We were putting on a tattoo on our ankles with just Indian ink and with a needle. So, sharing that needle and sharing needles when I was using drugs years later I contracted that disease.
Several years ago I was diagnosed with hepatitis C which is a liver disease. At the stage that I was at, which was stage 4 I started a regimen of treatment and the treatment was actually worse than the disease. It was horrifying. I felt like I had the flu twenty-four seven. There was a lot of anxiety, a lot of depression, and suicidal thoughts. My neighbor also had hepatitis C liver disease. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive it. He passed on.
I put my first show on in 1977. I had a show with Bon Jovi here in Chattanooga. I had one with Leonard Skynard and Hank Williams Jr. There was a handful of major promoters in the United States.
I started doing events all over the world. I was doing a lot of drugs. I was a drug addict and I was using drugs intravenously. Shooting up heroin, cocaine and sometimes the two combined, speedballs. I was doing a lot of that.
I had a lot of people praying on my behalf. It’s one of those things, I think I just kind of outgrew it with prayer combined.
Also, I was arrested and when I was in jail I was sharing a needle with several other guys where we were putting on a tattoo on our ankles with just Indian ink and with a needle. Sharing that needle and sharing needles when using drugs years later I contracted that disease and I believe that, that had kind of lingered in my bloodstream for all of those years.
I told my wife that I had all I could take of this. I can’t take any more of this treatment. I was finally ready to throw in the towel. I told her that I was going to drive to the bridge in Chattanooga and drive my car off the bridge. I have had it.
I wasn’t really involved with a church because I was living just outside of Chattanooga, out in the country.
I had people praying for me. One day I was reading my Bible and I walked into one of the spare bedrooms. I got down on my knees and I started crying out to God. When I started to pray all of a sudden the Holy Spirit began to take over. I began to pray in my Heavenly prayer language and it was like a revolving wheel going to God the Father and back down to me. Great joy was released. That was something I hadn’t felt in so long. I hadn’t had any joy. I hadn’t had any peace. Then He released Heavenly laughter. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed over anything. I usually spent most of my time crying. This went on for about fifteen or twenty minutes. The joy was incredible. I knew there that I had received my breakthrough. I knew that I had received healing. I had been seeking God for healing for a long time and I knew that it had finally come.
A couple of weeks later I drove up to Nashville to have my tests done. When I went in to see the nurse practitioner she did all of the tests. When she came back into the office she said, “I’ve got some good news for you. There is absolutely no disease in your blood whatsoever. Everything is clear.” She did say she would like for me to continue the treatment for at least two or three more months if you would. I said, “Listen, (she was a Christian) I know that God has healed me. I know that I have received my breakthrough for healing. I’m done. I’m done with the treatment, that’s it.
All the way back from Nashville to the Chattanooga area I could feel God’s presence and I knew He was with me. I knew that He had provided me with a miracle.
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