I was born with a birth defect "Spina Bifida." This is a tumor on the spine,
in my particular case the tumor left me paralyzed from the waist down, with 
no feelings from waist down. 

My mother was told I had a slim chance of living to 1 year old and if I did 
live past the first year I would be virtually a vegetable, able to do nothing
for myself, just lie there and that my mind would never fully develop. I am 
here to testify to the glory of God through Jesus Christ His Son, that I am 
not only alive and well, but am 47 years old now! 

I had some issues in my life as a teenager, (surprise huh)! I did not deal with
them very well, I began drinking alcohol and doing drugs at 16, and stayed high
on something for the next 15 years. In this time I had began to be able to move 
my legs and have feeling to almost all of my legs down to my feet. I knew for 
years that one day I would have to give up the way I was living or die this way,
which I did not want to be remembered as the town drunk and druggie. 

On December 31st 1983, New Year's Eve, I began drinking and trying very hard to 
get as drunk as possible, I was not feeling very good about my life, and was 
determined to drowned those feelings, but something started happening, I began 
to get very sad and began to cry. A friend of mine was there that night who had 
just introduced me to his pastor a few nights before and we had gone to church 
together. Well, this friend walked into the room and asked me what was wrong? I 
told him I did not know, he at that point told me. I know, and asked me if I 
wanted to go see the pastor? I thought, What have I got to lose and we proceeded 
to the pastors house, this was around 11:30 PM. 

We arrived at the house around 11:45 and did a bit of chit chat, and my friend 
began to share with the pastor that I was in need of some spiritual guidance, 
and the pastor asked me Kenneth, are you ready to receive Jesus Christ as your 
Lord and Savior? I said instantly, Yes, and we began to pray, as we finished the
prayer and we all said amen (so be it), the clock rang midnight 1984. So at 
precisely 12:00 AM January 1st 1984, I not only started a new year, but began
a new life. 

I am an ordained minister now, still in the wheelchair and praising God for all 
He has done, I Minster via the Internet and occasionally at the church I attend.
Not bad for a person who was not given a chance to do anything in his life 
according to man. All glory and honor to God our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Ken Polly