1 00:00:38,001 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched 2 00:00:41,501 --> 00:00:45,181 Speaker 1: something new. It's called The Good Word, our free weekly 3 00:00:45,241 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: newsletter built for people who want to go a little 4 00:00:48,161 --> 00:00:54,011 Speaker 1: deeper in their faith. Think devotionals, guided prayers, curated podcast recommendations, 5 00:00:54,191 --> 00:00:57,311 Speaker 1: and a little community all in one place. No ads, 6 00:00:57,651 --> 00:01:00,091 Speaker 1: just good content. This one means a lot to us. 7 00:01:00,491 --> 00:01:03,271 Speaker 1: We built The Good Word based on the audience survey 8 00:01:03,491 --> 00:01:05,671 Speaker 1: so many of you filled out a few months back. 9 00:01:05,991 --> 00:01:08,571 Speaker 1: You told us what you wanted, and we listened. So 10 00:01:08,611 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: thank you truly for helping us shape this. Head to 11 00:01:11,580 --> 00:01:14,181 Speaker 1: the link in the show notes and join our community today. 12 00:01:14,481 --> 00:01:20,380 Speaker 1: We'd love to have you. Life Audio. 13 00:01:21,580 --> 00:01:25,121 Speaker 2: Good morning, or whatever time of day it may be 14 00:01:25,140 --> 00:01:30,251 Speaker 2: where you are listening to the story behind inspiring stories, 15 00:01:30,731 --> 00:01:37,431 Speaker 2: positive headlines. from GodTube.com and LifeAudio.com. My name is Sean McEvoy. 16 00:01:38,291 --> 00:01:41,071 Speaker 2: I'm your host, and I've selected a couple of stories 17 00:01:41,131 --> 00:01:45,090 Speaker 2: today that make me think about the odds. What are 18 00:01:45,151 --> 00:01:49,111 Speaker 2: the odds, for example, that even you and I would 19 00:01:49,691 --> 00:01:53,241 Speaker 2: get together today, that anyone else listening would be here 20 00:01:53,841 --> 00:01:57,501 Speaker 2: with us, that we might be forwarding these stories on 21 00:01:57,581 --> 00:02:02,731 Speaker 2: to someone who needs to hear this encouraging message Word 22 00:02:02,931 --> 00:02:06,291 Speaker 2: at just the right time? What are the odds that 23 00:02:06,671 --> 00:02:10,791 Speaker 2: this planet came together, that God would create us out 24 00:02:10,831 --> 00:02:16,131 Speaker 2: of nothing? And here we are today talking over a 25 00:02:16,191 --> 00:02:20,821 Speaker 2: podcast separated by who knows how many miles. And the 26 00:02:20,881 --> 00:02:24,101 Speaker 2: stories we've got remind us that these things don't always happen, 27 00:02:24,141 --> 00:02:27,581 Speaker 2: so let's not take anything for granted. When God's miracles 28 00:02:27,620 --> 00:02:31,181 Speaker 2: happen and when things that we can't explain happen, or 29 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:35,881 Speaker 2: don't usually occur in our lives, come along. That's our 30 00:02:35,921 --> 00:02:39,020 Speaker 2: time to be grateful for every good and perfect gift 31 00:02:39,081 --> 00:02:41,650 Speaker 2: that comes from above. And with that thought, I'll be 32 00:02:41,731 --> 00:02:53,191 Speaker 2: right back with today's stories after this. All right, our 33 00:02:53,281 --> 00:02:57,001 Speaker 2: first story today is by Heather Riddleman. It's about a 34 00:02:57,041 --> 00:03:00,981 Speaker 2: young man who was diagnosed with cancer. But his doctor, 35 00:03:02,061 --> 00:03:06,581 Speaker 2: which is, I hate to say unusual, became a friend 36 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:13,621 Speaker 2: and gave the teen boy hope. Grab the tissues, Heather says, 37 00:03:15,161 --> 00:03:18,671 Speaker 2: and be prepared to be in awe of a promise 38 00:03:18,851 --> 