"I'm used to giving to others, not receiving from others," Dr. Norman Bravo began as he sat in his wheelchair next to his wife Heidi, a pretty blonde woman who looks too young to have six children. The afternoon sunlight from their sliding glass door framed them like haloes. "For so many years I was a doctor, and I gave without once receiving back. So this is a different blessing," he admitted, referring to the many contractors and volunteers who were helping to refurbish his home on May 15, through a program sponsored by Church of the Woods. "It helps others share in God's love."

I leaned closer to catch the partially mumbled words from Dr. Bravo as he stared in my direction with his blind brown eyes.

Dr. Bravo was born in Miami, Florida--of Cuban immigrants who conversed in Spanish, a language he still speaks fluently. Dr. Bravo moved to Los Angeles as a child and was raised there.

"I'm an L.A. kid," he chuckled.

Dr. Bravo was raised in a Christian home and dedicated his life to Christ when he was 11, at a mountain camp. God led him to be a doctor when he was a biology major Point Loma College.

"I was afraid I wouldn't get into Medical School, but I did," he admitted.

Dr. Bravo met Heidi while he was at Point Loma College.

"She caught me eye and then my heart," he explained with a laugh.

Dr. Bravo received his M.D. degree in 1986 from The University of California at Irvine. He and Heidi married, went through Residency at Duke University in North Carolina, started having children, then moved up to the mountains in 1990. Now they have six children ranging in age from 12 to 20. Dr. Bravo had his own Family Practice and became Chief of Staff at Mountains Community Hospital in the mountains. Heidi, an artist, designed and decorated his offices. The Bravo family immediately started attending Church of the Woods, where they have received much support, especially since Dr. Bravo's brush with death.

"The loving support from our church has been overwhelming," Heidi admitted. "When you see The Passion of the Christ and watch what Jesus went through to save us, you realize your own problems are nothing compared to Jesus' love and what He did for us."

"I once went on a missions trip to Guatemala," Dr. Bravo added to his story. "Then, six years ago, my life changed."

During a birthday party for one of his children, Dr. Bravo took the kids on a short hike so that Heidi could prepare the cake and ice cream. During that hike he suffered a severe asthma attack. His throat closed so that he could not breathe, and he did not have his inhaler with him. He passed out on the trail, and the children ran home to tell Heidi. She promptly called 911 and rushed to her husband with several inhalers.

"By that time he could not inhale, so the inhalers did no good," Heidi stated. "He was gray by the time I got to him."

The paramedics came and moved Dr. Bravo to his driveway where they intubated him (put a breathing tube down his throat) and gave him I.V.s.

"He coded (his heart stopped) twice on our driveway," Heidi said. "I was standing right there. They told me I might lose my husband. His heartbeat went down to five beats per minute. They were doing CPR and breathing for him. They didn't think he would make it."

The paramedics called for a helicopter that lifeflighted Dr. Bravo down to Loma Linda Hospital. In the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), brain monitors showed no brain activity, and the neurologist on duty thought Dr. Bravo was "brain dead."

"But I came back," Dr. Bravo declared. "I had an incredible experience. I've heard people talk about near-death experiences before, and I would take them with a grain of salt since I was a medical doctor and a scientist. When I passed out on the ground, I felt the presence of two angels behind me. One picked me up by one arm, and the other picked me up by my other arm. I didn't see my body. They took me quickly to outer space. I saw the Earth far below me. It looked like a pretty blue marble."

I had brought my eleven-year-old daughter Jessica with me on this assignment, and I glanced back to see her face as she listened to Dr. Bravo's story. Usually she complained if I took her to "another boring interview," but this time her eyes were wide open and her mouth slightly parted as she, too, leaned closer to hear. With all the roofers and carpenters banging hammers around us, you could still have heard a pin drop in that modest dining room.

"Then we went faster, past the solar system and past our galaxy--and even further," Dr. Bravo continued. "As we went past the universe, I felt a peace in my heart, like I was going home. I kept singing in my heart: I'm going home, going home! Then I was flown over a glassy sea that stretched for many miles. It was called The Crystal Sea. The angels reminded me that God collects all our tears in a crystal bottle, as David said in the Psalms. So that Sea, under the glassy surface, held all our human tears.

"Then I saw the green hills of heaven--spreading all around, very lovely." Dr. Bravo paused and leaned toward me.

"I've got to tell you what it is to die. When you die, you feel as if you have waken up for the very first time--to a more real reality than you ever knew before. It's like the verse from 1 Corinthians 13:12: 'For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.'

