From death’s door to walking miracle

In an extraordinary account that continues to defy medical logic, Barbara Cummiskey Snyder, once considered one of the most hopelessly ill patients with multiple sclerosis, experienced a sudden and complete recovery in 1981 after years of deteriorating health.

Diagnosed as a teenager, Barbara’s decline was relentless. Once a vibrant gymnast and musician, she gradually lost the ability to write, walk, and even breathe unaided. 

By the late 1970s, she was completely bedridden, legally blind, and on continuous oxygen due to a paralysed diaphragm and a collapsed lung. Her limbs had contracted into a foetal position, and she relied on a feeding tube and catheter for basic functions. 

A tracheostomy allowed her to breathe, but the prognosis was terminal. Enrolled in hospice care, she had a do-not-resuscitate order in place.

Barbara’s condition was so severe that her doctor, Thomas Marshall, described her life expectancy as less than six months. “Her body was contracted, her lungs were failing, and there was nothing more we could do,” he recalled. 

Yet, despite the grim outlook, her church community never gave up hope, flooding her with prayers and letters after a Christian radio station shared her story.

On 7 June 1981 – Pentecost Sunday – two friends visited her after church. As they read aloud the letters of support, Barbara suddenly heard a male voice coming from the corner of the room, though no one was there. The voice said, “My child, get up and walk.” 

To the astonishment of her visitors, Barbara pulled out her breathing tube, stood up from her bed unaided, and walked.

… story continues