On the day after Christmas, 1949, Mrs. Usechek had gone into town to take advantage of the after-Christmas sales. She left Eugene and his younger brothers in the care of a sixteen-year old boy, who had often watched them in the past. When she got home late that afternoon, the boys greeted her with their usual high spirits and prattled away about the fun they had had with their “baby sitter” – especially about the good game he and Eugene had played—a sort of tug-of-war with a strap tied around their legs, seeing who could pull the hardest. Whether this was in any way responsible for what happened, no one will ever know, but two days later Eugene began to limp.
The Diagnosis
Mrs. Usechek asked him if his leg hurt, and when he said no, she didn’t worry. Two weeks later, however, Eugene came home from school one day, complaining that his left heel hurt. His mother examined the foot carefully, but could find no sign of an injury. For the next few days, Eugene complained more and more about the pain in his heel. His mother noticed that he seemed to be favoring it—at least he never let it touch the ground. She took him again to the family doctor, with deep concern in his voice, the physician rendered the verdict: Eugene was a victim of Perthe’s disease.
The doctor explained that this is a disease in which changes take place in the bone at the head of the femur (thigh bone) which results in the deformity. He urged her to make an immediate appointment with an eminent orthopedist at Children’s Hospital.
The Long Months of Treatment
There, they pointed out something she had not noticed before—that the boy’s left leg was underdeveloped compared to his right, and was already a good one and a half inches shorter. The boy was placed in traction, and he was placed in a cast from his chest to his toes, and released from the hospital. This was in February, and four months later he returned to the hospital where the cast was removed and more X-rays taken. He was then placed in another cast, which was to remain on until August.
A Mother Hears About Healing
It was late in June that Mrs. Usechek first heard of the Kathryn Kulhman services being held in Carnegie Hall. “A neighbor advised me to listen to the broadcast,” she said, “and then send in my prayer request. The very next day I began to listen, and started to fast and pray for Eugene’s healing.”
On August 1, she took her son back for more X-rays. The cast was now removed, and a brace was substituted. On the last day of August, she went alone to her first service at Carnegie Auditorium. “I liked the service, but I didn’t understand anything about it. Even so, I felt something in that auditorium that I had never felt before, and I wanted to go back and learn more about it,” smiled Mrs. Usechek.
Faith Growing Through Waiting
The following week Mrs. Usechek took Eugene—brace and all. Other people were wonderfully healed that day, but not Eugene. As Mrs. Usechek says, “I was still very ignorant about the whole thing. It was all so very new to me.”
The Power of God at Work
In early October of 1950, Mrs. Usechek took Eugene again to Carnegie Hall. They were a little late getting to the service, and could not find a seat, so they stood back against the far wall of the auditorium. And suddenly it happened. Eugene’s left leg began to twitch—the power of God was going through it. Mrs. Usechek looked quickly at her son, and saw the radiance in his face. She held her child close and started to cry.
Then she suddenly realized that what remained to be done now was between her and God. She would have to have the faith to believe God to the point of action—her action.
To Be Continued…
Miraculous Monday: 28th November 2022
Miraculous Monday 019
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