Hometown Brandon - Summer 2015

strange peace came over me that the Lord had
made His decision,” Jenny explained. Kramer
survived the surgery and was moved into ICU
where he would continue his fight for survival
with the support of a ventilator for another
39 days.
On one of Kramer’s worst evenings in the
hospital, Jenny spent the night in his room
trying to comfort him as he suffered violent
hallucinations from medication. Sweating and
exasperated, Kramer attempted to remove all
his hospital tubes. Through every challenge,
Jenny remained by her husband’s side–even
when he could not remember who she was.
Often, when Kramer could not respond to
her, Jenny would turn on the hospital radio
and play music from K-love, a Christian
radio station. On this particular night, Jenny
turned on the radio and prayed that the songs
would bring Kramer peace. Once again God
shined a light in that hospital room as Kramer
began to softly sing along, “I delight myself
in you, captivated by you. I’m overwhelmed,
I’m overwhelmed.”
Jennifer Wallace, Kramer and Jenny’s
high school theater teacher, made a Facebook
prayer group called “Prayers for Papa Bull.”
Jenny posted updates on the page and the
community responded with a flood of prayers
and encouraging comments. When Kramer was
in ICU, the most critical problems he faced
were respiratory failure and internal bleeding.
His blood pressure dropped dangerously low
and Kramer lost nearly eight units of blood.
In order for Kramer to come off the ventilator,
his blood work needed to meet a specific level
of 200. On the Facebook page, Jenny posted
a status asking for prayers that Kramer’s
levels would meet 200. The post garnered
immediate response, and the next day, Kramer’s
blood work was over 220. “To see the power of
prayer unfold, first hand, showed me that God
is so much bigger than all of this,” Jenny said,
“That day, God took over and the bleed was
completely gone.”
Behind the scenes, Jenny continued to
prepare for the new baby. While Kramer
remained in ICU, Jenny and her mom attended
all of the first trimester baby appointments
together.
After having his spleen removed and
battling pneumonia, Clostridium Difficile,
and a stroke, Kramer was finally released from
ICU and moved to a regular hospital room.
From then on, Kramer’s recovery moved
quickly especially with the help of physical
therapy at Methodist Rehabilitation. When
Kramer began physical therapy, he said
“I couldn’t even sit up. I had to be lifted out
of the wheelchair with a sling.”
After Kramer had shown significant
progress, the family borrowed a handicap van
and brought a very happy and excited Kramer
along to Jenny’s sonogram appointment. For
the first time together, Jenny and Kramer saw
their precious baby on the screen. Jenny said,
“It was the best feeling ever. Our family felt
complete.”
By God’s grace and with the help of some
incredible doctors at Methodist Rehab, Kramer
left physical therapy a few weeks later on his
own two very capable feet – walking tall. He
was expected to make a full recovery.
Kramer’s homecoming could not have
been any sweeter. Upon his arrival, he was
surprised to find a new truck awaiting him in
the driveway decorated with signs welcoming
him back. And if that was not exciting enough,
the Saturday after his return, the Sowells
hosted a gender reveal party at their home
where they cut the cake to expose layers of
blue beneath the pretty white frosting. Sure
enough, Jenny and Kramer were having a
baby boy–due to arrive on August 19th.
The ability to improvise is perhaps the
greatest skill any superior actor can have as,
inevitably, something goes wrong during every
live performance. Wardrobe malfunctions,
missing props, and forgotten lines could
mean the downfall of an actor or the ruin of
an entire play. The best actors know that
“the show must go on” no matter what–and
when confronted with an unscripted surprise,
the actors get on their feet and make a good
thing out of a wrong thing. A car accident
was never a part of Jenny and Kramer’s script.
Yet, out of an unforeseen tragedy came a
testimony of God’s unfailing love and the
awesome power of prayer.
The Brandon community came together
during the Sowell’s journey, and Jenny and
Kramer continue to feel amazed and grateful
for the community’s prayers and outstanding
support. Today, Kramer lives to pass along his
testimony and share his story with the world.
God prepared Kramer to be Papa Bull, student,
teacher, husband, and survivor. Now a new
role awaits Kramer as a father, the most
precious and cherished role in a man’s life.
How beautiful a play God has written for
Mr. and Mrs. Sowell. ■
Hometown Brandon • 21