00:03:23,870 Speaker 2: well kept. The kind of promise that gives stamina, strength, 39 00:03:24,751 --> 00:03:30,981 Speaker 2: and courage. Sometimes healing begins... long before the medicine does. 40 00:03:32,661 --> 00:03:36,011 Speaker 2: Sometimes it starts with someone looking you in the eye 41 00:03:36,531 --> 00:03:40,751 Speaker 2: and saying, I'm not leaving. I'm going to walk this 42 00:03:40,851 --> 00:03:45,751 Speaker 2: road with you. I got misty-eyed when I learned that 43 00:03:45,771 --> 00:03:53,071 Speaker 2: 14-year-old Dylan Wanicki of Kansas City, Missouri, was diagnosed with 44 00:03:53,111 --> 00:03:59,211 Speaker 2: a rare and aggressive stage 4 kidney cancer in 2022. 45 00:03:59,421 --> 00:04:04,741 Speaker 2: The prognosis was devastating. Doctors believed he might have only 46 00:04:04,841 --> 00:04:10,101 Speaker 2: months to live. That's when Dr. Mary Austin walked into 47 00:04:10,141 --> 00:04:16,751 Speaker 2: Dylan's life. A pediatric surgical oncologist at the time, Mary 48 00:04:16,871 --> 00:04:22,290 Speaker 2: treated Dylan's cancer, but she also did something far less measurable. 49 00:04:23,510 --> 00:04:30,231 Speaker 2: She became family. During 52 weeks of chemotherapy, she checked 50 00:04:30,331 --> 00:04:35,171 Speaker 2: on Dylan, shared meals with his family, introduced him to 51 00:04:35,231 --> 00:04:40,421 Speaker 2: her children, and became the steady presence he desperately needed. 52 00:04:41,461 --> 00:04:47,161 Speaker 2: I call her my second mom, Dylan said. As treatment 53 00:04:47,201 --> 00:04:52,791 Speaker 2: became harder and the future more uncertain, Mary made Dylan 54 00:04:52,831 --> 00:04:57,251 Speaker 2: a promise that gave him something to fight for. I 55 00:04:57,311 --> 00:05:00,801 Speaker 2: promise you, If you keep going through this so you 56 00:05:00,821 --> 00:05:05,221 Speaker 2: can live, I will come to your graduation, she declared. 57 00:05:06,521 --> 00:05:13,651 Speaker 2: And those words became an anchor. Just that trigger of saying, hey, 58 00:05:13,711 --> 00:05:18,291 Speaker 2: I'll make it for your graduation, changed everything, Dylan said. 59 00:05:19,451 --> 00:05:22,951 Speaker 2: Her making promises like that and kind of giving me 60 00:05:23,031 --> 00:05:28,781 Speaker 2: hope definitely uplifted my mood. Against the odds, Dylan was 61 00:05:29,031 --> 00:05:36,211 Speaker 2: declared cancer-free in September 2024. By graduation, Dr. Austin had 62 00:05:36,291 --> 00:05:39,931 Speaker 2: moved 1,500 miles away to work at Seattle Children's Hospital. 63 00:05:41,431 --> 00:05:46,210 Speaker 2: After working an overnight shift, rearranging surgeries, and catching an 64 00:05:46,291 --> 00:05:50,871 Speaker 2: early morning flight, she quietly slipped into the audience before 65 00:05:50,911 --> 00:05:57,041 Speaker 2: the graduation ceremony. When Dylan spotted her, He ran into 66 00:05:57,061 --> 00:06:00,161 Speaker 2: the arms of the doctor who had kept every promise 67 00:06:00,221 --> 00:06:05,721 Speaker 2: she'd ever made. His mother, Lucy Winnicki, believes their friendship 68 00:06:05,741 --> 00:06:09,501 Speaker 2: became part of his healing. And Dr. Austin says knowing 69 00:06:09,521 --> 00:06:13,041 Speaker 2: Dylan made her a better doctor and a better person. 