A Grieving Wife’s Miracle: A Second Chance at Love
Nola Swart had been looking forward to a relaxing weekend with her daughter Kelly. The two were baking cookies together, enjoying the sweet smells of the kitchen and the simple joy of each other’s company. Meanwhile, her husband Fred and his best friend James were up at their cabin by the lake, fishing and relaxing in nature. It was supposed to be a peaceful weekend, a break from the usual hustle and bustle of life.
But everything changed in an instant when Nola’s phone rang. She wiped flour from her hands and glanced at the caller ID. It was Fred. She smiled, thinking he was calling to check in or share some funny fishing story. But when she answered, it wasn’t Fred’s voice on the other end.
“Nola?” The voice was familiar but strained. It was James, Fred’s best friend.
“Nola, it’s James. I’m so sorry, but Fred… Something’s happened to Fred…” James’ voice was shaky, filled with pain, and the words hit Nola like a punch to the gut.
“What do you mean? Is Fred okay?” Nola’s voice trembled, her heart beginning to race. She didn’t understand, but she could feel something terrible was about to happen.
“No, honey,” James said gently. “I’m sorry, but Fred… Fred’s gone. He… he died.”
“No!” Nola screamed, her voice high-pitched with disbelief. “No, James! This is some sick joke! You’re joking, right? Please, stop!”
But even as she said it, a cold, terrible certainty settled over her. Fred was gone. James, who had been Fred’s best friend since childhood, was crying. It wasn’t a joke. “I’m so sorry, Nola… I… He was right next to me, and then… he was just gone. Gone, Nola.”
Nola’s world seemed to tilt and spin as she tried to make sense of it. In a daze, she called her mother to come stay with Kelly, then drove the long, silent two hours up to the small mountain town where Fred had been.
When she arrived at the coroner’s office, James was waiting for her, his arm around her shoulders, offering what little comfort he could. Nola stood frozen, her feet heavy as stone, as the coroner slowly pulled back the white sheet that covered Fred’s body. His face was pale and still, a silent testament to the life that had been so abruptly snatched away.
Tears burned Nola’s eyes, but she couldn’t look away from Fred’s face. “From what I can ascertain,” the coroner said softly, “Mr. Swart suffered a massive heart attack. It was instant… But I would recommend an autopsy, just to be sure.”
“No!” Nola cried out, her voice filled with anguish. “I don’t want anyone cutting up my Fred! Let him rest!”
The coroner nodded, understanding, but his voice remained professional. “I’ll issue a death certificate so you can move forward with the funeral. But the decision is yours, Mrs. Swart.”
Nola’s heart shattered as she thought of everything Fred had wanted. “The funeral… He always said he wanted to be cremated. I want to do everything just the way he wanted.”
With James’ help, Nola made arrangements to bring Fred’s body home. The next day, family and friends came to say their final goodbyes to the man they all loved. The funeral was somber, the air thick with grief. Nola had insisted on keeping the casket open for the ceremony, so everyone could see Fred one last time, could whisper a final word, a prayer.
The priest spoke about Fred with a tenderness that matched the grief in the room. “Even though our hearts are sore, even though we grieve for our loss, let us remember that Fred has moved on to a better place, where he is now in the loving hands of His Father.”
But Nola’s heart wasn’t filled with peace. It was filled with rage. She couldn’t just accept the priest’s words. Her grief and anger boiled over as she whispered harshly to her mother, “If there was a God, Fred would be here right now, not lying cold in that box. God! Where is He? Where is He when I need Him? He’s left me with a baby and no husband! God has left my baby fatherless!”
Her mother tried to hush her, but Nola shoved her hands away. “Why don’t you all ask God why I’m going to have to tell my baby she’ll never see her daddy again?” she cried, her voice louder now, shaking with emotion.
A few mourners turned to look, uncomfortable, but Nola couldn’t stop herself. Her heart was raw. As the funeral director approached with his assistant, ready to take Fred’s body away to the crematorium, Nola suddenly broke free from her mother’s embrace.
“Wait!” she screamed. “Please… let me say goodbye.”
She rushed to Fred’s casket, her hands trembling as she gently touched his cold face. “I love you… I will always love you,” she whispered softly, then leaned down and kissed his lips—her last kiss, the kiss she had hoped to give him for a lifetime.
But just as she pulled away, something unbelievable happened. Fred’s eyelids fluttered. Nola froze, her heart pounding in disbelief. Am I imagining things? she thought. Am I just seeing things because I want him back so badly?
Then, Fred blinked again.
Nola’s eyes widened, and with a sharp gasp, she screamed, “He’s alive! Oh my God, he’s alive! Call 911! Someone, call 911!”
The funeral director, who had thought Nola was simply overwhelmed with grief, took a step forward and, to his shock, saw Fred’s eyes open—then close again. “Call 911!” he shouted to his assistant.
Fred was rushed to the hospital, with Nola clinging to his side, her heart racing. The doctors soon confirmed the impossible: Fred wasn’t dead. He had been in a deep coma, caused by a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting. The coroner, untrained for such cases, had mistaken his coma for death.
After several tests, the doctors confirmed that Fred was alive, and with proper care, he would recover. It turned out that Fred had been stung by a bee while fishing and suffered a violent allergic reaction that had caused him to stop breathing temporarily. His heart had appeared to stop, but in fact, he had been in a coma all along.
Nola, despite the horror she had experienced, was grateful. If she had agreed to the autopsy or allowed Fred to be embalmed, he might have been lost to her forever. Thanks to her refusal to let him go, Fred was now back by her side, alive and well.
Within days, Fred was home, and life slowly returned to normal. But Nola never forgot the nightmare of that day—the pain, the grief, and the miracle that had brought him back to her. For Nola, it was nothing short of divine intervention. She had been given a second chance—a miracle from God, who had shown her the true power of faith.
What can we learn from this story?
Life is unpredictable. You never know when everything will change. The most important thing we can hold on to is our faith. Sometimes, life gives us second chances, but we have to cherish every moment, especially the ones we think we’ve lost forever.
