In June of 2022, 2.5 year old Abbie was eating breakfast at home when she suddenly collapsed to the floor. Amber, Abbie’s mom, recognized that the right side of her daughter’s face had atrophy. She quickly called 9-1-1, explaining that she thought her toddler had suffered a stroke. 

When the EMTs arrived, they couldn’t believe that a 2.5 year old could have suffered a stroke. They rushed little Abbie to Huntsville Hospital. 2 weeks prior, Abbie’s dad, Tyler, had accepted a new job 10 minutes away from home (before he was driving 45 minutes to work). He was able to quickly meet Amber at the hospital.  

The ER ran a CT scan, showing everything was fine, but the ER doctor wanted to do a MRI.

Several hours later, the MRI showed that Abbie had indeed suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot in the left side of her brain. As a result, she lost her mobility on the right side of her body. Abbie would need to be transferred to Children’s of Alabama (COA) in Birmingham for an angiogram and care Huntsville couldn’t provide.

Many times in life, we can’t understand why our circumstances are the way they are. Why a certain chain of events occurred the way they did. The Johnson family was about to experience some circumstances and events some would call coincidences, but they will tell you these “coincidences” cannot be labeled so simply. 

On the day little Abbie suffered a stroke, a certain doctor from Children’s of Alabama just so happened to be traveling to Huntsville Hospital for training, something this doctor rarely did. This doctor happened to be one of two specialists from COA that could perform an angiogram - the procedure Abbie would need to undergo once she arrived at Children’s. 

The specialist was able to come to the Huntsville ER and look at Abbie’s scans. He confirmed Abbie would need this procedure, but Huntsville didn’t have the equipment needed. COA sent a special ambulance to Huntsville to transport Abbie to Birmingham. So, Amber and Tyler followed behind the ambulance and waited.

The Johnson family arrived in Birmingham at 12:30 am. When they walked through the doors of COA, Amber told her husband that she felt so much peace. She knew Children’s was right where Abbie needed to be. 

The hospital ran tests to make sure nothing had progressed while waiting and during transport. Nothing had changed on the drive down, so they prepped Abbie for the angiogram. 

With the angiogram, they would be able to look at Abbie’s heart and her brain where the blood clot had formed. There was a risk of Abbie experiencing another stroke during the procedure, but he Johnson family prayed on their knees and waited, again.

The procedure went beautifully. The specialist shared that at only 24 hours post-stroke, Abbie’s brain had already made new pathways to help heal where the blood clot had blocked blood flow to her brain.

Days following the angiogram, Abbie was awake, but she still wasn’t moving her right side or speaking. Amber and Tyler have always prayed and sang together with Abbie before bed. Abbie’s favorite song is “Jesus Loves Me This I Know.” In the hospital, Abbie had woken up in the middle of the night, and Amber decided to start singing “Jesus Loves Me.” Amber would always sing up until “know,” when Abbie would love to chime in.

“Jesus loves me this I…” Amber paused, hoping Abbie would remember and sing with her.

“...know,” Abbie sang.

She remembered! Abbie remembered!

“I couldn’t stop crying and thanking the Lord! It was a miracle!”

Abbie has worked hard to recover from her stroke. Her doctors still do not know what caused the stroke, but they know this particular stroke has only a 1% chance of occurring again. 

“Someone asked me if it drives us crazy that we don’t know why, and my answer might shock you,” Amber shared. “It's almost comforting as a mom to not know. If I knew exactly why it happened, I would be fixated on it 24/7. We don't know, so we have to lay Abbie at the foot of the cross and trust Jesus with her.”

The Johnsons will tell you that Abbie’s story is not filled with coincidences, but with miracle after miracle, little stones of faithfulness along the path. Their faith, family, and marriage have been strengthened because of this journey. They don’t know why they are walking through this valley, but they do see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Abbie was able to walk out of Children’s of Alabama, hand in hand with her parents.

“The day we left, my husband asked for this picture. He wanted Abbie to someday realize what she had overcome and that her parents were right there with her.”  

Fast forward to Fall 2022. Abbie was able to jump back into her Mothers Morning Out program. Amber didn’t know Abbie’s teachers before fall orientation, but they knew Abbie. The son of one of her teachers had gone through a similar situation as Abbie with lots of physical therapy. So, Abbie’s teacher has walked a similar road as Amber.

“Just to have someone who knows what you've been through is very comforting and such a blessing.”

Abbie’s teachers and school staff have gone above and beyond in the classroom, making sure she is using her right arm and making continued progress in and out of the classroom.

Another stone of faithfulness. 

“The Lord has and will continue to be faithful. Anytime I doubt or question things, He will remind me of those times where I have witnessed His faithfulness. His timing is perfect.”

Tyler accepting a job close to home, 2 weeks before Abbie’s stroke. 

Amber and Abbie being home.

The specialist being in Huntsville.

“Jesus Loves Me This I KNOW”

Abbie’s teacher having knowledge of the therapy Abbie was undergoing.

Stones of faithfulness. 

In December 2022, Abbie was able to return to Children’s for 3 weeks of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CI therapy). This treatment was actually developed by a UAB professor, Dr. Edward Taub. Abbie’s left arm was placed in a cast, and she underwent 2-3 hours of therapy a day, rewiring her brain to use her right arm and work on her fine motor skills. It was a very taxing process, but they were able to see significant improvements! 

During this time, Red Mountain Grace was able to serve the Johnsons and provide them with an apartment. It gave them space to be together as a family during the holidays, complete home therapy, and rest from the rigorous schedule. They were one of six constraint therapy families we were able to serve in 2022.

“Abbie is now wanting to use her right arm and using it as her helper hand. We’re looking forward to coming back in August for another round of Constraint Therapy.” 

Abbie continues OT and PT in Huntsville. She loves dancing, arts and crafts, painting, and music - definitely a creative at heart.

“Some days are great, and some are hard, but thank you, Lord that we can look back on those little stones of the Lord’s faithfulness on this journey.”

The Johnsons can’t wait to walk to the top of that “mountain” and see their daughter completely healed in Jesus name.