"As the angels took me forward, I saw trees, shrubs, and flowers of every color imaginable--some colors were new and indescribable. Very lovely. A waterfall flowed down through the city--the River of Life. Then we came to the city called New Jerusalem. Its walls were made with glittering gemstones. The massive gate was made of a single pearl. As we got closer to the City, I saw that the streets were made of gold. It was amazing, amazing. As I got closer, the Gatekeepers told me that it was not my time yet; I had to go back to take care of my wife, children, and patients. So the angels brought me back."

The next thing Dr. Bravo remembered was his wife's loud voice saying "Norman, Norman!"

That was the fourth day in ICU, when he came out of his coma. "He was looking at me and trying to say, 'I love you,'" Heidi explained with tears in her eyes. "The doctor suggested that I ask Norman to move his arm or leg, but he couldn't. But then he brought his toes up to a point and touched them together."

Heidi went on to say, "Those first three days, the doctors had encouraging me to turn off his life support. But I felt at peace, like the Lord was telling me Norman was going to be OK. Even the paramedics had noticed how calm I was in the face of my husband's possible death. The nursing staff at the hospital were very supportive. They gave me a room where I could be alone and pray. The Lord kept reassuring me that my husband was going to recover from this trauma."

During those first three days, Heidi had called in another neurologist (a friend of the Bravo family) to give a second opinion. He checked Dr. Bravo and said that it "was too early to tell." Heidi liked that prognosis better than the previous "brain dead" one.
On that fourth morning in ICU, after he heard Heidi's voice and moved his toes, Norman started breathing on his own.

Once he gained consciousness, a long road to recovery lay ahead. Dr. Bravo spent six months in the hospital, working with various physical therapists. That was the easy part. He had to battle pneumonia several times, high fevers, kidney failure, and a bleeding ulcer that required seven units of blood. "I was a doctor's worst nightmare, and I knew it," Dr. Bravo said with another chuckle. "For the first two months I could not speak. I could not see or move, but I could hear everything that was spoken around me. Eventually I learned to communicate by blinking my eyes."

"I am making improvements," Dr. Bravo pointed out. "My speech is much better now. In the beginning, you would not have been able to understand anything I said."

For awhile during his many physical challenges, Dr. Bravo became depressed. He prayed, and God visited him in the hospital.

"His presence filled the room!" Dr. Bravo exclaimed. "He appeared as an old man with a face like Michelangelo's 'Face of God' on the Sistine Chapel. I was afraid to look at God, so I turned my eyes down. Then I saw that I was covered with a red blanket which symbolized the blood of the Lamb covering me--Christ's sacrifice on the cross for my sins, so that I was clean in God's presence. God loves me and does not see my human frailties. I had permission to go into God's presence because of the sacrifice Christ made.

"God comforted me and said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' Peace came over my heart. The depression lifted and hasn't returned since. I have learned how important it is to put love into action."

Before Jessica and I left (with an interview and a photo I had not even planned), Dr. Bravo shared his favorite Bible verse:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"I have no fear of death!" Dr. Bravo exclaimed as I put my tape recorder away. "I am looking forward to the next time I can visit Heaven--and stay there forever."

Many of you remember Dr. Norman Bravo's touching story about how he survived a near-fatal asthma attack 6 years ago and took a "visit to heaven." He returned from that visit with an amazing vision to share, in a voice affected by his bodily paralysis and with eyes that could not see his listeners.

Six months later, Dr. Bravo is thrilled that his medical condition has improved so that he speaks more clearly, can move his arms better, and can even walk short distances with the aid of a friend or a walker. His eyesight is also improving slowly, to the point that he can see his own hand writing on a page but cannot distinguish the letters he made.

"I am uplifted by my gracious friends and all their help," Dr. Bravo said during an interview in his newly refurbished home (over the past months, many volunteers came together to paint, fix plumbing, and even put on a new roof).

In September Dr. Bravo had a Lift installed on his stairs so that he can get out of his car in the garage, roll his wheelchair up a ramp, and sit on the Lift which follows a railing up the winding, two-level stairs.

"Change a Life Foundation" donated the money for the Lift (which cost over $10,000). Digital photos were taken and mailed to the Stannah Stairlifts Company in England where the Lift was made and then shipped to California. Local Rick Mills installed it.

Dr. Bravo feels so well and so mobile now that he is keen to speak at churches, men's groups, women's groups, or whoever wants to hear.

"Just give me a call, and I'll come talk!" he declared. "I would even fly in an airplane. I spoke recently to some groups in San Diego and here on the mountain."

