Reporter: PEGGY KIRCHHOFF
IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL
GRANDMOTHER.
SHE RIDES FOUR-WHEELERS AND
MANAGES A RANCH, AND TAKES
CARE OF FOUR GENERATIONS.
BUT FOR FOUR YEARS, SHE WAS
PRISONER TO A DISEASE.
IT IS AN AUTOIMMUNE
DISEASE IN WHICH YOUR BODY
ATTACKS ITSELF.
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM LOSES
CONTROL, AND IT IS A
CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR
NERVES AND YOUR MUSCLES.
I HAD ONE OF THE WORST
CASES KNOWN.
A TYPICAL DAY FOR ME WAS ON
THE COUCH AT HOME WITH MY
PHONE NEXT TO ME.
PILES OF BOOKS.
A TRASH CAN BESIDE MY BED
THAT WAS MY POTTY BECAUSE I
COULDN'T MAKE IT TO THE
BATHROOM.
Reporter: AS A YOUNG
WOMAN, PEGGY WAS OUTGOING
AND ATHLETIC.
SHE WAS ALSO A CHRISTIAN,
AND DEVOTED TO HER
SWEETHEART, ED.
THEY MARRIED AT 18, AND SOON
CONCEIVED THEIR FIRST
CHILD.
DURING THE PREGNANCY PEGGY
NOTICED THAT SOMETHING
WASN'T RIGHT.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS
WRONG WITH ME THEN.
I COULDN'T SEEM TO GET UP
OUT OF THE CHAIR.
AS TIME WENT ON, MORE AND
MORE SYMPTOMS -- DROPPING
THINGS, DOUBLE VISION,
WEAKNESS.
Reporter: SHE GAVE
BIRTH TO JENNIFER.
AND FOUR YEARS LATER, CRAIG
WAS BORN.
GRADUALLY PEGGY'S CONDITION
GOT WORSE AND HER DOCTORS
COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT.
BECAUSE MY MOUTH WAS SO
WEAK, AND I WOULD HAVE TO
HOLD IT TOGETHER LIKE THIS
TO TALK.
Reporter: AFTER 10
YEARS, SHE WAS FINALLY
DIAGNOSED WITH MYOTHINIA
GRAVUS.
AT THE TIME, LITTLE WAS
KNOWN ABOUT THE DISEASE.
SHE WAS PUT ON STEROIDS TO
HELP STRENGTHEN HER.
THEY WERE ENCOURAGED TO
FINALLY KNOW WHAT WAS
WRONG.
THEY HAD INDICATED THEY
HAD TREATMENTS THAT COULD
MITIGATE, CONTROL THE
DISEASE.
IT WOULD BE VERY LIMITED,
BUT IT WOULD ALLOW HER TO
REASONABLY FUNCTION.
Reporter: DURING A
PRAYER TIME, PEGGY SAYS SHE
HEARD GOD SPEAK TO HER.
I HEARD THESE WORDS, AND
IT SAID TAKE HOLD OF MY
WORDS.
Reporter: ANTICIPATING
COMMITTED TO LEARNING AND
MIMEDITATING ON SCRIPTURE.
I HAD TO KEEP HOLDING ON
TO THE WORD FOR MY LIFE.
THE WORD RESCUED ME.
THE WORDS CAME ALIVE.
Reporter: BUT THE YEARS
WENT ON, AND SHE DIDN'T GET
BETTER, ONLY WORSE.
PEGGY TRIED HER BEST TO KEEP
HER FAITH IN GOD, BUT
SOMETIMES IT WAS JUST TOO
HARD.
ONE DAY I ASKED GOD, WHAT
HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?
DID I SIN?
Reporter: BUT PEGGY WAS
DETERMINED TO PUT HER HOPE
IN THE WORD OF GOD.
I HAD TO STAY IN THE WORD
OF GOD, TO CONTINUED TO
LEAVE THAT JESUS WOULD
RESCUE ME.
