(somber piano music)

- [Narrator] It was a mildsummer, Oklahoma morning.

The Deer Creek varsity football team

was having a light workout,

when number 71 suddenlywalked off the field

towards the locker room.

- He just wasn't actingright and come down.

And he was starting to havea seizure in the locker room.

- [Narrator] The player washis 18 year old son, Sam.

- And I was just at a loss.

Didn't know what to do.

- [Narrator] With help,Lance got Sam into his truck

and took off towards the hospital.

His wife Dusti arrivedin time to see their son.

- I saw a site that no mom everwants to see of their child.

The stiffness in his eyeswere rolled back into his head

and just moaning.

- [Narrator] Sam wasadmitted with a temperature

of 107 degrees.

And doctors began treatinghim for heat stroke,

expecting he would soon recover.

But then his organs began shutting down.

- When they come out and tell you,

"Hey, we need to get Samto make it 24 hours."

"Excuse me, did I hear you right?"

We just couldn't believeit. It was very scary.

- His brain activity is not good,

and that follows withkidney, lugs, liver failure.

Really, there was no game plan.

- [Narrator] The Tignor'sgot word out to the community

that Sam was in trouble.

He and the family needed their prayers.

- We gave it to God.

I mean the whole thing.

- I think it helped usrealize we can you know

we're gonna be at peace.

We're going to be okaybecause now God has this

so obviously it's out of our hands.

- [Narrator] Sam survived the day,

but was now in the ICU, ina coma and on a ventilator,

and being evaluatedfor a liver transplant.

- I can't see his eyes.

His beautiful brown eyes.

And that was heavy.

That was hard.

I just wanted to see his eyes.

I didn't care if I had him back home,

I mean, that's what I wanted.

But if God was justgonna give him back to me

unable to talk or Iwas gonna take him back

and love him regardless.

- If this is what you want Lord,

we'll be at peace.

And here in a moment, that'swhat we could lose our son.

My father-in-law knew that Samwas a laid back kind of guy.

He just glued his teeth and said,

"You fight Sam, fight, fight Sam."

- [Narrator] In the coming days,

fight Sam became a rallyingcry for the community.

Still the family knew theirson couldn't win this fight

on his own and clung to Exodus 14:14,

"The Lord himself will fight for you."

But as they looked at the past

and into an uncertain future,

every day was a battle to find peace.

- I needed somewhere to go.

I could just speak with God

but I needed to be close to Sam.

So I went in Sam's bedroom,

and you know everything is left untouched.

I just cried out Jesus's name.

Probably about four or five times.

"God, I know you're at work,

but I don't know what to say

and I don't know how to say it,

but I just need you right now."

- [Narrator] For twoweeks, the community joined

in prayer as Sam's conditionremained touch and go.

And despite several attempts,

doctors couldn't bringhim out of the coma.

- I really thought hewas gonna be brain dead.

He's gonna live, but he's notgonna be ever be responsive.

And that's what really got me.

I was really scared.

- [Narrator] Finally,doctors were able to take Sam

off the ventilator.

Two days later, he woke up.

- Can you squeeze it?

Squeeze it Sam.

Good job baby.

Seeing those eyes was like, he's there.

Even though he couldn't say anything

he was saying a millionthings with his eyes.

- We thought that oncewe see those Brown eyes

once he started to squeeze,

that he'll be coming around.

And that was not the case.

It took me a little longer to realize

that he's gonna be okay in the brain.

- Waking up and just thinkingthat was a weird dream.

Okay. This is not my room.

I didn't find out untilmaybe later that day,

or the day after that,

like yeah you've been in acoma for about two weeks.

- [Narrator] Sam waseventually moved out of the ICU

into rehab, and would wantto make a full recovery.

And in some ways he was even better.

- [Woman] Yeah.

- I didn't have my priorities straight.

Like I had football, work, family,

it needed to be the threeF's, faith, family, football.

- [Narrator] AlthoughSam would have to sit out

his senior year of football,

his teammates elected him captain

and game nights wouldfind him on the sidelines

cheering his team on.

Sam now in college, and his family say

his story has not onlystrengthened their faith in prayer,

but many others as well.

- When everything seems dark

and you have no one to talk to,

praying brings in a light.

- He can use Sam and usehis body, and use our family

to change other people through prayer.

And that's our story.

It'd never been about Sam,

It was about how God's gonna use Sam

to change people's lives.

- Prayer is what got us through.

And what we went through with Sam,

I cannot imagine doing it without prayer.

(lighthearted music)