Gloria Beaty

On August 13, 2021 — a Friday the 13th I will never forget — I was in a horrific boating accident. My leg was 99% severed, and I was airlifted to the hospital.

I spent almost three months there, going through surgeries and recovery, and being told I may lose my leg. Thank God, my leg was saved. Plastic surgeons performed a free flap on my left leg using tissue from my right side, an artery from my arm, and muscle from my back.

During that time, I almost died three times, but I was so at peace. My body was weak, but my spirit was being drawn closer to something greater. It was in one of those moments, when life and death were close, that God found me.

I saw heaven, and I saw hell, and I saw his robe. I felt His presence so real and powerful that I knew my life would never be the same. I saw his robe, and everything changed. I didn’t talk the same, and I didn’t walk the same.

Even though I came out of that accident with scars and challenges, I also came out with faith, purpose, and a deep understanding that God never leaves us — even in our darkest, most painful moments.

Today, I share my story to let others know that God is real, He is merciful, and He meets us right where we are. If He could find me on that hospital bed, He can find you, too.