Looking for a speaker to motivate and inspire? Then look no further! Mandy Young's life is a testimate to how a positive attitude and faith in God can bring you through even your worst days. Her life is a medical odyssey, only to be described by scientists at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. But, Mandy's life is so much more than her rare genetic mutation. Below are excerpts from her speech.....
"My parents have been told 9 times over the years that I wouldn't live through the night, that they should come in and tell me goodbye. But they never did."
"When I look at these illnesses, I can't believe that they happened to one person. And to know that they happened to me, it blows my mind!"
"Scientists told my parents, that my body was further advanced than medicine. The test hadn't been invented to define my problem. You will have to wait for science to catch up with her."
"And so for the next two years I was put into complete isolation away from everything and everybody."
"I don't blame God nor am I angry with God for all that has happened to me. Actually, as crazy as this may sound, I thank God for choosing me."
"When I was 8 years old I contracted Clostridia Septicemia secondary to Gas Gangrene. The combination of these had not been documented since WWII. I was treated by doctors reading medical journals and applying it with current medical knowledge. The infection was consuming my body, beginning in my leg. Therefore my leg and hip were amputated in a desperate attempt to stop the infection from spreading and save my life."
"I know God gave me my disease for a reason; it's not for my purpose, but for HIS. My life is not about me; unlike what my generation so wants us to believe, it's about HIM! And knowing that HE is in charge of my life, gives me hope for those things that seem so unclear, like my disease and living without answers for so many years."
" I was taken to a lab every Tuesday and Friday for two long years to have my blood drawn. As odd as it may sound I looked forward to it. It was my connection to the outside world. I've been called a human lab rat."
"For years we traveled all over the country begging doctors to try to find out why I continued to get these life threatening infections. I've had hundreds and perhaps thousands of tests done on my body and my blood. Waiting days or a week for test results can be almost unbearable, we waited over 20 years."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23