Reporter: THEY
EVENTUALLY FOUND A
SPECIALIST IN HOUSTON,
TEXAS.
HE URGED HER TO UNDERGO AN
INNOVATIVE PROCEDURE AND A
PLASMA EXCHANGE.
PLASMA EXCHANGE IS WHERE
YOU DRAW BLOOD OUT OF ONE
ARM, AND PUT IT THROUGH A
MACHINE THAT IS ESSENTIALLY
A VERY FANCY WASHING
MACHINE.
IT TAKES OUT THE PLASMA
FRACTION OF THE BLOOD,
LEAVES THE BLOOD ITSELF, AND
YOU GIVE THE BLOOD BACK IN A
DIFFERENT I.V. IN A
DIFFERENT ARM.
Reporter: IN
DESPERATION, PEGGY AGREED TO
THE TREATMENTS.
BUT NEITHER THE SURGERY NOR
THE PLASMA EXCHANGE PUT HER
INTO REMISSION.
AS TIME PASSED, SHE BECAME A
GRANDMOTHER, AND THEN SHE
MET THIS DOCTOR.
IN MY PRACTICE, I'VE SEEN
MANY CASES, BUT PEGGY SAYS
PEGGY'S IS ONE OF THE WORST
THAT I HAVE SEEN IT IN MY
TIME.
MANY PATIENTS WHO HAVE IT
ANY WORSE THAN THAT DIE.
Reporter: THE DOCTOR
ORDERED ANOTHER PLASMA
EXCHANGE, AND PEGGY BRAVELY
ENDURED THE PROCEDURE
AGAIN.
I NEVER WANTED TO
SURRENDER TO DEATH.
I COULD NOT LEAVE MY HUSBAND
AND MY CHILDREN.
I HAD TO FIGHT.
Reporter: SLOWLY PEGGY
SAW CHANGES.
I DIDN'T HAVE JUST ONE
MOMENT THAT SAYS, OKAY, I'M
WELL.
IT WAS JUST VERY GRADUAL.
I JUST STARTED GETTING
STRENGTH AND NOT FEELING SO
BAD.
MY SON AND HIS WIFE THREE
LITTLE GIRLS CAME TO LIVE
WITH US.
AND THEY WERE VERY ACTIVE,
AND I STARTED BEING ABLE TO
KEEP UP WITH THEM.
Reporter: 35 YEARS
AFTER THE INITIAL SYMPTOMS
APPEARED, DR. BLUM DECLARED
PEGGY IN REMISSION.
PEGGY WAS CERTAINLY IN
VERY BAD SHAPE.
I DIDN'T THINK SHE WAS GOING
TO RECOVER, BUT SHE
DEFINITELY DID, AND THAT IS
A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE.
Reporter: MEDICALLY,
PEGGY IS IN REMISSION.
BUT SHE BELIEVES THAT GOD
HAS TOTALLY HEALED HER.
I'VE HAD MANY TIMES THAT
I'VE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THIS
IS GREAT, BUT IT MIGHT HIT
ME AGAIN, OR I MIGHT BE SICK
AGAIN.
BUT I'VE HAD TO HOLD TO THAT
ONE SCRIPTURE THAT SAYS, "
AFFLICTION SHALL NOT COME A
SECOND TIME."
AS I PUT THAT WORD IN ME
THAT TOLD ME ABOUT THE
CROSS, THE FAITH STARTED
GROWING IN ME TO CHANGE MY
PHYSICAL BODY.
Reporter: NOW, NOTHING
HOLDS PEGGY BACK FROM LIVING
HER LIFE FULLY.
I CAN RIDE FOUR-WHEELERS
AND I CAN DRIVE THE
TRACTOR.
MY FAVORITE THING IS TO WALK
WITH MY HUSBAND ALONG THE
CREEK.
MY LIFE DOES REFLECT GOD'S
FAITHFULNESS.
JUST DON'T GIVE UP.
AS LONG AS THERE IS BREATH,
AS LONG AS THERE IS LIFE,
CHOOSE LIFE.
