Michael Rankin
What do you do when life drops a bombshell so devastating and so incomprehensible in your distress you through your hands up and say I am done? Well, this is what happened to Michael Franklin and his family when without warning Michael went from being a healthy active 25 year old to being disabled with permanent brain damage.
One day while at work Michael collapsed and was rushed to Emory hospital for immediate surgery. The doctors at Emory performed a surgery to replace the shunt in his brain that he was given as a child, which stopped working. But after the surgery was complete Michael started having excruciating pain in his head. He told the doctor about the pain but the doctor told him that nothing was going on. He also started to have a twitch in his head and arm but the doctor insisted that nothing was wrong with him.
Despite, what the doctors said Michael and his mother were sure something was not right so they went to see a specialist in Kentucky. The new doctor notified them that the initial surgery done by the previous doctor was done incorrectly. Shunts are used to remove excessive water from the brain. The new shunt was misplaced and draining too much fluid. The new doctor was successful in eliminating the problem with his shunt but was not able to correct the damage done to Michael’s brain. As a result, he suffered severe paralysis, loss of memory and developed a rare called condition the bobble head syndrome. So with what looked like a clear case of medical malpractice you would think Michael would be able to sue the doctor and get some sort of justice, but that’s not the case. The Franklin’s attempt at a law suit was unsuccessful because they could not prove their case. The doctor that performed the original surgery never acknowledged he did anything wrong. He took no responsibility for what was done and the hospital backed him.
For years, Michael has prayed to God about the issue. At first he was mad at God and at one point he stopped praying. “I thought it was unfair for the doctor to continue to be successful after what he did. I felt like God was saying humble yourself and don’t worry. I felt like Job and this has been a test of faith.” It took some time but Michael is no longer angry, has accepted his disability, and even feels God doesn’t make mistakes. Michael says that he has slowed down and grown closer to God. Before the accident he was always doing something, working two jobs or school, now he reads his word more and prays better. Michael’s mother, Sharon Chung, was also affected by the situation and when everything went south she told God, “me and you are done” and totally left her relationship with God. It took about two years but one day she her a voice say go for a drive and she ended up at Cosco where she bought a Bible and renewed her fellowship with God. Today, Michael has a positive attitude and is always smiling. He is very active at church, works out often, and plays wheel chair tennis. He is still in process of full recovery and his faith in God is strong.
