NARRATOR: On Saturday evening, May 10, 2008, 32-year-old

Neal Ahearn left his AA meeting early to go find a party.

NEAL AHEARN: I'm not gonna quit drinking,

because I loved drinking.

I loved drinking.

And I thought, well, I'm gonna drink.

NARRATOR: There were no witnesses to the crash.

But at the scene, local fire and rescue

found Neal lying on the pavement with massive head injuries.

He was taken to the local hospital

to be flown to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North

Carolina.

His parents, Diane and Mike, got there just in time

to see their son.

DIANE AHEARN: I grabbed his hand, and I told him.

I said, Neal, you have been stubborn your whole life.

Don't give up now.

Don't give up.

NARRATOR: Neal had been suffering

with anxiety and depression since he was a teenager.

He used alcohol, marijuana, and eventually crack

to ease his mind.

For me, I could get a little relief from my anxiety,

from my worrying, my compulsive worrying.

NARRATOR: Diane believed God was the only one who could help.

I would go to bed praying at night.

You've got to do something, because I can't do it,

and I know he's killing himself.

NARRATOR: As Neal got older, he functioned well enough

to hold down a job, get married, and have a daughter.

The added stress of a family heightened his anxieties.

His addictions got worse, eventually costing him

his marriage and custody of his daughter.

I tell you, I would pray, and I would say, Lord, you know,

I can't handle this.

I'm gonna turn it over you.

NARRATOR: It turns out that Neal was also asking God for help.

So I prayed the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

And I would pray that prayer and ask the Lord, please, help me.

I'm living-- this is hell on Earth.

NARRATOR: Then in April 2008, Diane

was watching "The 700 Club" during CBN's Week of Prayer.

She had been giving to the ministry for several years.

They sent me an email telling me

if there's anybody that you want us to pray for, we will.

And so I put in, you know, pray for my son Neal,

and he has addiction problems.

NARRATOR: The next day, Diane received a reply from CBN

with a prayer.

I bind the evils that are trying to control my son

Neal here on Earth, and I claim the victory

through Jesus Christ in Heaven.

NARRATOR: Some time later, Neal asked his mother a question.

He said, are you praying for me, Mom?

And I said, I am all the time, every day.

And he said, don't stop.

And he said, I feel it.

I know somebody was praying for me.

NARRATOR: Two weeks later, Neal was

in a hospital with a crushed skull, a life

flight to nearby Vidant Medical Center

his only chance of survival.

Diane spoke to the pilot before they left.

He said, you know, if you want to say goodbye to him,

we're gonna let you.

First thing popped into my head is

they don't expect him to live.

NARRATOR: The doctors at Vidant explained

that Neal had massive brain trauma

and would probably be in a coma the rest of his life.

Even if he came out of it, his mental capabilities

would be extremely limited.

As Diane prayed over the next week,

she felt God telling her something different.

And I'm crying, and I'm reading the Bible and praying.

And I heard a voice says, don't worry, I've got him.

And it was so vivid that I actually looked around

to see if somebody said it, but there was nobody there.

NARRATOR: Then 16 days after the accident,

Neal suddenly woke up.

And I remember looking at my arm and thinking,

I don't know what happened, but whatever it was was bad.

And I remember thinking at the time, thank God I'm here.

It was so miraculous, because they've already

told me that your best that you can hope for is long-term care.

I thought, here he's got a second chance.

He's got a second chance to get it right.

NARRATOR: It soon became clear that Neal would be OK.

I'd been laying in the bed for a while in the hospital here.

And I said, you know what?

I'm gonna make good use of this time.

I'm gonna get up and read my Bible.

NARRATOR: Something else happened

in Neal's two-month stay at the hospital.

He rededicated his life to Jesus Christ.

There ain't but one that would've

known that this was what it would

take to turn my life around.

I've learned He's my Lord and Savior,

and He's-- and I feel Him.

I feel that peace that passes all understanding.

I never want to lose that.

NARRATOR: And not only that.

Neal says God freed him from his addictions

to drugs and alcohol.

I truly believe with all my heart

that God took that desire away from me.

NARRATOR: Since then, Neal has shown no signs of brain damage.

Diane believes it was prayer, God's love, and grace

that made her son a new man.

Pray about everything, and worry about nothing.

And that became my motto, no matter what.