Despite knowing the
best health practices
00:00:15.54\00:00:17.45
and doing the best we can
to follow those practices,
00:00:17.48\00:00:19.95
sometimes facing
cardiovascular disease
00:00:19.98\00:00:22.35
is unavoidable.
00:00:22.38\00:00:23.75
Today, we'll hear from
Bobby Davis in part two
00:00:23.79\00:00:26.86
on how his trials
became a blessing.
00:00:26.89\00:00:29.86
Thanks for joining us today
on the Ultimate Prescription.
00:00:29.89\00:00:32.36
Welcome, and thank
you for joining us again
00:00:54.12\00:00:55.62
on the Ultimate Prescription.
00:00:55.65\00:00:56.99
I'm your host, Nick Evenson.
00:00:57.02\00:00:58.35
And we've got a
special program here.
00:00:58.39\00:01:00.49
If you saw before, Bobby Davis
shared on this program with us
00:01:00.52\00:01:03.73
about his cardiac event.
00:01:03.76\00:01:05.93
And, Bobby, welcome
back to the program,
00:01:05.96\00:01:07.33
we're gonna hear part two today.
00:01:07.36\00:01:08.90
And you're gonna
share about the blessings
00:01:08.93\00:01:10.27
that this really was
in your life, correct?
00:01:10.30\00:01:11.63
Amen.
00:01:11.67\00:01:13.00
Yeah, and you are the producer
of the Today show here at 3ABN
00:01:13.03\00:01:16.00
and the magazine
editor, is that right?
00:01:16.04\00:01:17.71
Yes. Excellent.
00:01:17.74\00:01:19.07
Well, thank you
again for sharing with us.
00:01:19.11\00:01:20.44
And, Dr. Marcum,
you are speaker/director
00:01:20.48\00:01:23.51
of Heartwise Ministry
and a practicing cardiologist
00:01:23.55\00:01:26.58
for those of you who don't know.
00:01:26.61\00:01:28.28
And, Dr. Marcum,
00:01:28.32\00:01:29.65
what do you think
about Bobby's story here?
00:01:29.68\00:01:31.59
Well, you know, I hear...
00:01:31.62\00:01:34.46
I'm privileged, Bobby,
00:01:34.49\00:01:36.16
that I get to work with patients
00:01:36.19\00:01:37.73
every single day of my life.
00:01:37.76\00:01:40.23
And I've got to see people
00:01:40.26\00:01:41.86
that have faith go
into this procedures
00:01:41.90\00:01:44.90
and people that don't have faith
00:01:44.93\00:01:47.30
and everyone that
I send to a bypass,
00:01:47.34\00:01:49.74
so I'm the
cardiologist part of this,
00:01:49.77\00:01:52.27
and I refer to the surgeons
00:01:52.31\00:01:53.88
and so I try to introduce
00:01:53.91\00:01:58.31
a spiritual
component if appropriate.
00:01:58.35\00:02:01.48
You know, for some
people it's appropriate to say,
00:02:01.52\00:02:03.25
but I've never had anyone say,
00:02:03.28\00:02:05.15
may I offer a
prayer for you say no.
00:02:05.19\00:02:08.42
But I think as we're
gonna find out today,
00:02:08.46\00:02:10.46
having a spiritual life,
00:02:10.49\00:02:12.19
when you go into
the health problem,
00:02:12.23\00:02:13.90
it's a blessing.
00:02:13.93\00:02:15.86
And we're gonna find out today
00:02:15.90\00:02:17.53
how much more it
can be a blessing
00:02:17.57\00:02:20.20
once you've
actually gone through it
00:02:20.24\00:02:22.07
and dependent on God
for your very survival,
00:02:22.10\00:02:24.71
and realizing
00:02:24.74\00:02:26.07
that if it's not His
will for you to survive,
00:02:26.11\00:02:28.14
He's still...
00:02:28.18\00:02:29.51
You're safe in His
arms no matter what happens.
00:02:29.54\00:02:32.08
So those are the things
we're gonna talk about today.
00:02:32.11\00:02:34.58
But let's back up a little bit.
00:02:34.62\00:02:38.05
You had some
symptoms in your chest.