One of the friends who is helping Dr. Bravo's life improve is Spencer Bema of a local Physical Therapy. He has been giving Dr. Bravo free sessions (Medicare pays only a fraction of Bravo's medical costs and does not cover some items). Ironically, ten years ago (before the accident) Dr. Bravo used to refer his patients to Bema.

Dr. Walter Bramson has also helped with Dr. Bravo's medical costs by giving him free medicine samples such as asthma inhalers (Dr. Bravo used to cover for Bramson when he went on vacation).

Dr. Bravo does not have a live-in Nurse or even a visiting Nurse, so his wife Heidi is his full-time caretaker. She is also an artist, and she can decorate their home beautifully. She even used to make costumes and dance with her children in the local "Nutcracker" productions with the mountains' School of Dance.

The 6 Bravo children help their father when they are not in school. The oldest, Thomas, is studying to be a medical doctor at Point Loma College. Rachel, 19, is a Liberal Arts student at Bel Haven College in Mississippi but currently home for vacation. She is taking a semester off to dance for Youth with a Mission (YWAM--www.ywam.org). They will be performing the missionary story "Peace Child" here at Rim High on January 21 and 22). Andrew (17) is a Senior at Rim of the World High School where he is involved in The Christian Club (he wants to be a chemist). Adam (15) is a Sophomore at Rim High (he plays in the band); Sarah (14) is a Freshman at Rim High (also in the Band); and Daniel (12) is a 7th-grade drummer at MPH Middle School.

After Heidi left the room, Dr. Bravo became serious and shared, "She should have sent me to a Nursing Home." His legally blind brown eyes brimmed with tears as he added, "My wife has been so caring and loving. For the first couple of months I was 24-hours-a-day care. She never bailed. She was always protective of me. If only there was something I could give her. She has been so selfless and never complains. I would so like her to meet the President."

This reporter was amazed at that request but decided that it would be a wonderful thing for Heidi Bravo, who has spent the last 6 years of her life nursing her husband, to meet President Bush and receive a handshake or medal of commendation.

"It's a crazy dream," Dr. Bravo admitted after my long silence.

"Well, I think crazy dreams can come true," I assured him, and I promised to do my best to contact the President. "I think the President would like to meet you," I added.

"I would love to meet the President," Dr. Bravo cheered up. "I could tell him my story. I could also tell him about Medicare--how it works and doesn't work." After a pause, Dr. Bravo enthused, "God can do anything. I think my tragedy has drawn us closer together as a family--and taught us a lot." Heidi and four of his children, who had come to pose for the photo of their dad on his new Lift, nodded their heads in agreement.

If anyone has a connection to President George W. Bush, please contact this reporter at kiwifamily@charter.net.

Chelsea Smith, a Sophomore at Rim of the World High School, faces more challenges than most sixteen-year-olds. She has been battling a chronic intestinal disease called Crohn's and has spent much of the past three years in the hospital. But instead of laying down on her hospital bed, she has decided to keep busy by making and selling crafts.

"It gives her a motivation for waking up in the morning. It's a very positive thing," said her mother, Mary Smith, a teacher for Rim of the World School District. When not teaching a kindergarten/first grade class at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School, Mary spends much of her time at the hospital with Chelsea. She even has her own bed next to Chelsea in their semiprivate room in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Kaiser Hospital, Fontana.

"Chelsea's earning a digital camera," Mary added. "She already earned a laptop computer. Plus, it's fun to have people walk by and visit her."

The hospital staff has allowed Chelsea to put her various colorful items on the walls and door of her hospital room. They even gave her a table to keep outside her room, so that passing doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors might browse through the inventory of hand-painted items.

"I call my table Chelsea's Corner," Chelsea explained. "Sales are going pretty well, off and on. I started doing some Christmas items with holly on them, candles, and things like that. I do tole painting on wooden objects like jewelry boxes, welcome signs, and bird houses. Recently I added candles, greeting cards, and bookmarks. My newest rendition is duct tape wallets. The kids really like those. I do special orders."

Her wallets are impressive. She makes them entirely out of different-colored duct tape that her mother buys at Wal-Mart. The wallets have two main sections for paper money and receipts plus mini sections for credit cards--and a place to put a Driver's License behind a clear piece of plastic. She makes different designs on each wallet, from yellow happy faces to green and blue geometrical designs, to red flowers. All for only five dollars.

Besides making her crafts, Chelsea spends her days in the hospital by doing homework, reading books, and watching videos.

