TERRY: THE CINDERELLA STORY

OF KURT AND BRENDA WARNER

CAPTURED HEARTS WORLD WILD

FOLLOWING THE SAINTS 1999

SUPERBOWL.

BRENDA WALKED THROUGH HARD

TIMES.

I HAD DIVORCE, DEATH, SPECIAL

NEEDS, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IS

AHEAD.

IN HER BOOK "ONE CALL AWAY"

SHE SHOWS THAT CIRCUMSTANCES ARE

NOT A MEASURE OF GOD'S LOVE.

TERRY: WELCOME TO THE "700

CLUB" BRENDA WARNER.

GREAT TO HAVE YOU.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

[APPLAUSE].

TERRY: LET'S START WITH YOUR

LIFE BEFORE YOU MET KURT.

YOU WERE A MARINE.

YOU HAD KNOWN THE LORD FOR A

WHILE, THEN YOU GOT A HORRENDOUS

PHONE CALL, HOW DID THAT CHANGE

YOUR LIFE?

IN THAT SPLIT SECOND, YOU GET

THAT PHONE CALL, I LEFT FOR WORK

THAT MORNING, KISSED MY

FOUR-MONTH-OLD BABY BOY GOOD BUY

AND IN A SPLIT SECOND ZACH WAS

INJURED, IN AN INSTANT, WE ARE

FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE, BRAIN

SWELLING AND JUST AN INFANT

HAVING GRAND MAUL SEIZURES.

EVERYTHING CHANGED.

PAT: THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE.

HE HAD BEEN PERFECTLY FINE

BEFORE, NOW YOU HAD TO CONTEND

WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.

I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO BE A MOM

OF SPECIAL NEEDS.

I ASKED IF HE'LL EVER GO TO

SCHOOL.

THE DOCTOR SAID YOU'LL BE LUCKY

IF HE EVER SITS UP.

THAT IS YOUR REALITY.

I HAD THIS INCREDIBLE FAITH, GOD

KEPT HIM ALIFE SO HE HAD A

PURPOSE FOR HIS LIFE.

TERRY: DID THIS PLAY A ROLE

IN THE LOSS OF YOUR FIRST

MARRIAGE.

YOUR HUSBAND WAS HOME WITH THE

BABY WHEN THE BABY WAS DROPPED.

ALL KINDS OF EMOTIONAL STUFF.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOUR FIRST

MARRIAGE?

I AM SURE HE WAS DEALING WITH

A LOT OF GUILT.

IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

ZACH HAD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

AND BLIND FROM THAT INSTANT.

WE STARTED OVER, WE TRIED TO

HAVE A NEW LIFE.

HE STARTED WORKING, I GOT

PREGNANT AGAIN AND HE TOLD ME HE

WAS ATTRACTED TO ANOTHER WOMAN.

AGAIN, IN A MOMENT, MY LIFE WENT

IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

I LEFT HIM, I PICKED UP ZACH AND

STARTED OVER AGAIN.

DOWN A ROAD I HAD NO CLUE WHAT

TO DO, HOW TO DO IT.

I STOOD ON THAT FAITH THERE IS A

PURPOSE AND I AM GOING TO FIND

MY PURPOSE.

TERRY: TELL ME ABOUT LIFE AS

A SINGLE MOTHER OF TWO, THAT IS

TOUGH.

IT IS TOUGH.

I WAS STANDING IN LINE IN THE

MARINE CORP. WITH HONOR, COURAGE

AND INTEGRITY, STANDING IN LINE

WITH FOOD STAMPS, YOU STILL HAVE

HONOR, COURAGE AND INTEGRITY.

TERRY: IT IS SO INTERESTING

TO SEE HOW GOD CAN TAKE OUR

PAIN, IF WE'LL GIVE IT TO HIM

AND CHALLENGES AND STRUGGLES AND

MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF IT THAT

MATTERS AND HELPS SOMEONE ELSE.

WHAT DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU WERE

GOING THROUGH THAT TIME?

GIVING YOUR BEST, DONE

EVERYTHING THE WAY YOU KNEW HOW

TO DO IT AND STILL PUTTING YOU

IN CIRCUMSTANCES SO TOUGH.

I REMEMBER STANDING IN LIFE

FOR FOOD STAMPS AND LOW INCOME

HOUSING, MY CIRCUMSTANCES DIDN'T

DETERMINE WHO I WAS.

I KNEW HE CREATED ME THE HEAD,

NOT THE TAIL.

IT FELT LIKE THE TAIL.

I KNEW I WAS THE HEAD.

