{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Christmas miracle David Etter goes home for the holidays &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"pjyHaoBbtx\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/christmas-miracle-david-etter-goes-home-for-the-holidays\/\">Christmas miracle David Etter goes home for the holidays<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/christmas-miracle-david-etter-goes-home-for-the-holidays\/embed\/#?secret=pjyHaoBbtx\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Christmas miracle David Etter goes home for the holidays&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"pjyHaoBbtx\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/4-col-Etter-and-family.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":330,"description":"Retired University of the Cumberlands music teacher Dr. David Etter is no stranger to playing Christmas carols on the piano. However, last Wednesday\u2019s performance on the piano in the lobby of Baptist Health Corbin was a little different. Etter\u2019s playing of \u201cJoy to the World\u201d and \u201cO Come All Ye Faithful\u201d was before a crowd of friends, family, and the caretakers, who had overseen his recovery from near death. \u201cI am a little embarrassed doing this, but there are a lot of you that had so much to do with my being here,\u201d Etter told the crowd, particularly his caregivers some of whom came in on their day off to see Etter discharged. \u201cAll of it is God\u2019s doing,\u201d Etter said. \u201cThe people that really know their stuff on the medical aspect, they are telling me it is a miracle. Who am I to argue. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas. I get to go home for Christmas.\u201d Dr. Karl Heinss, one of the physicians over the rehabilitation unit at Baptist Health Corbin who treated Etter, agreed. \u201cIt is Christmas. It is a Christmas miracle,\u201d Heinss told Etter. \u201cYou are a living testament that prayers are still answered.\u201d How it started Etter, 74, said that he had been experiencing some discomfort and went to Baptist Health Corbin on Sept 4 not knowing what was wrong. Doctors discovered there was a cyst or tumor attached to his bowels, which obstructed the bowels. They determined that it was probably benign, but still needed to be removed. Early in the day on Sept. 7, hospital staff performed surgery and removed the cyst. At first, everything seemed fine. Then about 4 p.m., doctors determined that he was septic. He aspirated, vomited, and then his kidneys stopped. \u201cHe basically went into shock and that is why the kidneys shutdown,\u201d Heinss explained. Etter was then placed on a ventilator. Etter said there were a few times where hospital staff didn\u2019t think he was going to make it. \u201cI was basically out of it for the better part of two months. There were moments where I was awake sort of, but that was few and far between,\u201d Etter said. \u201cThe one time that I was aware of what was going on, a friend of mine was praying for me. He had come from Louisville just to see me here. His face was close to mine. I sensed that. He was praying for me. I don\u2019t know the specifics that he said, but I know he was praying for me, and I felt God\u2019s spirit warm and precious. At that moment \u2013 this is the way I remember it \u2013\u00a0I decided I was going to live.\u201d Eventually, doctors were able to ween him off the respirator, and his kidney function returned, which Heinss noted is rare and can be a miracle in and of itself. Everything took its toll on Etter. When he finally got to rehabilitation, he wasn\u2019t even able to stand. \u201cWe actually worked through the process of really relearning to stand, to work with his hands, to work with his arms. Now he is able to walk about 300 feet with some assistance. He is doing very well with that. His hands are back to working. He is playing the piano,\u201d Heinss said. Heinss noted that it is \u201cvery rare\u201d to see someone come so far back from the condition Etter was in. \u201cThis is certainly answered prayers. He worked very hard. Rehab can be somewhat frustrating because you don\u2019t progress as well as you want to. He worked very hard. All the therapists really worked to push him very hard. Through all that and through Jesus\u2026\u201d Heinss said overcome with emotion and breaking down in tears unable to complete the sentence. Heinss, who has been working in medicine for 30 years, said that seeing a patient come back from something like this is really good to see. \u201cIt makes what we do worth doing,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is one of the rare cases where we are just blessed.\u201d Christmas homecoming One of the things that Etter did as part of his therapy to get ready to come home was go out to the lobby and practice playing the piano to get his hands working again properly. While Etter felt like playing last Wednesday, he wasn\u2019t quite up to singing too, but the crowd of more than 60 people gathered there for the occasion took care of the lyrics for him. \u201cThe big thing I can say to everybody, it is because of God and all of your prayers. You had a hand in this. I am here in front of you because you prayed for me. You shared it with hundreds of other people that became thousands of people, who were praying for me. It was people, who don\u2019t know me, but they cared about the people, who shared it with them,\u201d Etter said fighting back tears. \u201cThey obviously thought that if my friend cares for this guy then I need to pray for him. That was just amazing. I am just floored. Astounded. Thank you for your prayers and coming today.\u201d Etter said that when the doctors initially told him he could go home for Christmas, he wasn\u2019t sure that was possible. \u201cEven a couple of weeks ago, I wasn\u2019t really sure that was doable. I thought OK maybe we are making enough progress, but I wasn\u2019t sure I was going to be able to handle going home and going up just the two steps. It just felt like maybe but maybe not,\u201d Etter said. \u201cIt is lovely to be able to gift my dear wife, as some have said to us, my best Christmas gift to her. I guess you could say that I worked so hard so she could have me back home for Christmas.\u201d His wife, Terresa Etter, loved the present, which was a good thing since David hadn\u2019t done any shopping yet and didn\u2019t plan to either this year. [&hellip;]"}