(coughing)

- I couldn't breathe.

My chest was getting heavy,

and I was coughing.

- [Narrator] It had been two weeks

since pastors Zach Miller,

his wife Mandy and their kids

had become ill in December of 2020.

While they were on the mend

Zach continued to get worse.

- I was concerned.

I had heard all of the story.

It did worry me.

- [Narrator] Meanwhile, Mandylooked to her sister, Holly,

a radiologist, for guidance.

Finally...

- He was struggling to breathe,

his heart rate was over200 beats per minute,

and I told Mandy thatit was definitely time

for Zach to go to the hospital.

- [Narrator] By then Zach was so ill

Mandy had to call for an ambulance.

- We were all gathered,

and I remember just telling them

you have to pray, we need a miracle.

I need you to pray.

- [Narrator] Zach wastaken to Mercy Hospital

in Rogers, Arkansa.

Unable to stay with Zach in the hospital,

Mandy waited in the parking lot.

Finally, an ER doctor called.

Zach was COVID positive,

and had critically low oxygen levels.

Infection had gone septic,

and he was fighting double pneumonia.

- He assured me,

he said this is gonnabe a very short stay,

Zach is young and healthy,

no preexisting conditions.

- [Narrator] However,over those next few days,

Zach went into respiratory failure.

By December 30th, doctors feltthere was only one option.

- He was unable to oxygenate his blood.

The ventilator at that point

was his option for survival.

- [Narrator] That was thelast thing the Millers wanted.

- I had heard people whowere put on ventilators

would never come off.

- The nurse came in,

and she simply said you know what?

This is where we're going,

we really need you to get on a ventilator.

I could see the urgency in her eyes.

- [Narrator] Finally the couple agreed

to have Zach intubated.

At once Mandy prayed,

trying to quiet the thoughts

racing through her mind.

- We've gotta grow old together.

I can't do this life without him.

- [Narrator] By now therewas no time to waste,

and the staff scheduledthe procedure immediately.

Before they wheeled Zachinto ICU around two a.m.,

Mandy asked to FaceTime with her husband.

- I remember Mandy waving at me,

and saying "Baby, it's gonna be okay,

"you got this."

- [Mandy] And he gave me a thumbs up.

- [Narrator] It was then Mandyput another option in motion.

She reached out on social media

asking family, friends and themembers of their congregation

to wake people up and pray.

- We had a Zoom call set up.

We just had people praying together.

We had our staff and leadership praying,

just singing and worshiping.

- My prognosis was very guarded,

however, I knew that hope and prayer

and faith were the only things

that were gonna get us through this.

- In the darkest point of my life,

I could feel such hope

and such peace through those prayers.

- [Narrator] For the next nine days,

the prayers continued

and Zach remained critical but stable.

Then on January 8th doctors started

weaning him off the ventilator,

hoping his lungs were strong enough

to breathe on their own.

Two days later, on Sunday January 10th,

Mandy was leading anonline church service,

when she got a video chat call.

- It was his nurse, Michael,

and he said "Hey, I was just calling

"to give you an update on Zach."

And then he turns the phone around

and puts it on Zach,

and it took me,

probably a good five seconds or so

before it dawned on me

oh my goodness the tube is out.

- [Narrator] The next day Zach was moved

out of the ICU to a step down room.

- I could just feel the presence of God.

I looked over at the oxygen monitor,

they keep a pulse ox on your finger.

At the time it was at 90.

And right after I sat up

it went all the way up.

My oxygen levels were ashigh as they had ever been.

- [Narrator] Seven dayslater Zach was discharged.

And while it would takeeight more weeks of rest,

he fully recovered.

- The fact that he didn'thave long term complications

is a testimony to the healing

that God did in Zach through this process.

- [Narrator] Today Zachand Mandy look forward

to healthy, happy lives,grounded by a faith

rooted in prayer.

- Prayer became my life line.

It became everything.

- Over and over in my lifeI've learned one thing,

that God is faithful.