When Nicole Sherwin was just 5 years old, she was saved in a home of Christian parents. Her parents had gotten saved after she was born, but she remembers nothing other than a Christian home. Her mother having worked for DeVry University was able to get a significant discount on college there. Nicole, having grown up in a Christian school as well, couldn’t understand why God would separate her from all of her friends, going to Christian colleges.
While she never showed it on the outside, looking back, she says her heart was bitter towards God. She never said anything out loud, and never talked to anyone about it. Because of that, she says she began to spiral downwards, her silence couldn’t prevent her bitterness from manifesting. Her grades started to slip. She felt like she wasn’t focusing, not achieving what she easily could academically. Eventually it got so bad, she almost couldn’t finish her degree. She says the Lord shook her. She realized that she needed to be more transparent and open about her struggles. She eventually finished her degree.
Before graduation she married Mark, whom she knew since 7th grade. Years later they would have two children together, and have a new church home in PA. But things took a radically different turn last year. In March of 2024 with a 3 year old son and 8 month old daughter, they were showing their family around the area. They visited Washington DC and Nicole had come down with a cold. She didn’t think much of it, it was just a cold, but she was very slow to recover.
Two weeks later, when going on their routine family walk, she couldn’t breathe. Her heart was racing and she was sweating. This cold must really be taking it out of her. In the months that followed, she would have similar symptoms two separate times. Maybe it was slight pneumonia? It didn’t bother her, she had responsibilities as a mom and as a church member. She didn’t want to be a burden.
While she never showed it on the outside, looking back, she says her heart was bitter towards God. She never said anything out loud, and never talked to anyone about it. Because of that, she says she began to spiral downwards, her silence couldn’t prevent her bitterness from manifesting. Her grades started to slip. She felt like she wasn’t focusing, not achieving what she easily could academically. Eventually it got so bad, she almost couldn’t finish her degree. She says the Lord shook her. She realized that she needed to be more transparent and open about her struggles. She eventually finished her degree.
Before graduation she married Mark, whom she knew since 7th grade. Years later they would have two children together, and have a new church home in PA. But things took a radically different turn last year. In March of 2024 with a 3 year old son and 8 month old daughter, they were showing their family around the area. They visited Washington DC and Nicole had come down with a cold. She didn’t think much of it, it was just a cold, but she was very slow to recover.
Two weeks later, when going on their routine family walk, she couldn’t breathe. Her heart was racing and she was sweating. This cold must really be taking it out of her. In the months that followed, she would have similar symptoms two separate times. Maybe it was slight pneumonia? It didn’t bother her, she had responsibilities as a mom and as a church member. She didn’t want to be a burden.
Then one Sunday, her and Mark were walking to church. Their family was bringing the kids to church for them. As Nicole and Mark approached the nursery, the door was locked, so they had to trek up the slight hill in the parking lot to the main entrance. Nicole almost couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t make it without stopping. When she got inside, she had to sit and catch her breath. Little did she know, Jodie Wendal was watching the whole time. She never told anyone about her other symptoms, and no one ever asked. But Jodie stopped her and told her she needed to go home, she didn’t look well, she needed to rest.
Nicole describes it as God pricking Jodie’s heart. Kate Lepore drove her home, and didn’t ask questions, she just wanted to help. She would go to the doctor soon after and get some bloodwork done. The call she got afterward changed her life.
The doctor told her to go straight to the hospital. When she got there, they didn’t let her leave. She had a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in her lung. They started doing tests on her body, and found her heart was enlarged too. The diagnosis was pulmonary hypertension, the same disease her Aunt had passed away from far too young. For the next 6 weeks, she would endure a battery of tests, and lose 20 pounds of fluid that had built up in her body.
She remarks that for the first time, she felt like Valley Forge Baptist had ministered to her directly. She always felt welcome and blessed here, but now people were going out of their way, just for her. She received gifts, text messages, prayers, hospital visits and so much more. She would eventually be released, and now needs to be on medication the rest of her life.
When asked about how she felt about all of this in light of her prior struggles, every day she felt God was teaching her something in the hospital. She counted it a privilege to be able to talk to the nurses in critical care. They often don’t have patients who can talk back. She witnessed to them.
She counts it a blessing that she can rejoice in the Lord always. Philippians 4:4-9 was her fortress in her hospital bed. When she couldn’t open her eyes for a week because of the migraines, she felt that God was showing her that with Thanksgiving, she could let her requests be known to Him. It was ok to ask God for big things, and they did.
She says she can’t tell me how many nurses asked her how she stayed so positive. She told them God was doing good things, even though the situation was dire. She tells me that God’s timing is perfect and He knows just what each of us need and to trust His timing. She thanks God for her stalwart husband who was a rock when things were falling apart.
She tells me that God’s timing is good, always. We just have a hard time seeing it sometimes. We just need to wait it out and trust in Him.
And she now knows she doesn’t have to do it alone.
She couldn’t make it without stopping. When she got inside, she had to sit and catch her breath. Little did she know, Jodie Wendal was watching the whole time. She never told anyone about her other symptoms, and no one ever asked. But Jodie stopped her and told her she needed to go home, she didn’t look well, she needed to rest.
Nicole describes it as God pricking Jodie’s heart. Kate Lepore drove her home, and didn’t ask questions, she just wanted to help. She would go to the doctor soon after and get some bloodwork done. The call she got afterward changed her life.
The doctor told her to go straight to the hospital. When she got there, they didn’t let her leave. She had a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in her lung. They started doing tests on her body, and found her heart was enlarged too. The diagnosis was pulmonary hypertension, the same disease her Aunt had passed away from far too young. For the next 6 weeks, she would endure a battery of tests, and lose 20 pounds of fluid that had built up in her body.
She remarks that for the first time, she felt like Valley Forge Baptist had ministered to her directly. She always felt welcome and blessed here, but now people were going out of their way, just for her. She received gifts, text messages, prayers, hospital visits and so much more. She would eventually be released, and now needs to be on medication the rest of her life.
When asked about how she felt about all of this in light of her prior struggles, every day she felt God was teaching her something in the hospital. She counted it a privilege to be able to talk to the nurses in critical care. They often don’t have patients who can talk back. She witnessed to them.
She counts it a blessing that she can rejoice in the Lord always. Philippians 4:4-9 was her fortress in her hospital bed. When she couldn’t open her eyes for a week because of the migraines, she felt that God was showing her that with Thanksgiving, she could let her requests be known to Him. It was ok to ask God for big things, and they did.
She says she can’t tell me how many nurses asked her how she stayed so positive. She told them God was doing good things, even though the situation was dire. She tells me that God’s timing is perfect and He knows just what each of us need and to trust His timing. She thanks God for her stalwart husband who was a rock when things were falling apart.
She tells me that God’s timing is good, always. We just have a hard time seeing it sometimes. We just need to wait it out and trust in Him.
And she now knows she doesn’t have to do it alone.
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