In this episode of The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen are once again joined by Kelli Davis from The Children’s Miracle Network for a discussion on miracles. Kelli shares an unbelievable story of how a young boy with a congenital heart defect inspired a famous baseball player to create his own miracle, which had reverberations that changed lives and gave hope to many who didn’t have it before.
Dr. Daniel Amen: Welcome to the Brain Warrior's Way Podcast. I'm Doctor Daniel Amen.
Tana Amen: And I'm Tana Amen. In our podcast we provide you with the tools you need to become a warrior for the health of your brain and body.
Dr. Daniel Amen: The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast is brought to you by Amen Clinics, where we have been transforming lives for 30 years, using tools like brain SPECT imaging, to personalize treatment to your brain. For more information, visit AmenClinics.com.
Tana Amen: The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast is also brought to you by Brain-MD, where we produce the highest quality nutraceuticals, to support the health of your brain and body. To learn more go to BrainMD.com.
Tana Amen: Welcome back. We are on episode three. We are back with Kelli, from Children's Miracle Network, and we are just having such a good time. And Kelli, you mentioned that you wanted to talk about Maverick, and teaching people how to have miracles, so talk about that.
Kelli Davis: Yes. I love inspiring people to believe in miracles, but more importantly, go create miracles for those around them, because that's truly what it's all about.
And I had the most amazing opportunity in 2014, to meet a child from Wyoming. He's from Wyoming, I'm from Wyoming. He was born June 11, I was born June 11. He loves the Boston Red Sox, I love the Boston Red Sox.
Well Maverick has had over 40 surgeries, including five open heart surgeries. And one day, when Maverick wasn't feeling very well, I reached out to my friend, who played first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, when they won the World Series in 2004, and asked him if he could get a video for Maverick, from his hero, David Ortiz, otherwise known as "Big Papi", one of the best home run hitters in the game. And two hours later, I had a video, from David, that said "Maverick. Stay strong, keep the faith, be positive, and I'm going to hit a home run for you tonight."
Well fast forward a couple of hours, it's a beautiful night at Fenway Park, and the Boston Red Sox are playing their rival, the New York Yankees. Big Papi steps up to bat, the first time he strikes out, he steps up to bat the second time, he strikes out, he steps up to bat the third time, he strikes out. He steps up to bat the fourth time, it's the bottom of the 8th inning, the game is tied 2-2. He's up against one of the best relieving pitchers in baseball, someone he's never had a hit off of, his entire career, and he hits a game winning home run for Maverick.
Now at that point, I'm in my bedroom, and I'm on my knees, because I was praying for a miracle, but I knew what that would mean for Maverick. And the next thing I know, I have a video from Maverick, says "Big Papi, you never let me down, and I'm going to try my hardest to get to Fenway Park to meet you."
Within two weeks, I was on a private plane, from Cheyenne Wyoming, with my little man, for him to meet his hero, and for him to throw out the first pitch.
Tana Amen: That's so cool.
Kelli Davis: And the moment that they met, will forever be etched in my mind. Big Papi walks in the room, and little Maverick, six years old, just looks up at him, he's like, "Big Papi!"
And then they embraced. And I cried. And he had the home run ball that he'd hit for him in his hand, because the fan decided to give it back.
Tana Amen: Aww.
Kelli Davis: Are miracles real?
Tana Amen: That's so cool.
Kelli Davis: Should Big Papi have hit that home run for Maverick? Odds were against him. Home runs in Major League Baseball aren't that easy to hit, but he did it, and he acknowledged help from a higher power.
I was so blessed to be a little tiny part of that miracle, but I was just a little tiny part, there were nurses, there were doctors, hospital staff, everybody that had come together to get Maverick to a place, where he was even healthy enough to go to Boston, to meet his hero.
The day that I actually reached out to Kevin, I had only done that because I saw him with Big Papi on Instagram. Because I had been trying to get this video for months. But I happened to get it that day, and he happened to hit the home run that night.
I'm just like, and that is what my book is about, obviously, The Miracle of Maverick. A hundred percent of the proceeds benefit Children's Miracle Network hospitals.
Tana Amen: Oh wow.
Kelli Davis: But I really just want to inspire people to know that a miracle is possible in your life, but also know, that other people around you need miracles too, and you can be a part of that. One little tiny action can create the biggest miracle ever, for someone who needs it most.
Dr. Daniel Amen: That's such a powerful story about Maverick.
Tana Amen: It is. Made me cry.
Dr. Daniel Amen: So, I went to Medical School at Oral Roberts University, which is a Christian school, in Oklahoma, and he was a faith healer. And whatever you think about prime time religion, and even when I was there I was -
Tana Amen: Prime time?
Dr. Daniel Amen: I was a bit ambivalent about it. Right, because you know, I mean, televangelists and all of that.
The part of seeing miracles is really powerful. But what happens, and how do people stay the course...
Kelli Davis: Yeah.
Dr. Daniel Amen: When they pray for a miracle, and it doesn't happen?
Kelli Davis: Right.
Dr. Daniel Amen: And-
Kelli Davis: I love that question.
Tana Amen: Because I also went to a Christian college, and worked in a Christian hospital, and we saw miracles every day...
Dr. Daniel Amen: At Loma Linda.