70 00:06:15,121 --> 00:06:21,501 Speaker 2: What a beautiful reminder that while medicine can heal the body, hope, faith, 71 00:06:22,181 --> 00:06:26,700 Speaker 2: and faithful love often strengthen the soul to keep us 72 00:06:26,761 --> 00:06:32,011 Speaker 2: spite it another day. I'm reminded of the introduction in 73 00:06:32,011 --> 00:06:38,291 Speaker 2: 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 3. We remember before our God 74 00:06:38,331 --> 00:06:42,291 Speaker 2: and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted 75 00:06:42,331 --> 00:06:47,380 Speaker 2: by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord, 76 00:06:48,421 --> 00:06:52,401 Speaker 2: Jesus Christ. I'll be back in just a moment with 77 00:06:52,440 --> 00:07:03,901 Speaker 2: our second story. All right, we are back, and I 78 00:07:03,971 --> 00:07:06,940 Speaker 2: love this second story today because it feels to me 79 00:07:07,001 --> 00:07:11,101 Speaker 2: like something straight out of Tolkien's Middle Earth, of which 80 00:07:11,281 --> 00:07:13,381 Speaker 2: I am a big fan of his Hobbit and Lord 81 00:07:13,421 --> 00:07:17,921 Speaker 2: of the Rings content. But this one, without any huge 82 00:07:18,001 --> 00:07:23,421 Speaker 2: flaming eyeballs or scary frog-like fish creatures, this story is 83 00:07:23,481 --> 00:07:28,141 Speaker 2: by Michaela Gordonei, and it is about how a decade 84 00:07:28,381 --> 00:07:33,181 Speaker 2: after a wedding ring vanished in a lake, The young 85 00:07:33,281 --> 00:07:34,921 Speaker 2: niece spots it shimmering. 86 00:07:35,881 --> 00:07:36,081 Speaker 1: Yeah. 87 00:07:37,761 --> 00:07:42,611 Speaker 2: On a sunny day on Lake Beltane in Minnesota, a 88 00:07:42,651 --> 00:07:46,451 Speaker 2: little girl found a lost wedding ring that belonged to 89 00:07:46,531 --> 00:07:51,341 Speaker 2: her uncle. Stephen Myers had lost it ten years earlier 90 00:07:51,901 --> 00:07:55,681 Speaker 2: while swimming in the lake with his son. He and 91 00:07:55,721 --> 00:07:59,681 Speaker 2: his family have looked for it many times, so he's 92 00:07:59,741 --> 00:08:05,481 Speaker 2: very thankful that his niece, finally found it. Stephen's family 93 00:08:05,501 --> 00:08:08,121 Speaker 2: has a cabin near the lake, so he's had the 94 00:08:08,201 --> 00:08:13,551 Speaker 2: opportunity to look for it every time he's visited. His mother-in-law, 95 00:08:13,771 --> 00:08:18,831 Speaker 2: Melana Johanson, even said they've dredged the sand and borrowed 96 00:08:18,851 --> 00:08:24,411 Speaker 2: a large magnet to locate it. But then, his nine-year-old niece, Harper, 97 00:08:25,271 --> 00:08:28,601 Speaker 2: saw it shining in the shallow water where she was 98 00:08:28,701 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 2: standing on the shore. She just picked it up and said, 99 00:08:32,581 --> 00:08:37,081 Speaker 2: There's a ring, Milana said. The lake has gone down 100 00:08:37,161 --> 00:08:41,921 Speaker 2: probably about 30 feet since last fall due to drought conditions. 101 00:08:43,191 --> 00:08:45,271 Speaker 2: It was still in the water, but she didn't really 102 00:08:45,310 --> 00:08:47,330 Speaker 2: have to go in the lake to reach it. It 103 00:08:47,431 --> 00:08:52,711 Speaker 2: was just there. After 10 years, the wedding ring still 104 00:08:52,751 --> 00:08:56,581 Speaker 2: looked to be in great shape. Stephen, glad to have 105 00:08:56,621 --> 00:08:59,461 Speaker 2: his old ring back, now wears it with the newer 106 00:08:59,581 --> 00:09:03,601 Speaker 2: one he bought years ago. Harper was proud and happy 107 00:09:03,641 --> 00:09:07,341 Speaker 2: to have found the ring after a hard year. She 108 00:09:07,381 --> 00:09:10,781 Speaker 2: and her family lost their home last year during the 109 00:09:10,831 --> 00:09:17,351 Speaker 2: California wildfires. Milana, who is also the girl's grandmother, said 110 00:09:17,530 --> 00:09:20,651 Speaker 2: she thinks Harper could have a summer job finding things 111 00:09:20,731 --> 00:09:25,191 Speaker 2: for people. It would give her something to do, something exciting. 