Maura Poston Zagrans - Miracles Every Day: The Story of One Physicians Inspiring Faith and the Healing Power of Prayer

Authors Note

T his is a book about faith, prayer, and the power of love. It is also the true story of a man who has fused these elements into his daily life, a physician whose maxim really is miracles every day.

Issam Nemeh, M.D., has pursued a lifelong calling to demonstrate the healing power of love, and the story of his submission to a cause greater than himself is inspiring.

People tend to look at Dr. Nemeh from slightly different viewpoints. Some see in his career proof that one man can make a difference in the world. Others say he gave them hope against all odds. Some say he saved their lives, while others say he saved their souls. What is it about this humble, limelight-averse person that arouses such passion?

I first met Dr. Nemeh and his wife, Kathy, who plays an integral role in Dr. Nemehs ministry, in a French pastry and catering shop owned by our mutual friend Charlene Kalo on Christmas Eve 2006. We shook hands and spoke for a few minutes, an exchange that remains vivid in my mind because the impressions conveyed to me were extraordinary. Kathy was warmth and liveliness; the doctor was compassion and gentleness. I never dreamed I would soon be writing a book about them.

I knew almost nothing about the Nemehs. Charlene had once mentioned something to me about their being involved in a gathering of ten thousand people, but as she reminisced about the day I stared at her uncomprehendingly. I really didnt know what she was talking about.

The husband of one of my dearest friends was a patient of Dr. Nemehs, and he had talked about the doctor with reverence and love.

Other than those two tiny connections, I was a blank slate. I never saw televised broadcasts about Dr. Nemeh because twenty-five years earlier I had traded television-watching time for quality time to read and be with my children. Healing services, falling in the spirit, and being prayed over were completely foreign to me.

When I began working on the book, I may have been disadvantaged by a steep learning curve, but what I had going for me was an objective, unbiased perspective. I logged thousands of hours of interview and observation time and eventually came to the conclusion that Dr. Nemehs story should be told because it is authentic. I also came to understand why people feel so strongly about him and how it is he fulfills so many different functions for the people whose lives he has touched. This book, then, is about life journeyshis and theirs.

Dr. Nemeh insists God is the only healer, but he never imposes his beliefs on anyone. Just as a rose is a rose by any other name, so too is a miracle a miracle whether attributed to God or to love. The important point is that when Dr. Nemeh prays over a person the connection that occurs oftentimes initiates a change that leads to happiness and healing on many levels.

Every story related in this book is true and unembellished. Because it is not possible within the scope of one book to compile all the miracles associated with Dr. Nemehs career, each account was selected as a representative of a type of patient or a kind of healing. A few names have been changed to protect peoples privacy.

In May 2007 I attended a retreat at which Kathy Nemeh, during her remarks at the podium, told a charming story of calling her husband over to where she was jotting ideas for her speech on index cards. Issam, she asked, who are you? Weve been married twenty-five years and youre still an enigma to me.

Issam turned on his heel, walked into another room, and returned carrying a painting of Jesus Palm Sunday procession. He answered with a question of his own. If you could be anyone in this picture, who would you be? When she didnt comprehend his point, he explained, I would want to be the one who is closest to Jesus. The one who is patiently carrying Jesus to the people: the donkey.

Dr. Nemeh sees himself as one who serves. The humility with which he has answered his calling stands as a reminder that we too can honor God by serving one another.

A Vision Fulfilled

T en thousand people came seeking not just a miracle. They came in search of their miracle.

On March 13, 2005, they came to Garfield Heights, Ohio, to Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church by private ambulance, in motorized lift vans, and in sedans displaying handicapped hangtags. They came alone and they came with families. They walked with heads held high and they hobbled through the parking lot on crutches. They stood in Disney Worldlong lines that snaked across a network of sidewalks crisscrossing the parish campus. They came looking for hope. They came looking for healing. At twenty-one degrees and with a piercing wind blowing, many would later recall the desperation of the day wrapped in a memory of brittle cold.

Constructed in the 1950s, the Romanesque church seats eight hundred beneath her graceful arches and towering columns. Painted murals and stained-glass windows depict St. Pauls conversion on the road to Damascus and the primacy of St. Peter, among other images. As caretakers pushed loved ones up the aisles, some in wheelchairs, some on hospital gurneys, hymns were being played by the pipe organist in the loft above. Canes, crutches, and walkers could be seen throughout the dense gathering, hard evidence of injuries, disease, or just the physical deterioration of old age. In the pews, bald children pressed close to their parents.