"They are very nice to me," Chelsea declared, mentioning her favorite nurses. The staff keeps the Pediatric Unit colorful, with cheerful artwork on the walls, and the nurses wear multicolored uniforms. "The Child Life Specialist goes around and plays board games with the kids. He brings in more videos or the Nintendo."

There's a Playroom down the hall--with crafts and more games. Every two weeks a Therapy dog (a fluffy Irish setter) comes by, and the patients can pet her. A clown shows up every once in a while, doing magic tricks or bubble shows. They even have Activity Days, like a Halloween party with candy for the kids.

Chelsea cannot eat anything except special frozen Pedialite popsicles that come in various flavors. She will start a liquid diet (similar to the Ensure nutrition drinks) soon, and she hopes to get out of the hospital before Thanksgiving.

Most of the day Chelsea is hooked up to an I.V. that administers nutrients and a new type of medicine for Crohn's patients. But in the afternoon, the nurses unhook Chelsea so that she can get some exercise by walking around the hospital, visiting the gift shop or baby nursery, following the blue-lined carpet down the various long halls.

"I don't really get to know the other patients because most of them are here for only a short time, and the chemo patients are restricted from visitors," Chelsea explained.

Chelsea's older sister Andrea comes from college to stay with Chelsea one night a week, to give Mary a break. Chelsea's father Steve, younger sister Holly, and older brother Tyler also show up when they can. People from church and school have dropped by.

Chelsea loves getting visitors, and she would welcome more . . . with a smile and her latest rosebud-painted plaque.

For more information about visiting Chelsea or to order her crafts,

Chelsea Smith, the sixteen-year-old who has been battling Crohn's disease in the hospital for the past three months, came home for the holidays last week. Chelsea and her family were overjoyed to be reunited just before Christmas.

Chelsea, who had wanted to come home for Thanksgiving, is finally able to eat some solid foods. And she is still busy making her handpainted signs, boxes, bookmarks, and greeting cards in what she calls "Chelsea's Corner."

"That article about Chelsea really helped," mother Mary Smith explained. "She got more orders for crafts--and more visitors. My coworkers at school gave her care packages."

"Chelsea's Corner" is now on Chelsea's own table. She continues to take email orders and has hopes to show more of her creations throughout the community. She already had some success at local Craft Shows; Valley of Enchantment Elementary School, where Mary Smith teaches, recently invited Chelsea to display her crafts in a booth. Mary set up the items, and Chelsea made over $400 in that one event. She has now purchased her own digital camera to go along with her laptop. She plans to take pictures of her family gathered around their Christmas tree.

"It was hard to walk up the steps to my house," Chelsea admitted. "There weren't many steps at the hospital, and the elevation was lower." Chelsea was wearing her favorite fuzzy slippers, white sweater, and looking cheerful. It was wonderful to watch her eat an avocado.

"I've learned which foods are rich in potassium," Chelsea explained as she took a spoonful of the green fruit.

Chelsea is still on many medications, but the doctors are letting her slowly get off most of them. She also has to monitor her blood pressure and sugar levels. Her mother, who has done extensive research over the past three years, helps Chelsea find the right foods to eat.

"It is wonderful to be home," Mary exclaimed as she took a moment to sit and chat (she had been staying at the hospital with Chelsea, sleeping in the bed next to her daughter). "We have to reacclimate, though. We haven't been here in so long! We're unpacking the stuff we had in the hospital. It feels so different to be home. I couldn't relax at first, but last night I watched a movie while reclining on my own couch!"

The Smith household, with four teenagers, has been a lively place with the two oldest home from college.

"Tyler's friends like to come over and play video games," Mary explained. "The house has been a bit noisy, but we love it. Andrea, our oldest, is trying to catch up on her sleep and prepare for next semester. Holly, a Freshman at Rim High, is enjoying time off from school."

Steve Smith, the busy father of the clan, came home from appraising houses to give Chelsea new duct tape for her duct tape wallets (her bestsellers--especially in neon pink, orange, and green). He also handed Chelsea her new light pink wire-rimmed eyeglasses, which she hurriedly tried on for a family portrait.

"Thank you for the newspaper article," Steve Smith said. "It helped people know what was still going on with Chelsea. We appreciate all the prayers and thoughtfulness."

"It's really, really good to be home!" Chelsea exclaimed, smiling as big as she could--surrounded by her family in front of the lighted Christmas tree.

For more information about Chelsea or to order her crafts,

e-mail Chelsea at: mtncraftgirl@yahoo.com