Faith Family Highlight

PHILIP & PAM MEUZELAAR

Philip and Pam have been married 44 years and have four children and six grandchildren. Pam grew up in South Holland. Phil’s father was a minister so he moved around the United States quite a bit.

When Phil was 12 years old, his hips dislocated and he had to have surgery to pin his hips in place. He spent six weeks in the hospital. He was released by the doctors 18 months later with the opinion he should do what he wanted because it wouldn’t be long before he couldn’t do much and he should just enjoy the time he was able to be active. He has lived in pain ever since but it never stopped him from doing as much as he could.

Phil moved from Kansas to Chicago after high school to attend DeVry Institute of Technology. After graduation and working for a year or so, he decided to attend Reformed Bible College (now Kuyper College) in Grand Rapids. That is where Phil and Pam met and married.

In 1981, the pain had become unbearable for Phil. He went to an orthopedic doctor who told them it appeared one of the pins had been placed into the joint too far and had destroyed the cartilage. Phil was too young to have a hip replacement so it was suggested the pins be removed in the hope of relieving some of the pain. It took two surgeries to accomplish this and it did relieve some of the pain but now he had to walk with a cane.

Two years later, the pain was again unbearable so the Meuzelaars went to the University of Chicago for a consultation. They had just received permission to do a glue-less hip replacement, which in theory would last much longer than the early hip replacements where glue was used. With great hope, he had the surgery done and went through six months of recovery. But he was still in pain and no one had any answer for why that was so. The following year, the surgery was performed again, only to discover the replacement had not had any bone growth and was loose. It was revised and he had another six months of recovery.

These were hard years for the family. Not only was Phil in a lot of pain and unable to work, but the family had two young boys who wanted a dad who could be active with them. God was faithful, however, and they were provided for in so many ways. The second surgery was somewhat successful but he still had some pain.

As the years passed, the Meuzelaars added another son and daughter to their family. In 1992, Phil had the other hip replaced. Six more months of recovery and no work now with four children. Again, God provided and Phil was eventually able to return to work. Over 20 years after the first replacement, Phil needed another revision in the first hip. This meant more time off of work and more time to see God providing for the family.

Around this time, Phil began having other symptoms, such as a loss of balance and neuropathy pain. This started after several years of trying to figure out what was wrong. While Phil still didn’t have a specific diagnosis, the doctors suspected a rare neurological disorder, which led to him needing the use of a power wheelchair, going on disability and eventually, needing to have a ventilator because he cannot always breath on his own. After Phil’s tracheostomy, he was told he might not talk again and that really frightened Pam. Anyone who knows Phil knows he is a talker and Pam, along with family and close

friends, couldn’t imagine not being able to talk backand-forth with Phil. God was gracious as Phil has been able to talk.

When the tracheostomy was done in 2005, the doctors thought he only had a few years to live. But here we are nearly 14 years later and Phil is still doing much of what he would like to do. Phil and Pam can’t travel as they would like to but their lives are still full. They learned to never underestimate God’s plans for our life.

Along the way, Phil was given a lot of pain medication, including a lot of narcotics to help him live with his pain but he eventually became addicted to it. Since no one expected him to live as long as he has, it wasn’t seen as a problem. Since God has proved them wrong, with the help of his neurologist he was weaned off the narcotics. He has experienced an increase in energy since then.

About seven years ago, Pam was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, which is a life-limiting disease for which there is no treatment. Learning this was a real blow emotionally, but again through the grace of God, she is still here and able to do much of what she wants to do.

Phil & Pam love Faith Church. Pam volunteers for First Time Families twice a month and the Welcome Center once a month. Phil attends the Wednesday Morning Men’s Bible Study and even leads it about once a month. Together, they love attending Overcomers but most of all, they love the months when Phil is able to be in church. Pam calls him Faith’s mobile welcome team. He looks for people who look like they might be new to Faith and helps them find how to get their children registered for Faith Kids or Reflectors, takes them to the Welcome Center or even helps them find their way to the worship center.

While it hasn’t been easy and there aren’t clear answers as to why this is the path God chose for them, the Meuzelaars don’t see their lives as limited but as means that God uses people for His glory. He has been with Phil and Pam and their kids every step of the way: providing friends and family who lift them up in prayer: provided care and help for the children when they were young; help with trips to the doctors; and so much more. First Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”