The Voice Doc

"Moose on a Mission"
by Ralph E. Hillman

Early in the summer of 1995, Jeff, my middle son, aged 25, and I went to Canada to spend 10 days at a cabin in the woods on an island near Sioux Narrows, Ontario. But first some background: When Jeff was 7, he contracted Reyes Syndrome, a neurological disease affecting the liver and the brain. The liver ceases to function for four days, the duration of the syndrome, and accumulates fatty tissue. The respiration function of the individual cells of the brain, stops shunting off the cell waste, water, and the brain swells, shutting down essential functions. Jeff went all the way through a stage four coma. We lost him for a while, and he had one of those tunnel experiences. His angel came, picked him up, showed him where he was, prayed with him, told him he had to go back and then put him back in his body. When we brought him home from the hospital 6 weeks later, he had no purposeful movement. He could not communicate with us, feed himself or anything. Long before Jeff could talk he used his own sign language system, including the deaf 'sign' for I-love-you. He has had miracle after miracle of recovery since. He now drives his own car, is attending college and working as a checker/floor supervisor at Kroger.

This a story of a step-along-the-way in the recovery of Jeff. For 18 years Jeff has been unable to 'cup' his right hand. He could not touch his thumb tip to the tip of his little finger. Basically, the palm of his right hand has been flat. In the week prior to our trip to Canada Jeff received some healing on his right arm and hand. With considerable effort he could 'cup' his hand and touch his thumb tip and the tip of his little finger. He could bend his two middle fingers, leaving this index finger, little finger and thumb straight, making the deaf alphabet sign for I-love-you. However, he could only make this 'sign' while his hand was in his lap. When he raised his hand above his elbow, the muscles of his hand would contract and the straightened fingers would bend. He had been able to make this 'sign' with his left hand for 14 years or more, but the muscles of his right could not accomplish the task. All the way to Canada he worked with a rubber ball to strengthen the muscles of his right hand.

Jeff and I had a marvelous time on the island in Canada. We fished, feasted, swam and rested. We also worked on maintenance projects to keep the place in good repair. On the last full day that Jeff was going to be there, I asked him what he wanted to do, thinking he would want to go fishing. However, the night before a thunderstorm had blown down several large trees. Most of them had fallen across the path that goes around the island. Jeff knew that I planned to cut and clear those trees after he left.

The year before, when working with a chain saw, I cut the back of my pants leg and had torn the surface skin on the back of my right calf. Knowing how a chain saw can have a mind of its own, my family doesn't want me to ever operate one when I am alone. Even though Jeff knew that it would take several hours to cut the trees, he insisted that I finish that job before we did something more enjoyable. We could go fishing after we cut the trees and stacked the wood.

I felt that we were wasting his valuable time, and was not pleased, but I went to get the materials needed: the chain saw, gloves, ear protection, gas, oil, wrenches, and a spare chain. Now to carry it all to the other side of the island. It is only one and 1/2 acres, so it wasn't a long walk.

As I came to the first fallen tree, I saw the biggest ugliest animal I had ever seen coming toward me. It looked like a horse put together by a committee. It was a seven foot moose. No rake of antlers. But he was trotting in my direction. When he got within six feet, he spotted me. I am not sure whether I said anything but I do know that my mouth dropped wide open and stayed there. The moose turned and trotted into the brush covering the middle of the island. Jeff was coming over the hill headed in my direction. hollered to him and told him to hurry, because I had seen a moose.

I put my tools down, and we headed toward the side of the island where I was sure the moose was returning. The moose emerged from the brush before we got there and was just entering the water as we came around the trees. We were within 15 feet of him as he began swimming very quickly toward the other island 60 yards away. He kept turning his head right and left, looking back at us, flopping his big ears like he was a helicopter ready to take off. Jeff and I stood in amazement as we watched the moose swim away. We commented on how fast he swam and how grateful we were that God had sent him for us to see.

Finally, the moose got to the other island where we were sure he would run up into the woods and be gone. But no. The moose emerged from the water and stood on the rock at water's edge. We had a full side view, as he stood with his head facing us and slightly lowered. He did not move. Because he was standing so still and for what seemed to be for such a long time, I remember checking my watch.

Jeff and I admired the moose. We talked about the different hair color, the really strange shape and the fact that he was not running into the cover of the trees and underbrush. We talked about all the different moose we thought we had seen on previous occasions. Most of the time we would catch the sight of the tail end of what we guessed was a moose as it hurried into the undergrowth. The moose in this part of the world, where there is an open hunting season, are not overly anxious to interact with humans.

We continued talking about the strange size and shape of his head and ears. We also thanked God for sending this moose to our island. We knew that this moose's behavior was unusual and sensed that he was on assignment from God.

After we had looked at the moose, talked about the moose and thanked God for sending him, I glanced at my watch. The moose had been there for a full five minutes. I looked at Jeff. He looked back at me with that I've-got-something-to-do look on his face. He then focused on his right hand which he had raised to waist level. He pulled his longest finger and his ring finger toward his palm, bending them at the second knuckle.

When he had the I-love-you 'sign' in place with his right hand, he began to raise it toward my face. His hand and forearm were shaking, and the muscles of his head and neck strained as he labored to hold the 'sign' without the muscles contracting back into a fist. He stretched his hand out further as he held the 'sign' for me to see, and smiled broadly. Then, with an even more determined look on his face he turned and showed the 'sign' to the moose.

Only a few seconds passed. Then the moose very slowly dropped his head twice, turned, and walked into the underbrush, disappearing from sight. Jeff and I were both hit with a strong wave of awareness that God had been present and that He had given us a tremendous gift. The wave was so strong that we had to hold on to one another to keep from falling. We were both overcome with emotion, crying and praising God. We even heard ourselves asking the silliest of questions: "Did you see that?" Followed by "Wow!" And finally, the most important phrase of all, "Thank-you Jesus!" For not only had we been given the gift of a moose but we had been given another miracle of recovery.

Long after the moose faded into the woods, my son and I were overwhelmed by a sense of the presence of God. As we held on to one another, we praised God, both for sending this moose on a mission and for granting still another victory.