“Todd and Tara Greening’s daughter Samantha had been diagnosed with Perthes Disease. One day in the 1st grade, Samantha came home from the babysitters with a limp. She was taken to the doctor; there was some speculation whether she had jarred the rotator ball of her hip, or the cartilage, or maybe she had broken her leg. She was sent for x-rays, but the picture showed nothing abnormal. Next, the doctor decided he would send her for a bone scan. The doctor discovered that there was a blood flow difference between her right leg and her left leg.
Todd could see it on the scan, he said, “I am by no means a medical expert, and I could clearly see it.” So, an appointment was made with the doctor, it was checked out, and that is when the Greenings were informed that Samantha had Perthes Disease. Perthes Disease is an extremely rare condition, and even rarer in girls. Basically in Perthes, for some mysterious reason, one of the bones in the legs stops getting blood. Without the nourishing flow of blood, the bone begins to die and becomes increasingly brittle over the space of about two years. Basically, Samantha’s thigh bone (femur) had completely broken away from the hip socket (acetabulum), and the bone was left dead.
The doctor’s prognosis was not good. He spoke of Samantha spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair, or of having a surgery which would be quite deforming. A decision was made to put Samantha in a special brace so that she could walk without putting pressure on her hip. The brace separated her legs widely at the knees, allowing her to walk, and allowing the blood to start to flow again. The idea was to allow the bone to redevelop in this way. For approximately 3 years, Samantha wore the stiff brace day and night. The hard leather corset of the brace bit into her flesh at the waistline, leaving scars on her back and abdomen. Every night, her parents would work with her doing physiotherapy, trying to maintain mobility in the hip joint. To make matters worse, the doctor warned them that the mysterious disease could transfer to the other hip and affect that joint as well. At this point, Tara, Samantha’s mother, began attending Holy Ghost night at Living Faith. As she sat, drinking in the Word of God every Wednesday night, she realized that we are born again to reign again, not to suffer again. Only what is allowed in heaven should be permitted to happen in our lives. One day, as she prepared Samantha to go see the specialist, (one of her many regular visits to the Children’s Hospital), Tara sat her down, explained that Jesus had died to pay the price for Perthes disease, and asked if they could pray together. Samantha loves Jesus, and she eagerly agreed to this. Tara decreed that the doctor would see nothing but normal hips when he conducted his tests that day, and that all symptoms and evidences of Perthes must leave Samantha’s body and never come back!
Well, that day, the doctor in Vancouver saw nothing wrong! The doctor said that she was healed. Samantha’s ball ended up growing back perfectly round again. By the grace of God, the blood flow came back to Samantha’s leg. From the doctor’s standpoint, if her ball had not grown back round, it would have been flat or egg shaped, and she would have been crippled on that side. Glory to God, He makes all things new, and He made the ball perfectly round. Life was back in her hip! The torturous brace came off and stayed off!
Samantha was healed at 9 years old and she could run, skip and dance like any other girl. After she was healed she watched intently as her mother designed a picture for a website. As Tara patiently worked with the grey and black graphics of chains and shackles, she explained to Samantha that they are bondage, but that Jesus sets us free!”