Tana Amen: Yeah. We saw miracles every day. For sure. But, one thing I had to learn, because it was a hard place to work, I worked in a level A trauma center, I floated a lot to the children's side, and the children were the hardest for me. By far, the hardest for me. They were also the most special, right? When you see those miracles happen, but, I had to learn, how to see miracles, even when it was bleak.
Right? You have to learn how to see that sometimes, when it doesn't go the way you think it should go. And that's not an easy thing to do, sometimes.
Kelli Davis: I think about this a lot, because of the 10 million kids that we treat, they don't all make it.
Tana Amen: Right.
Kelli Davis: But I do believe, that, God has a perfect plan. For instance, I have a little friend named Jacob, who passed away two years ago, when he was 19. And he had spina bifida, and he was in constant pain for 19 years.
Tana Amen: Yeah.
Kelli Davis: Yeah. Jacob put a smile on his face, every day. He couldn't talk much, but his eyes lit up the room. And I think the miracle was that he was here, for as long as he was. And he lived out his life's purpose, while he was here.
I think we want to know why some people have a longer plan than others, but I know that it's all perfect. I know there's so much hurtfulness in the pain.
Tana Amen: Yeah, and a book that I read, and I think you read as well, in college, was "Why do bad things happen to good people?", it was a really good book. But you know, for me, without faith, I would not be able to have seen what I saw, and be able to walk away, without being bitter and angry.
So for me, I had to have that faith piece.
Kelli Davis: Mm-hmm.
Tana Amen: I think, you know other people don't, and that's up to them. I couldn't have done it without that, because I needed to be able to see that purpose. There has to be a purpose for me.
Kelli Davis: Mm-hmm.
Tana Amen: There's got to be a purpose for someone's pain and suffering, otherwise, what are we doing? You know, we have to be able to use that for something else, and it's just a hard thing.
So, when you see a mother on the floor screaming, you know, it's not an easy thing to watch.
Kelli Davis: Yeah.
Tana Amen: So, but to be able to see that and somehow use that for a bigger purpose, somehow believe that there's something else, in an important thing.
Dr. Daniel Amen: And the people that work at children hospitals are so special.
Tana Amen: Really.
Dr. Daniel Amen: I have an eight year old grand-daughter, who has a genetic microdeletion syndrome, and at the age of five months started having wicked seizures. And the syndrome she has, I mean, she's still not really talking, and intellectually, she's probably around two. But ...
Tana Amen: She's very special.
Dr. Daniel Amen: Is she not perfect?
Kelli Davis: Yeah.
Dr. Daniel Amen: She's absolutely perfect, and she has required, so much help...
Kelli Davis: Mm-hmm.
Tana Amen: So much.
Dr. Daniel Amen: From speech therapists, and physical therapists, and neurologists, and finding a way to support the hospitals...
Tana Amen: Yes.
Dr. Daniel Amen: That support the-
Tana Amen: She wouldn't be where she's at.
Dr. Daniel Amen: ... children-
Tana Amen: Without that.
Dr. Daniel Amen: ... in our lives.
Kelli Davis: Yeah.
Dr. Daniel Amen: Is just so important.
Tana Amen: And that's a good point, because I see Emmy's progress as a miracle. They said she would not live. And then they said if she ever did walk, when she lived, that if she did walk, she would not walk without a walker, and it wouldn't be until she was five. She was walking without a walker by the time she was two. She'd never talked, she's beginning to make words. These are all miracles. For sure.
Kelli Davis: Yeah.
Tana Amen: So, you know, it's very special, actually.
Kelli Davis: Well, I have a 23 year old nephew, and he's non-verbal, he's not potty trained, has tuberous sclerosis, severely autistic, 24/7 care the last 23 years.
Tana Amen: Yeah.
Kelli Davis: And for so long, there were prayers that he would talk, or that he would be able to communicate, but at the end of the day, he's a miracle that he's here, and that we get to be in his presence. Just like Emmy, right? She is a miracle, perfect the way that she is. We might wish it could be something different, but she's perfect.
Tana Amen: Right.
Kelli Davis: And I want to meet her one day.
Dr. Daniel Amen: And where we bring our attention, will determine how we feel.
Tana Amen: Mm-hmm
Kelli Davis: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Daniel Amen: So, if we see it as a deficit, we will feel it's unfair, but if we see the miracles, day in and day out, we'll feel miraculous.
Kelli Davis: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Daniel Amen: But it's also important to know these families need a lot of help. That they need a lot of care, and the more we can support these hospitals, with organizations like yours.
Kelli Davis: Yeah.
Dr. Daniel Amen: The better we all are as the human race.
Tana Amen: And it makes us feel better to know we're doing something special.
Dr. Daniel Amen: When we come back, we're going to wrap this up, but mostly, Kelli, I want you to think about a couple more of your favorite stories.
Tana Amen: Those are just heart wrenching.
Dr. Daniel Amen: Because stories is where it's at for humans.
Kelli Davis: Okay.
Dr. Daniel Amen: Stay with us.
Tana Amen: If you are enjoying The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast, please don't forget to subscribe so you'll always know when there's a new episode, and while you're at it, feel free to give us a review or five star rating, as that helps others find the podcast.
Dr. Daniel Amen: If you're interested in coming to Amen Clinics, use the code PODCAST10, to get a ten percent discount on a full evaluation at AmenClinics.com. For more information give us a call at 855-978-1363.
