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“He’s a true, documented medical miracle,” said Arlette Guidry. “He should be a vegetable and he’s not, praise God.” The he she is referring to is her husband, Tony Guidry.

“When we say he is a miracle of God, we mean totally. Medical, they are not claiming anything but that the grace of God healed him.”

In July of last year Tony underwent heart surgery. The surgery went well. It was when they tried to get him off the bypass machine and sew up the hole in his heart they encountered problems. The doctor equated it with trying to sew through cheese. It apparently was a birth anomaly that may have never been discovered. The surgeon, Dr. Lowayne Miller told Arlette he finally got it to hold, but Tony wasn’t out of the woods yet and advised her to bring in her “Prayer warriors.”

A passing nurse heard the whooshing sound of the blood when the sutures failed, even before alarms went off.

“If it wouldn’t have been for their quick team work and the doctors, he wouldn’t be here. In fact he was gone,” said Arlette.

She said Dr. Miller told them he said, “Lord, I’m losing this man.”

He heard God say, “No you’re not.” Dr. Miller told Mrs. Guidry that was the first time he had ever audibly heard God speak to him.

“So I kept working,” he told her.

Arlette said she heard, but hasn’t confirmed that Dr. Miller was asked about four times if he wanted to “call it,” but he refused. In literal terms, “call it” means to pronounce the time of death.

Tony’s brain became completely drained of blood and oxygen, which is a condition called Anoxia. It caused a large part of his brain cells to die “He literally lost 12.5 pints of blood,” said Arlette.

She said they told her the cognitive part of the brain was dead. He also lost his sight because of irreparable damage. When brain cells die, they don’t come back.

“We even have repeat CT scans that show there are parts of his brain that are just gone,” said Arlette.

According to Mrs. Guidry, the left side of Tony’s brain was hit the hardest which affects the right side of his body. He still should not be able to use his right arm and leg, yet he does.

“He walks and he’s actually developed motor skills and using his hand, which they say is just another miracle because he has no pulses on that side. He doesn’t have a brachial or radial pulse on that side and yet he works his arm and his hand.” She said a pulse cannot even be found with a stethoscope. His arm should just be limp with no use, yet he uses it and even has a very firm handshake.

“He is almost done with his therapy. He can walk with no assistance. He has no wheelchair, no cane and no walker.”

“He’s able to carry on a conversation. He understands what you say. He walks, he talks. He’s not blind anymore; he can see again and can read at a size 14 font. God is just totally restoring him.”

In the last year they have come full circle. They started at Medical Center of Southeast Texas, transferred to Memorial Herman Hospital in Houston. From there, he started his rehabilitation at Tirr Rehabilitation Hospital. From Tirr they went to Transitional Learning Center in Galveston for therapy and now they’re finishing therapy at the Medical Center of Southeast Texas.

At the Medical Center they call him the “Miracle Man.”

“All the doctors are just elated,” said Mrs. Guidry.

She said the doctors have been pressing her to get the story out about Tony, because they think people need to know.

“God is creating miracles every day, but it’s something else to be able to witness or see someone who doctors absolutely admit that they were just instruments doing whatever God told them to do. They’re not taking credit for him.

Dr. James Grotta at Memorial Herman told her there was no more he could do, “It’s up to God now.”

Arlette told him that was a powerful statement and urged him to pray for Tony. He and his entire team of approximately ten doctors came to his room and did so. There was such a dramatic change the next day that they continued to pray in his room, every evening Tony was there.

“I think God lines things up and lets you do the rest. My husband has worked so hard with his therapy. He is so grateful and full of joy that God has given him more time to be with his family.

“He’s been a great inspiration to a lot of people around here. We have people that have sent cards and messages from all over the world when they heard about Tony’s story.”

Members of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), the Guidrys have even been contacted by the 700 Club. They said so many people were calling for prayer for a certain man.

“Mrs. Guidry we just want to know. Is Tony Guidry and the Miracle Man, one in the same?” they asked.

“Yes he is,” she said.

They may be calling back to set up a phone interview.

They told her “We think we might be doing a story on this because it’s quite different. It’s a different kind of miracle. He literally brought him back from death,” they said.

“It’s been an awesome thing for all of us,” said Arlette. “The doctors have been so gracious and so humble. They have to admit that they didn’t do this. I give them praise for doing what God asked.

“This is a big change in our life, but we just count on God to take care of everything. It’s been quite a journey,” she said.

Pictured are Tony and Arlette Guidry at their home in Bridge City. RECORD PHOTO: Penny LeLeux