00:02:38.09\00:02:41.56
You had an angiogram done,
00:02:41.59\00:02:43.73
you had to travel all
the way to a different state,
00:02:43.76\00:02:47.06
had a great surgeon
did the bypass surgery.
00:02:47.10\00:02:50.10
We talked about
00:02:50.13\00:02:51.47
how you
experienced this procedure,
00:02:51.50\00:02:53.94
which is called a
coronary artery bypass graft.
00:02:53.97\00:02:57.87
That's right.
00:02:57.91\00:02:59.24
We call that... A cabbage.
00:02:59.27\00:03:01.14
And how many
cabbages did you have?
00:03:01.18\00:03:02.58
I had a cabbage times
three is how the nurses
00:03:02.61\00:03:05.95
would always
explain to each other
00:03:05.98\00:03:07.32
at the shift change.
00:03:07.35\00:03:08.68
"This is Bobby,
00:03:08.72\00:03:10.05
he's had a cabbage times three."
00:03:10.09\00:03:11.42
And it always made me laugh.
00:03:11.45\00:03:12.79
And I believe that you've taken
00:03:12.82\00:03:14.16
a picture of the
cabbage on the outside.
00:03:14.19\00:03:15.86
I did.
00:03:15.89\00:03:17.23
You took a picture of
the cabbage on the outside.
00:03:17.26\00:03:18.69
I couldn't wait to
stop by a grocery store
00:03:18.73\00:03:21.20
on the way home
from the hospital
00:03:21.23\00:03:22.63
and get a picture with
three cabbages in my hand.
00:03:22.66\00:03:26.03
Yeah, that is great.
00:03:26.07\00:03:27.80
But these are conduits,
00:03:27.84\00:03:29.77
these are actually
coronary artery conduits
00:03:29.80\00:03:31.91
and we like to take
arteries to arteries if we can.
00:03:31.94\00:03:35.54
Sometimes we can
take multiple arteries,
00:03:35.58\00:03:37.65
we take the left
internal mammary,
00:03:37.68\00:03:39.85
we can take a radial artery,
00:03:39.88\00:03:41.65
sometimes we can take
the right internal mammary.
00:03:41.68\00:03:45.52
We only can do that
00:03:45.55\00:03:47.42
where the blockages are
'cause they have to reach
00:03:47.46\00:03:49.92
south of blockages, right?
00:03:49.96\00:03:51.83
But this doesn't
take away our disease
00:03:51.86\00:03:54.30
nor does the bypass necessarily
take away all of our symptoms.
00:03:54.33\00:03:58.50
It just helps to treat them.
00:03:58.53\00:04:00.74
So you've gone through this
00:04:00.77\00:04:02.10
now, I think on
our last program,
00:04:02.14\00:04:04.04
we brought you all the way
up to your getting out of bed.
00:04:04.07\00:04:06.91
So share with us
00:04:06.94\00:04:08.28
how the hospitalization
ended up and what happened
00:04:08.31\00:04:11.25
after you got to the floor?
00:04:11.28\00:04:13.18
Sure.
00:04:13.21\00:04:14.55
One of the things
that I was keenly aware of,
00:04:14.58\00:04:17.82
even here before my
surgery here in Carbondale,
00:04:17.85\00:04:21.26
at the hospital
00:04:21.29\00:04:22.62
there is that my purpose in life
00:04:22.66\00:04:26.83
truly is to be of
maximum service to God
00:04:26.86\00:04:29.36
and to the people around me.
00:04:29.40\00:04:31.10
And because of
that amazing peace
00:04:31.13\00:04:34.14
that I felt and I
have to back up, doctor,
00:04:34.17\00:04:36.44
and tell you a quick
little incident that happened.
00:04:36.47\00:04:39.51
As I was in the
back of the ambulance
00:04:39.54\00:04:42.28
being transported
to another hospital
00:04:42.31\00:04:44.51
suddenly my phone went off.
00:04:44.55\00:04:46.92
And I looked at it
00:04:46.95\00:04:48.28
and it was your
Biblical Prescriptions app
00:04:48.32\00:04:52.39
that it come up
with a Bible verse,
00:04:52.42\00:04:54.66
and I don't...
