My Brave Story- Carol Hogner
This beautiful lady was introduced to us, through email from her beautiful daughter Hannah that shared her "Brave Story" with us earlier in the year. She told us her mom had an incredible story to share. So, meet this beautiful mother Carol Hogner. Carol lives outside Gordon, TX about 3 miles. Carol has a son and daughter that she gave birth to and 2 daughters that she calls her freebies. As Carol would tell you, she got them them the easy way! Carol has a total of 12 beautiful grand babies and 2 great grands. Carol leads a great example of a beautifully blended family because of God's love. As Carol is a grandmother of many she watches her grandson Deuce 5 days a week and ministers across the country on weekends. Carol was nominated for "new artist" of the year 3 years ago for Inspirational Country Music Awards, and Female Vocalist the following year. Carol ministers at team roping's, women's conferences, concerts and anywhere the Lord opens doors for her and her family to go! I am excited and I know she is excited to share her story with you all! The greatest thing of all is that we are all sisters in Christ and each one of us has a different story to share. It's amazing the woman that have stepped out and continually step out to share and encourage other woman! Take a look at Carol's story.
I was raised in a Christian home and had always been very involved in my church as a youth. I was even the lead singer and pianist for our group at church during High School. I had a good spiritual foundation and it was about to be tested. I had just gotten very far away from my upbringing by this point in my life. My 11 year old daughter, Amber came to me one day and said, "Momma, I can’t hear out of my right ear." I assumed she had fluid on her ear. We were sent to an ENT specialist to have it drained. When he went in he got blood instead of fluid. I knew from the look on his face that it was bad, and there was something wrong. That began the events that caused me to come back to the Lord. I knew God had not done this to my baby, so I began to read my Bible and any book I could get my hands on to help me prepare for the battle that was ahead of us. I also asked the doctor to let me be involved in couriering information around. I needed to be busy and feel like I was helping somehow, there were lots of preparations to be done.
Immediately he sent us for an MRI. They called me at home that night to let me know that he had determined there was a tumor on her jugular vein. She would need to start storing blood for the operation to remove it. So, he suggested it was best for it be her own blood with ours as a back up if she needed more. She had 3 units of her own blood stored. Her brother and I also gave since we are all the same blood type. Finally the day came for surgery. Trying to be strong when you are about to hand your baby over to a team of surgeons is tough. I don’t care who you are or how strong in the Lord you are. I was just a baby Christian at the time…!
I remember needing to be busy at this time. I remember writing a prayer on the palm of my hand that morning. I didn’t want to pray anything wrong. They allowed me to go all the way back to the pre-op room with her. I said my ‘lil prayer and was asked to leave. I immediately went to the chapel to go to prayer. When I walked through the door there was a beautiful stained glass window. There was Jesus holding a little curly blonde haired girl in his lap. WOW! There was my confirmation that she was going to be alright.
Alright doesn’t necessarily mean right now though. We had a long road ahead of us.
The male nurse assured me that he would keep me posted, and he did. He was a God send. The first day of surgery was 7 hours long. When the doctor came to report to me he said we couldn’t finish today. He said that she was tired and so were they and that they didn't want to make any mistakes. He said she is young and we want to do this thing right. Any little wrong move and her face could be paralyzed. So they gave her the next day off and then another 9-hour day of surgery.
I remember thinking I wish it was me and not her. She didn’t deserve to have to go through this, no one does. We were at the hospital for 12 days, she progressed and was healing quickly. She had lost the hearing in her right ear and I was concerned she wouldn’t be able to sing. Boy was I wrong!! God held us in the palm of His hand through that whole thing. I learned to trust Him like I’d never trusted anyone before. My little girl is now 37 years old. She has 4 beautiful daughters, 2 are twins. She sings like a beautiful bird when she wants to. This surgery never slowed her down. You would never know she couldn’t hear out of that ear, unless you’re on the wrong side of her, lol. God didn’t cause this to happen but He used it to bring me back to Him. After she was all healed up, I began to use the talent of singing He’d blessed me with for Him. And the rest is history…!
Ain’t God Something?? He can take the bad and make it good. We just have to allow Him to. Psalms 138:8 says, The Lord will perfect those things that concern me… You can believe it!! Trust Him, know Him, believe Him. Decide today that He loved you enough to send His very own Son to the Cross for you. Isn’t that incredible? Faith isn’t believing God can and will do something… Its believing He’ll do it for YOU!!
“Trust Him, know Him, believe Him. Decide today that He loved you enough to send His very own Son to the Cross for you.”
If I could encourage anyone else in this situation or any other similar situation I would tell them to read the scriptures, memorize them, know them and apply them to your own situation. Know that God wants good for you personally.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10 NKJV
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
James 1:17 NKJV
As for this one, it's my life scripture:
“The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”
Psalms 138:8 NKJV
Lastly, find someone strong in Faith to believe with you.
-Carol