Why I Believe in Prayer – The Angel That Came to Me in Bowman, North Dakota – Brian’s Blog

I have always believed in the power of prayer but now and then I get proof that I cannot deny. I am not here to preach to you or get all religious on you. I just want to share a story that happened to me yesterday and how it worked for me and may have saved my life.

I am a messed up creature health-wise and mentally as I have shared with you over the years. From my heart attack to diabetes to panic attacks, I have taken you with me on these journeys and you have helped me more than you could ever know. Here is the latest in my odd book of craziness.

Yesterday at 5 am we left Mandan, North Dakota, where I had attended my nephew's wedding, and were heading home to Colorado. We had driven about 2 hours or so when I started to feel very odd and panic filled. I started to cry uncontrollably and was getting very foggy in the head and was feeling pain in my shoulder all the way down my left arm. I knew these were the signs of a heart attack and it started to feel like it did when I had one back in 2007. I went into full blown panic mode. I grabbed my bottle of lavender oil and tried breathing some of that. I used one of my emergency panic pills and let that melt under my tongue but it still did not settle me down. I was really starting to lose it and told my wife I needed to get out of the truck. She pulled over just off the highway and let me stand in the ditch and try to breathe and mellow out for awhile. I was not getting any better.

I stood there over the back of my truck bed and started to pray. I was terrified and was saying in my prayers, "please don't take me now. I have so much more I want to do. I have so much more love and happiness that I want to share. Please don't let me die in the ditch out in the middle of nowhere. I need help! Please help me." My wife was there holding my hands and trying to calmly talk me down and said we have no cell service here and are miles from a town. You need to get in the truck so I can get you somewhere for help. I could not get myself to move into that truck. I was so freaked out that I just couldn't get in. I was hoping it would just go away and that it was just a temporary panic attack. It was only getting worse. Right then out of nowhere a black SUV with a sheriff inside appeared. I never saw it approach, it just suddenly was there. He got out and asked if everything was okay. I tried to tell him what was going on and he helped me to my truck seat and sat me down. He said I am going to lead you to the hospital in Bowman which is about 20 miles down the road. He led us at a very high speed to the front door of the facility and walked me in. The staff immediately hooked me up to monitors and took my readings. My blood pressure was skyrocketing.

They put a nitro tab under my tongue to try to bring down my blood pressure. The first tab did nothing. I had an IV tapped into my arm and they had me ready for what was needed. They then put another nitro tab under my tongue and in a few minutes I was starting to come out of the fog and started to slowly feel alive again. I was not having a heart attack. They suggested that I should stay there for the night for observation because there was no way to be sure I wasn't going to have another bout and possibly go into a cardiac arrest but we all agreed that it was up to me. I decided that I needed to just get home. I was out of the fog and know it was panic that did it.

My wife, who is an absolutely beautiful saint, went to go find that officer a few minutes after we arrived to thank him but he was no where to be found. I know many will say it was just coincidence that he drove by but I think differently. I asked for help and suddenly he was there. I believe he was my angel yesterday and he was sent to help me. Who knows what would have happened on that roadside if he hadn't showed up. Would I have eventually calmed down and lowered my blood pressure on my own? Sure, that is entirely possible. Could I have continued to freak out so bad that I could have actually given myself a heart attack? I think that is possible as well. I know this. I prayed for help and an angel in uniform appeared and led me to the help I needed. I can't thank him and the wonder ladies at the Bowman hospital enough. I will never take a day for granted. I love this life and want to be around for a long long time. There is too much loving and living left to be done.