00:04:54.69\00:04:56.02
I wish I could
remember which verse it was,
00:04:56.06\00:04:57.96
but I was picking up four
of those a day, I believe,
00:04:57.99\00:05:01.63
and it happened to be one
that just intensified the peace
00:05:01.66\00:05:05.80
that I felt and assured me
00:05:05.83\00:05:07.97
of God's presence in
that ambulance with me.
00:05:08.00\00:05:10.67
And I remember thinking,
00:05:10.71\00:05:12.11
now that's very odd
00:05:12.14\00:05:13.94
that this would go
off right as I need it.
00:05:13.98\00:05:16.34
And I can tell you
for the next month,
00:05:16.38\00:05:19.41
month and a half,
00:05:19.45\00:05:20.78
or whatever it was
between hospitalizations
00:05:20.82\00:05:22.92
and the surgery, and whatever.
00:05:22.95\00:05:24.69
Every time that
phone would go off,
00:05:24.72\00:05:26.45
I'd look at it.
00:05:26.49\00:05:27.82
And I read one more
precious promise from God
00:05:27.86\00:05:30.53
that you and
your team put together
00:05:30.56\00:05:32.36
and I want to thank you,
00:05:32.39\00:05:33.73
in fact, that's
how I contacted you
00:05:33.76\00:05:35.33
is to say thank
you for this app.
00:05:35.36\00:05:37.47
It's just an
amazing thing for me.
00:05:37.50\00:05:39.43
It's God's app. That's right.
00:05:39.47\00:05:41.30
But it's 10 minutes of worship,
00:05:41.34\00:05:43.81
and it keeps us plugged in,
00:05:43.84\00:05:45.17
you know, we have technology,
can do bypass surgeries,
00:05:45.21\00:05:47.68
we now have technology
that can keep us plugged in
00:05:47.71\00:05:49.98
to worship.
00:05:50.01\00:05:51.35
That's right.
00:05:51.38\00:05:52.71
And it was
amazing how appropriate
00:05:52.75\00:05:54.08
it was for each stage of
this journey that I went on.
00:05:54.12\00:05:58.09
But, you know,
00:05:58.12\00:05:59.82
one of the things that
I also felt was amazing
00:05:59.85\00:06:03.43
during this, that
blessed me and I'll say quickly
00:06:03.46\00:06:06.76
was that a verse came to my mind
00:06:06.80\00:06:09.43
as I was in the
back of that ambulance.
00:06:09.46\00:06:11.80
And it was the words of
Jesus before He left this earth.
00:06:11.83\00:06:15.34
And I'm trying not
to paraphrase too much,
00:06:15.37\00:06:18.34
but He says, "My
peace, I leave with you.
00:06:18.37\00:06:22.01
Not as the world
gives it, do I give you.
00:06:22.04\00:06:25.01
"Let not your
heart be troubled."
00:06:25.05\00:06:27.72
And as I remembered those words,
00:06:27.75\00:06:29.55
I welled up with tears,
00:06:29.58\00:06:30.92
and I started laughing
and crying at the same time
00:06:30.95\00:06:33.09
all by myself at the
back of that ambulance.
00:06:33.12\00:06:35.99
And then the last
part of that verse says
00:06:36.02\00:06:37.89
"And do not be afraid."
00:06:37.93\00:06:39.76
I believe that
was my special promise
00:06:39.79\00:06:42.93
from God.
00:06:42.96\00:06:44.30
I'm sure I mean,
00:06:44.33\00:06:45.67
I've heard this Bible
verse many, many times,
00:06:45.70\00:06:48.64
but I'd never memorized
it that I can remember.
00:06:48.67\00:06:51.67
And yet it was
verbatim in my mind,
00:06:51.71\00:06:54.28
and I know God just
placed it there for me.
00:06:54.31\00:06:57.08
And, you know,
00:06:57.11\00:06:58.65
even in the
hospital here in Carbondale,
00:06:58.68\00:07:00.55
I was privileged to listen
with my heart to the nurses
00:07:00.58\00:07:06.76
and the phlebotomist
and all kinds of people
00:07:06.79\00:07:10.49
that were coming
in and out of my room
00:07:10.53\00:07:12.53
for several days.
