Miracle on Borman Street

No, that's not 34th street! But yes, it certainly is a Christmas story that will long be remembered.

December 1, 2003, Thomas Hall of Rantoul was declared clinically dead for 42 minutes due to a massive heart attack, he suffered following one of his routine walks. But today he lives to tell his story.

It was a bitter cold day that Monday morning just a little over a month ago when Thomas decided to take his daily two-mile walk into the shelter and protection of the Forum Fitness Center here in Rantoul.

Most days Tom would be seen walking around town while taking photos of the sights...whether it be of new construction or old structures. But this day was different. The only pictures he would have would be the flashbacks of what could have been a terrible tragedy.

Leaving the Forum that frigid day Tom climbed into his pickup truck and headed for home going north on Enterprise Street. Meanwhile Officer Casagrande, who just happened to be driving east on Borman, noticed the Hall pickup driving erratically and then without warning veer off the road into a building at the corner of Enterprise and Borman.

Officer Saltsgaver, who also just happened to be in the area, rushed to assist Casagrande in freeing Tom from his locked vehicle so they could administer CPR.

As Thomas was rushed by ambulance to the hospital one of the officers telephoned Tom's wife, Marilyn, to inform her there had been an accident. Within minutes she and her children were on their way to the hospital.

Upon their arrival they were told that Tom's heart was gone, and that there was no brain activity. Medically there was nothing more doctors could do. Devastated by the news yet trusting this was God's will the family began saying their goodbyes.

Meanwhile Tom's other daughter, Cathy, was racing home from Indiana praying frantically that God give her one last chance to talk to her father. She made a point of calling home every day, sometimes only speaking to her mother and other days talking with both parents. But this day she had yet to make that call.

Back at the hospital Susan bent down to kiss her father for what she believed to be the last time---when suddenly there was life. Thomas lifted his hand to his forehead, touching the exact spot he had just been kissed, creating quite an emotional race for doctors and staff to surgically implant a stint in order to keep his heart pumping.

Tom was alive.

In spite of a 90 percent blockage and the bottom half of his heart being blown out Thomas was back in church that following Sunday, just as he had been the day before his accident.

Tom's only loss was a bit of short term memory and the doughnuts he was bringing home for breakfast that bitter sweet Monday morning.

From the moment news went out to family and friends about the accident prayers began ringing through the heavens from as far as California and Florida, to Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and of course, through out Indiana and IL.

"It was a miracle from answered prayer," Tom's daughter Cathy said. And I couldn't agree more. Tom came into the Rantoul Press to share his story simply to thank the officers and Pro Ambulance service, as well as the hospital and its staff for all they did. It was also this family's deepest desire to proclaim their gratitude to God, the one true healer, for their little "Miracle on Borman Street"

I took this story out of the paper and put It here for all to see for one very Important reason, I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have lost faith for one reason or another. This story really touched my heart, we all lose people we love, and Its sad, no matter how we lose them. If like Tom, they come back "now thats a miracle" I know I'd love to have a few people I love come back into my life.

I hope Mary will do a follow up story and let everyone know how Tom Is doing He was to have bypass surgery on Jan 27th, I'm sure there are many like myself that would like to know how he's doing