In 2003, Rev. Phillip Dunn’s life took an unexpected turn. At the young age of 45, the Charleston, South Carolina minister was diagnosed with cataracts. In an interview with WCHS-TV, Rev. Dunn recounted what his doctor told him at the time. The physician said, “It’s not that bad, probably won’t give you trouble for years.” But, mere months later, the pastor and family man started seeing black dots in the center of his vision.
Rev. Dunn revealed, “That was the beginning of macular degeneration.” Sadly, this devastating condition has no known cure. For the Southern minister, it quickly turned into blindness. During the next 14 years, Rev. Dunn could only see dark shadows. But, this man of faith persevered. Life went on. He still preached at Valley Christian Assembly. To prepare for his sermons, Rev. Dunn listened to his Bible on tape rather than reading it. The minister and his wife had the privilege of walking their daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. The couple became grandparents to four kids.
Throughout his ordeal, Rev. Dunn believed he would one day see again. He told WCHS-TV, “I knew in my heart I was going to be able to see again, I just didn’t know when.”
The pastor kept waiting for what he considered a miracle to happen. In August of 2018, Rev. Dunn began experiencing an excruciating headache in his left eye. He found out a cataract had ruptured. The situation posed a risk of damaging his optic nerve. So, the minister agreed to undergo surgery to have the cataract removed.
When Rev. Dunn opened his eye for the first time after surgery, his physician’s only hope was that the pastor would be able to view some light. Amazingly, the man of faith saw much more. The pastor stated, “I went in the kitchen, my wife said, ‘Honey, you took the patch off.’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ She said, ‘What do you see?’ I said, ‘I can see you!’ She was the first face I saw in 14 years.”
When the cataract in Rev. Dunn’s left eye was removed, his physician discovered the black dots resulting from macular degeneration were gone. After the minister underwent an additional surgery to take out the cataract from his right eye, his doctor found out the macular degeneration had cleared from this eye too. Because no cure for macular degeneration exists, these developments were nothing short of miraculous.
After the pastor’s sight was restored, he finally got to watch the father-daughter wedding dance he and his daughter created when she was a little girl. Rev. Dunn also got to see his precious grandkids’ faces for the first time. Making up for lost time, the pastor was already driving a vehicle just three weeks after getting his sight back. The adventurous minister first traveled to Florida. Rev. Dunn then got into his 1998 minivan and drove to California. The minister told WCHS-TV he’s often asked how long his clear sight will last. He revealed that no one knows a definitive answer to this question. But, he’s hoping his newfound sight will stick around for the rest of his life.
Rev. Dunn’s remarkable recovery illustrates the reality that miracles can, and do, still happen. Man has no cure for macular degeneration. But, Luke 18:27 says, “Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God.’” Jeremiah 32:27 states, “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” To experience miracles in their lives today, Christians need only to believe. Matthew 17:20 says in part, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Pray for the miracle needed in your life, or a loved one’s life, today. Your gracious, compassionate God will answer according to His will and in His perfect timing.
~ 1776 Christian