00:07:12.56\00:07:14.30
And I was able to
minister to these people,
00:07:14.33\00:07:17.00
which was something
I was keenly aware of.
00:07:17.03\00:07:19.87
These were opportunities
that God had lined up
00:07:19.90\00:07:22.40
before the beginning of time,
00:07:22.44\00:07:24.47
knowing that I
would be in that hospital
00:07:24.51\00:07:26.78
with this person,
00:07:26.81\00:07:28.41
and I had something
that I could share with them.
00:07:28.44\00:07:31.91
And so my whole
time there had purpose
00:07:31.95\00:07:34.38
and had meaning
00:07:34.42\00:07:35.75
even though I was
waiting for surgery
00:07:35.78\00:07:37.49
and seemingly on hold.
00:07:37.52\00:07:39.69
The same thing happened
in the hospital in Atlanta.
00:07:39.72\00:07:42.69
I cannot tell you how, I mean,
00:07:42.72\00:07:44.39
the very first
night I was out of,
00:07:44.43\00:07:47.40
I was in intensive
care the first night
00:07:47.43\00:07:49.96
and at some point I
began speaking with my nurse,
00:07:50.00\00:07:54.17
I was aware
enough that she was there
00:07:54.20\00:07:56.07
and she asked me some questions.
00:07:56.10\00:07:57.54
She says "You're
not from here, are you?"
00:07:57.57\00:07:59.54
"No, I'm from Illinois."
00:07:59.57\00:08:00.91
"Well, what do
you do in Illinois?"
00:08:00.94\00:08:02.28
I said, "Well, I
work for a Christian
00:08:02.31\00:08:03.95
television network."
00:08:03.98\00:08:05.31
"Really."
00:08:05.35\00:08:06.68
And out of the blue she said,
00:08:06.72\00:08:08.05
"What denomination are you...
00:08:08.08\00:08:09.42
is the network?"
00:08:09.45\00:08:10.79
And I said, "Well,
00:08:10.82\00:08:12.15
our teachings are Seventh-day
Adventist teachings."
00:08:12.19\00:08:13.52
She goes, "I know a
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:08:13.56\00:08:15.96
In fact, I work with her,
there she is right over there."
00:08:15.99\00:08:18.39
And she called this woman over.
00:08:18.43\00:08:20.46
And she said,
"Bob is an Adventist."
00:08:20.50\00:08:23.60
And the lady just lit up
00:08:23.63\00:08:25.47
and she was so
excited to see me.
00:08:25.50\00:08:27.74
She goes, "You're
the first Adventist
00:08:27.77\00:08:29.10
I've met here."
00:08:29.14\00:08:30.47
And I'm sure
there have been many.
00:08:30.51\00:08:32.01
But she says,
00:08:32.04\00:08:33.38
"I was raised
Seventh-day Adventist."
00:08:33.41\00:08:34.98
And she says,
00:08:35.01\00:08:36.34
"Well, I haven't
gone to church in a while
00:08:36.38\00:08:37.98
and I really need
to go back but..."
00:08:38.01\00:08:39.65
And then she kept talking.
00:08:39.68\00:08:42.08
Later on after a couple of days,
00:08:42.12\00:08:44.69
I think may be
my last night there,
00:08:44.72\00:08:46.62
that lady came back to my room,
00:08:46.65\00:08:48.92
and she wanted to
talk to me some more.
00:08:48.96\00:08:51.23
And she starts talking
about how she was raised
00:08:51.26\00:08:54.66
in the Caribbean in one of...
00:08:54.70\00:08:56.30
in St. Thomas, I believe,
00:08:56.33\00:08:58.30
and she had
come to United States
00:08:58.33\00:09:01.40
to finish her nursing degree.
00:09:01.44\00:09:03.84
She was raised an Adventist
00:09:03.87\00:09:05.21
but she'd gotten
away from the church.
00:09:05.24\00:09:08.14
And she was going to
school and I asked her
00:09:08.18\00:09:10.91
where she went to
school, to nursing school.
00:09:10.95\00:09:12.68
And she says, "Well,
00:09:12.71\00:09:14.05
it's this little
college in New England,
00:09:14.08\00:09:16.25
you probably have
never heard of it,
00:09:16.28\00:09:18.12
Atlantic Union College."
