Because this is our chance to be a hero and our chance to take a stand, and support marriage and two young people living out the faith.
Do what you can and please be generous… in prayer, sacrifice, and goods.