112 00:09:27,111 --> 00:09:29,991 Speaker 2: In June of this year, a Michigan woman found her 113 00:09:30,051 --> 00:09:34,831 Speaker 2: lost engagement ring also missing for 10 years. She had 114 00:09:34,871 --> 00:09:37,951 Speaker 2: lost it in a spa toilet, and she and the 115 00:09:38,071 --> 00:09:41,231 Speaker 2: owner put on rubber gloves to fish it out but 116 00:09:41,331 --> 00:09:45,451 Speaker 2: had no luck. A plumbing company was on an emergency 117 00:09:45,491 --> 00:09:49,131 Speaker 2: call when they found it and were able to track 118 00:09:49,171 --> 00:09:53,851 Speaker 2: her down through social media. The woman, Carol Oram, had 119 00:09:53,891 --> 00:09:58,001 Speaker 2: been married to her husband for 50 years. and was 120 00:09:58,101 --> 00:10:01,441 Speaker 2: brought to tears when she put that ring on again. 121 00:10:03,561 --> 00:10:06,300 Speaker 2: It's so sweet when something like a lost wedding ring 122 00:10:06,381 --> 00:10:11,641 Speaker 2: is found after being missing for so long. Clearly, like 123 00:10:11,691 --> 00:10:14,471 Speaker 2: Carol is to her husband, Stephen is devoted to his wife, 124 00:10:15,231 --> 00:10:20,971 Speaker 2: and cherishes what the ring means. Lifelong commitment and love. 125 00:10:22,791 --> 00:10:26,911 Speaker 2: I can't help but be reminded of Jesus' words to 126 00:10:26,971 --> 00:10:31,881 Speaker 2: Peter in Matthew 17, 27. But so that we may 127 00:10:31,941 --> 00:10:34,541 Speaker 2: not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out 128 00:10:34,581 --> 00:10:38,271 Speaker 2: your line. Take the first fish you catch. Open its 129 00:10:38,311 --> 00:10:42,171 Speaker 2: mouth and you will find a four drachma coin. Take 130 00:10:42,231 --> 00:10:44,751 Speaker 2: it and give it to them for my tax and yours. 131 00:10:46,391 --> 00:10:49,831 Speaker 2: What are the odds? How did he know? Well, he 132 00:10:49,931 --> 00:10:52,471 Speaker 2: is fully God and fully man at the same time. 133 00:10:53,581 --> 00:10:55,741 Speaker 2: And how can that even be? What are the odds 134 00:10:55,821 --> 00:10:58,981 Speaker 2: that our Lord could fulfill all the prophecies of the 135 00:10:59,041 --> 00:11:02,721 Speaker 2: Old Testament in one man? Think on that this week 136 00:11:03,441 --> 00:11:07,311 Speaker 2: and encourage someone else with that good news. Share this 137 00:11:07,351 --> 00:11:11,391 Speaker 2: podcast with them if they need a little bit of uplifting. 138 00:11:15,271 --> 00:11:17,951 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to this episode of The Story Behind. 139 00:11:19,001 --> 00:11:23,141 Speaker 2: I hope today's rather impossible stories encouraged you and reminded 140 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:25,851 Speaker 2: you of the ways God is still moving in the 141 00:11:25,891 --> 00:11:29,190 Speaker 2: world around us. You can visit the links in the 142 00:11:29,251 --> 00:11:33,731 Speaker 2: show notes to find the original articles, photos, videos, and 143 00:11:33,831 --> 00:11:37,031 Speaker 2: any resources mentioned in today's episode on the God Updates 144 00:11:37,091 --> 00:11:42,050 Speaker 2: blog at GodTube.com. If you enjoyed these stories, be sure 145 00:11:42,071 --> 00:11:46,201 Speaker 2: to follow Story Behind wherever you listen to podcasts and 146 00:11:46,321 --> 00:11:48,481 Speaker 2: share it with someone who could use a little encouragement. 147 00:11:49,651 --> 00:11:54,641 Speaker 2: Story Behind is a Life Audio production. For more faith-based podcasts, 148 00:11:54,701 --> 00:12:00,141 Speaker 2: visit lifeaudio.com. I'm Sean McAvoy. Thanks again for joining me, 149 00:12:00,780 --> 00:12:03,451 Speaker 2: and we'll see you next time on Story Behind.