00:09:18.15\00:09:19.49
Well,
00:09:19.52\00:09:20.86
I was grinning from ear to ear
00:09:20.89\00:09:22.32
because my parents
both retired from teaching
00:09:22.36\00:09:24.96
at Atlantic Union College.
00:09:24.99\00:09:26.66
And I said,
00:09:26.70\00:09:28.03
one of your
instructors had to be my mother
00:09:28.06\00:09:29.96
and she goes,
"Who's your mother."
00:09:30.00\00:09:31.93
And I told her who my mother was
00:09:31.97\00:09:33.50
and she about fainted.
00:09:33.54\00:09:35.60
And then the next
words out of her mouth was
00:09:35.64\00:09:38.04
"That's it. That's my sign.
00:09:38.07\00:09:40.21
I will be in
church this Sabbath.
00:09:40.24\00:09:42.44
So, how in the world,
00:09:42.48\00:09:45.15
30 years after she graduates,
00:09:45.18\00:09:47.65
she's taking care of
her nursing instructor son
00:09:47.68\00:09:51.69
who's in the
hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
00:09:51.72\00:09:54.92
There is no coincidence
and it was the young man
00:09:54.96\00:09:58.76
who had major
problems with his father
00:09:58.79\00:10:02.30
that I was able to
share about my father,
00:10:02.33\00:10:06.87
and about my Father in heaven.
00:10:06.90\00:10:08.64
It was the lady
00:10:08.67\00:10:10.01
who had a husband
who needed prayer.
00:10:10.04\00:10:14.04
And he had
dealt with some things
00:10:14.08\00:10:15.61
that I had
dealt with in my life,
00:10:15.64\00:10:17.38
you know, addiction to
alcohol and things like that.
00:10:17.41\00:10:20.15
And she didn't
know how I got help
00:10:20.18\00:10:22.12
and I was able to
share with her about that,
00:10:22.15\00:10:24.25
and share how she
can get help herself
00:10:24.29\00:10:26.82
in dealing with all of that.
00:10:26.86\00:10:28.26
So there was so many
00:10:28.29\00:10:29.62
of these so called coincidences.
00:10:29.66\00:10:31.93
And, of course,
after the first one,
00:10:31.96\00:10:34.50
I'm just counting
the blessings, right?
00:10:34.53\00:10:36.36
And I probably have 12 stories
I could tell you about it.
00:10:36.40\00:10:39.73
But in the process,
00:10:39.77\00:10:41.10
I was aware that as these people
00:10:41.14\00:10:43.81
were doing their
very best to help me
00:10:43.84\00:10:47.08
that I could
somehow help them in return.
00:10:47.11\00:10:49.88
And not just in a physical way
00:10:49.91\00:10:53.21
but in a spiritual
way which is really...
00:10:53.25\00:10:56.99
I became so aware of
it that I couldn't go...
00:10:57.02\00:11:01.96
I couldn't be
distracted with anything else.
00:11:01.99\00:11:04.99
I didn't watch TV.
00:11:05.03\00:11:06.36
I didn't do any of those things
00:11:06.39\00:11:08.06
that people
sometimes do in a hospital bed
00:11:08.10\00:11:10.17
because I was
thinking about these people
00:11:10.20\00:11:13.57
that were constantly around me
00:11:13.60\00:11:15.27
and listening to them
and making those friendships.
00:11:15.30\00:11:19.14
After I left the hospital,
or the day I left the hospital,
00:11:19.17\00:11:22.44
I went back to that ICU unit
00:11:22.48\00:11:24.58
and started
talking to all the nurses
00:11:24.61\00:11:27.52
that were there.
00:11:27.55\00:11:28.88
And it was amazing.
00:11:28.92\00:11:30.49
They couldn't
believe I was the same man
00:11:30.52\00:11:32.45
because here I
was up and walking.
00:11:32.49\00:11:34.66
Of course,
they're used to seeing me
00:11:34.69\00:11:36.02
laying flat in bed.
00:11:36.06\00:11:37.53
But it was...
