‘Miracle’ boosts teen’s family
Breaks in Frontier student’s neck now are goneBy Kate York, kyork@mariettatimes.com
Fact Box
How to help
Send donations to Peoples Savings Bank, Help Mariah Fund, 710 Second St., New Matamoras, 45767 or visit www.helpmoriah.com
After two sleepless nights filled with worry that his 17-year-old daughter Mariah, just days ago a cheerleader and a teen always on the go, may never walk again, Rick Steele received a call Wednesday morning that he says was a miracle.
A new team of doctors has found that the Frontier High School senior, originally thought to have broken her neck in two places during a fall on a hiking trip in Scotland, has no serious spinal or neck injuries.
"The breaks just aren't there anymore," said Rick Steele, of New Matamoras. "She had a CT scan and everything, and there were two vertebrae crushed and now they're just not. The lady telling me this was in tears because they don't know how to explain it. It's just a miracle."
The immediate trauma to the spinal cord was able to be relieved by unpinching the vertebrae, the family was told.
Mariah Steele fell about 24 feet Monday when she slipped off a hiking path while visiting Scotland as a student ambassador with the People to People program. Along with the initially diagnosed neck injuries, she broke her right hip, right arm and fingers and has a crushed pelvis from the fall.
The good news came when she was transferred to a different hospital in Scotland, where new specialists examined her, Rick Steele said.
"Everybody's praying, and their prayers worked," he said. "I'm one of the happiest dads in the world and when she gets home, I'll be the happiest."
Steele's wife, Michelle, started her trip to Scotland Wednesday and should arrive today to be with her daughter, who still faces a lengthy recovery.
Steele was also awaiting his first telephone conversation with his daughter since the accident, planned for late Wednesday.
The community has been rejoicing since the news broke, said the Rev. Mike Webber, the Steele family's pastor and friend.
"The hospital is absolutely turned upside down by this and so is everyone here as the news spreads," he said. "She may be able to walk across the platform to receive her diploma at Frontier High School this spring."
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Halibut300
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07-11-08 1:11 AM
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Prayer works, we all need to try using it more...
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OneAmongThem
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07-11-08 12:41 AM
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I absolutely love watching what God can do! Let's not stop the prayers for her comfort and speedy recovery and for her family and friends comfort and patience as they are there to help take care of her through it all. musicgirl said: "The true beauty of God can only be seen to those who wish to see it. And this, is a beautiful thing." Many believe in God but so many don't truly believe Him. Here's hoping that many will choose to believe through these things that happen all around us everyday. You just have to open your eyes, so to speak, to see it all.
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brandon24
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07-10-08 11:55 PM
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i reall hope to het to see her walk across that stage i think r newspaper and wtap should cover that since it will be such a miracle and as i said earlier praise the lord and i will be praying ever night for her safe trip home has anyone heard if the mother got there yet
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musicgirl4316
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07-10-08 11:39 PM
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Praise be. Such a young girl, and such a horrible thing to happen. OneAmongThem, I TOTALLY agree that faith can only increase if people will allow it. The true beauty of God can only be seen to those who wish to see it. And this, is a beautiful thing. Yes, everyone messes up ladynoogs, and yes second opinions are VERY important. CT scans are very accurate, especially when it involves broken bones. There was no mistake there. The impression given is that many people saw the breaks, and that many do not see them now... But whats most important is that this girl is being given a second chance at life. And the Lord had his hands on this young lady, and will continue to be with her and her family.
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PastorMike
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07-10-08 11:00 PM
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One of the sad facts of life has been with us from the beginning. Many people refuse to entertain evidence that challenges how they believe. Jesus Christ demonstrated His Divinity by raising people from the dead. Lazarus had begun to decompose after 4 days but Jesus called his name and the dead man walked out of his grave. This blatant evidence should have been received as facts that intellectual honesty would have to consider and explain, even if it meant leaving old ways behind. But then as now, people became enraged and plotted to kill Lazarus and Jesus. Still believing in their own opinion and disregarding clear evidence, people will make judgements in direct contradiction to what they have witnessed. As we see here, people will believe that there was no fracture in the first place just so they do not have to honestly consider whether to disregard their weakened opinion in favor of a much more glorious truth.
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cincyreds45212
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07-10-08 9:26 PM
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this is not luck..but the devine intervention of our loving God. With faith in Christ all things are possible.
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msillaman
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07-10-08 6:09 PM
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What awesome news!! A lot of people don't end up so lucky! Nice to hear she'll be ok!
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OneAmongThem
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07-10-08 5:15 PM
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astrid, That has been my experience as well. People can only increase their faith if they allow it to increase. God's always at work, some people just choose to ignore Him and miss out on what He has for those who believe Him. He's never going to force His way in though. We are given that choice. That's just one more amazing thing about Him.
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astrid
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07-10-08 4:54 PM
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If this story does not increase faith in god, then I do not know what will. Being in the medical field, I believe that this is truly a miracle. For those of you who want to say that the CT scan was read wrong, it has been my experience that things tend to be missed rather than seen.
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ladynoogs
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07-10-08 4:49 PM
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I never said i didnt belive in a Higher Power (or God if you must)... without the HP we wouldnt have science or even be here at all, but lets not dismiss science in the name of the HP either. I wouldnt be here right now if it werent for the HP watching out for me.
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REALLYDISTURBED
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07-10-08 3:04 PM
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You're right about one thing ladynoogs....doctors,labs, and even entire hospitals screw up all the time. Thank goodness god doesn't.
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OneAmongThem
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07-10-08 12:00 PM
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And I know without a doubt, He's not finished with this one yet.
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OneAmongThem
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07-10-08 11:34 AM
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I am the Mom of a once cheerleader, and all my kids were athletes as well. The dangers are great in that alone. This just shows that danger can be everywhere in any circumstance. I believe with all my heart that God has had His hand in all of this. Faith in Him can do wonders! This is just one proof, but oh what a great one!
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bobcatfan
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07-10-08 11:25 AM
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God is good all the time. This is certainly a miracle and that always puzzles doctors. We believers know what happened.
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brandon24
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07-10-08 10:45 AM
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praise the lord that he was with her when she fell
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2girlzmom
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07-10-08 10:11 AM
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Newsnut I email the paper to let them know that the bank listed is not correct. This should say "Peoples Savings Bank" and not "Peoples Bank". These two banks are not affiliated in any way. "Peoples Savings Bank" has a branch in Newport and the main bank is in New Matamoras. You can also go online at ****wtap**** and hit the "HOT" button and they will accept donations on there also. I know this family well and they appreciate all the thoughts, prayers and donations for Moriah. They couldn't make it through without everyone's help. The old saying is that "God works in mysterious ways" and I believe that is so true. Thank you everyone!
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Orchardfarmer
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07-10-08 9:51 AM
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ladynoogs - miracles DO happen. If you think that this world exists without the presence of a living God, then explain why Beauty exists at all - it doesn't make a bit of sense scientifically. I can explain scientifically exactly why a rainbow exists, but I can't explain why it is beautiful without the presence of a God who loves Beauty. And what happened in Scotland is an example of our loving God listening to the fervant prayers of those who love Him.
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ladynoogs
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07-10-08 9:38 AM
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Thats wonderful news. I'm so glad this young lady's quality of life will be better than expected now. It just shows the importance of good health care and second opinions, luckily she was transferred to another hospital where they could see what was really going on. Breaks just dont disappear unless it was some kind of lab or doctor error. Thank Goodness she's going to be ok, thats the most important thing.
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newsnut
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07-10-08 8:26 AM
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Can you drop off donations at Peoples Bank in Marietta?
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