Deep down, many of us like to believe we have all the time in the world — that life will go on forever. But sometimes, out of nowhere, life throws a curveball we never saw coming.
On an ordinary Sunday morning, Ryan Finley stretched wide and gently pinched his wife, Jill, to wake her up — unaware that this day would change everything.
“I went to wake Jill up — which, honestly, is a miracle since I never do that on Saturday mornings,” Ryan later recalled.
But when he called her name, there was no response. A sudden rush of panic surged through him. Something was terribly wrong.
Without hesitation, Ryan called emergency services and began performing CPR on Jill.
Paramedics arrived swiftly and rushed her to the hospital, with Ryan following closely behind, heart pounding.
After a thorough examination, doctors confirmed Jill had suffered a cardiac arrest.
She underwent an urgent procedure to stabilize her, while Ryan waited anxiously outside the ER, every second feeling like an eternity.
When the doctors came out to update him, their final words chilled Ryan to the bone: “Pray for your wife.” He knew those words meant the situation was dire. “When a doctor tells you to start praying, you realize it’s as serious as it gets.”
Soon after, Ryan was told that Jill had slipped into a coma.
He struggled to grasp the cruel reality — just yesterday, his vibrant 31-year-old wife was healthy and full of life. Now, she was fighting for survival.
Over the next two weeks, Jill lay unconscious as friends and family poured in, offering prayers and hope for her recovery. One day, Jill’s cousin arrived holding a Bible. He spent an hour reading to her softly from its pages.
Before leaving, he handed the Bible to Ryan and encouraged him to read aloud whenever he felt the need.
Determined, Ryan made it his daily ritual to read passages to Jill, clinging to the hope that she would wake up soon.
After 11 agonizing days, Ryan went home to wrestle with the hardest decision of his life: whether to keep Jill on life support or let her go, as the doctors had advised. They were certain there would be no improvement.
He knew that once the machines were turned off, Jill wouldn’t last long.
On the 14th day, with a heavy heart, Ryan made the painful choice to say goodbye and let her go.
But then, about five hours after life support was withdrawn, something miraculous happened — Jill began to mumble and move.
Heartbroken yet hopeful, Ryan couldn’t bear to watch her suffer and stepped outside, waiting.
He remembers that moment vividly: “The nurse came out and said, ‘I think you need to come in. She’s talking.’”
Ryan walked into the room expecting to say his final goodbye — to watch Jill slip away into the spiritual realm. But the moment he stepped inside, shock hit him hard.
“I walked in, and Jill was talking. The very first thing she said was, ‘Get me out of here. I want to go home.’”
He stood there, stunned, unable to believe what he was hearing.
At first, he thought she was just mumbling. But then he tested her — asking about their pets’ names and tossing out some simple mental math questions. To his amazement, she answered every one perfectly.
Jill even requested dinner at her favorite Mexican restaurant.
That’s when Ryan knew — she wasn’t leaving this world; she was coming back home with him.
When asked what he believed had brought Jill back, Ryan didn’t hesitate: “God. Divine intervention. I honestly feel that way.”
Of course, Jill’s recovery wasn’t instant. She had to relearn everyday tasks like brushing her teeth and tying her shoelaces, as some motor skills had declined.
But after being given a second chance, they vowed never to be apart — especially when it mattered most.
Jill even supports Ryan’s decision to take her off life support, saying she never wanted to live as a “vegetable.”
Ryan says, “There’s still not a night that goes by that I don’t wake up. I’ll usually nudge her, and if she kicks me back, I know we’re OK.”
We’re overjoyed that Ryan and Jill Finley are healthy and by each other’s side every day — a true miracle of hope and love.
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