00:11:37.56\00:11:38.89
I went back about
two or three weeks later,
00:11:38.93\00:11:42.23
after seeing my doctor
for the last time down there
00:11:42.26\00:11:45.43
before I was back here
at work and I saw them,
00:11:45.47\00:11:49.70
and again they did
not even recognize me.
00:11:49.74\00:11:52.07
So the changes were dramatic.
00:11:52.11\00:11:55.48
But the change for me
00:11:55.51\00:11:56.95
was I had the deepest
00:11:56.98\00:11:58.31
spiritual experience of my life.
00:11:58.35\00:12:01.08
And I know full well
that it's because I came up
00:12:01.12\00:12:03.69
against life and death.
00:12:03.72\00:12:06.65
And I was not
only willing but eager
00:12:06.69\00:12:09.16
to make peace with my maker.
00:12:09.19\00:12:11.13
And there were things,
00:12:11.16\00:12:12.49
you know, there
are always things
00:12:12.53\00:12:13.86
that oppose the
grace of God in my life.
00:12:13.90\00:12:15.33
And if I hang
on to those things,
00:12:15.36\00:12:17.57
those are the sticking points,
00:12:17.60\00:12:19.00
those are the things
00:12:19.03\00:12:20.50
that will destroy my
relationship with Him
00:12:20.54\00:12:22.87
and with other people.
00:12:22.90\00:12:24.24
And as soon as that
relationship is mended,
00:12:24.27\00:12:27.18
it changes everything
00:12:27.21\00:12:28.54
with every person
that comes in my life.
00:12:28.58\00:12:30.95
Now that
process has not stopped,
00:12:30.98\00:12:32.95
it continues to this day.
00:12:32.98\00:12:35.28
I am keenly aware that
every conversation I have
00:12:35.32\00:12:38.75
with every person I
come in contact with,
00:12:38.79\00:12:41.96
is a brother, a
sister in Christ,
00:12:41.99\00:12:43.79
is somebody that needs help,
00:12:43.83\00:12:45.43
is somebody that
needs me to listen to them.
00:12:45.46\00:12:48.96
One of the things I
discovered and rediscovered,
00:12:49.00\00:12:51.60
I guess, through this illness
00:12:51.63\00:12:52.97
is that God has
given me a talent
00:12:53.00\00:12:55.14
of being an encourager.
00:12:55.17\00:12:58.41
This world needs
more encouragers.
00:12:58.44\00:13:00.48
And I believe all of
us should be encouragers.
00:13:00.51\00:13:02.88
Now, I didn't think
00:13:02.91\00:13:04.25
that was a
particular talent or a gift
00:13:04.28\00:13:06.05
that God had given me,
00:13:06.08\00:13:07.55
but I certainly discovered that
00:13:07.58\00:13:09.62
because the reaction
that I got from these people,
00:13:09.65\00:13:12.45
I mean, whether it was
talking to them about 3ABN,
00:13:12.49\00:13:16.73
for example,
00:13:16.76\00:13:18.46
the lady that
admitted me into the hospital,
00:13:18.49\00:13:21.50
ended up coming to visit me
00:13:21.53\00:13:23.06
because my sister
could only come rarely.
00:13:23.10\00:13:26.03
So she came and
spent hours with me.
00:13:26.07\00:13:28.50
And the next thing you know,
she wants to know about 3ABN.
00:13:28.54\00:13:31.84
And she still
talks to me and tells me
00:13:31.87\00:13:35.01
that she's still watching 3ABN
00:13:35.04\00:13:36.64
and now she's got three
more ladies in admission
00:13:36.68\00:13:40.05
that in the
admissions department
00:13:40.08\00:13:42.62
that are all watching 3ABN,
00:13:42.65\00:13:44.85
only because I
listened and I cared.
00:13:44.89\00:13:48.66
That's powerful.
00:13:48.69\00:13:50.03
Yeah.
00:13:50.06\00:13:51.39
There's more to come.
00:13:51.43\00:13:52.76
We'll be back with
more from Bobby Davis
00:13:52.79\00:13:54.13
on his experience
00:13:54.16\00:13:55.50
and how his
trials became a blessing
00:13:55.53\00:13:56.87
in just a moment.
00:13:56.90\00:13:58.23