YOU HAVE TO STAND ON THAT, EVEN

IF IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE YOU WANT

IT TO LOOK, IT IS NOT ALWAYS

PRETTY.

I TRUSTED IT FOR MY KIDS THERE

WAS A FUTURE AND LITTLE DID I

KNOW, WOMEN CAN RELATE TO THAT.

WHEN YOU MET, KURT, YOU HAD

DIFFICULTY, YOU MUST HAVE HATED

ANSWERING THE PHONE.

APRIL 14TH, 1986, BOTH OF MY

PARENTS WERE KILLED IN A A

TORNADO.

IT TOOK EVERYTHING FROM THEIR

HOUSE, EXPLODED THEIR HOUSE.

ONLY THING LEFT WAS THE CEMENT

FOUNDATION.

SEVEN PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND MY

PARENTS HAPPENED TO BE TWO.

IT IS SO FINAL, RANDOM,

SENSELESS.

WHO DO YOU GET MAD AT?

THAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT

TIME.

ZACHARY WAS DOING BETTER.

I FELT LIKE I WAS GETTING BACK

ON MY FEET AND IN LOVE AGAIN.

THAT HAPPENED.

ANOTHER PHONE CALL YOU WOULD

THINK I WOULD STOP ANSWERING THE

PHONE.

IT IS WHAT YOU DO WITH IT WHEN

YOU ANSWER.

TERRY: DID YOU EVER GET

ANGRY WITH GOD?

OF COURSE I DID.

NOT ACTING LIKE I HAD IT ALL

FIGURED.

CALLING OUT TO HIM.

I WAS HONEST LIKE MY KIDS WERE

HONEST WITH ME.

I FELT LIKE HE WAS GRIEVING WITH

ME.

THE FACT THAT I AM STILL HERE IS

PROOF THAT I HAD PRESENCE OF GOD

IN MY LIFE.

TERRY: TELL ME ABOUT THE

MOST DIFFICULT ASPECTS OF BEING

MARRIED TO SOMEONE LIKE KURT?

SO WELL KNOWN?

BURDEN AND BLESSING WITH

EVERYTHING.

I DIDN'T REALIZE WHEN I SAID I

DO, IT MEANT FAME AND FORTUNE.

I AM HONEST TO SAY WHEN I WAS IN

LINE WITH LOW INCOME IF I RICH

WOMAN WOULD HAVE COMPLAINED

ABOUT HER SITUATION, I WOULDN'T

HAVE WANTED TO HEAR THAT.

I REALIZE MY PROBLEMS ARE

EASIER.

I KNOW WHERE I HAVE BEEN.

IT IS A MEANS TO GIVE BACK TO

WHERE I HAVE BEEN.

GOD IS USING THAT IN YOUR

LIFE.

YOU HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO

SPEAK INTO THE LIVES OF WOMEN

THAT FIND THEMSELVES IN YOUR

SAME SITUATION AND HAVE AN

IMPACT.

MORE PEOPLE RELATE TO WHAT I

HAVE BEEN THROUGH THAN RELATE TO

MVP SUPERBOWL TROPHY AND

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

BY WRITING MY MEMOIR, I CAN

REACH THESE WOMEN, THEY ARE

SAYING YOU ARE TELLING ME MY

STORY.

TERRY: WE WERE TALKING ABOUT

CYBERBULLYING.

THE MEDIA HAS BEEN RELENTLESS

AND RUTHLESS AND BULLYING TO YOU

ONLINE AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE,

WHEN YOU WRITE A BOOK, YOU ARE

BACK OUT THERE AGAIN, IN THE

LIMELIGHT.

I WANTED TO KEEP IT REAL.

I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO THINK I

HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT, A

BEAUTIFUL PACKAGE RIGHT NOW.

I WANT TO BE ABLE TO RELATE TO

PEOPLE ON THAT LEVEL I HAVE BEEN

WHERE YOU ARE.

I MIGHT HIT THERE AGAIN.

WE ARE ALL ONE CALL AWAY FROM A

LIFE CHANGING MOMENT.

IF YOU ARE HONEST AND REAL ABOUT

THE GOOD, BAD, AND UGLY, PEOPLE

ARE DRAWN TO THAT.

NO MATTER WHAT THE CALL

BRINGS, GOD IS ENOUGH.

HE IS ONE CALL AWAY.

TERRY: "ONE CALL AWAY"

AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE

SOLD.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WATCH THE

WEB INTERVIEW GO TO CBN.COM

CLICK ON THE IN THE GREEN WEB

LINK.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

THANK YOU.