These days, nurse Tannia Appleton looks back on her life with a thankful sigh as she reflects on how far God has brought her — and how He continues to see her through.
While working at St. Peter’s University Hospital, New Jersey, she was caring for a diabetic patient who was about to be discharged. Before he left, she decided to check his blood sugar level. The results showed it was dangerously low, and almost immediately, he began to lose consciousness.
“And I’m like, you know what, let me call the rapid response team. I’m trying to revive the man, and I signal for the nurse to call. I said, ‘The patient is going down.’ That’s all I remember. Everything went blank after that,” Appleton shared with Freedom Come Rain, explaining that she had suffered a brain aneurysm and had to be revived.
That incident marked the beginning of a long, hard, and painful journey for Appleton — one that began with her waking up unable to remember anything.
At the time, she was married and a part of a blended family of five. She had been trying to balance work, marriage, and family life. A committed Christian, Appleton admitted that she had slowly become consumed by the cares of life — taking extra shifts, missing church, and constantly promising herself she would return to worship once things settled down. Ironically, the day she suffered the aneurysm, she was working overtime to help support her family.
“In the process,” she confessed, “I left my first love — Christ.”
The aftermath brought new and difficult challenges. The aneurysm had damaged many nerves, leaving her with impaired vision, and she also lost her sense of taste and smell.
“I could still see, but it’s not the same,” she explained. “It just feels like… I don’t know if you’ve ever felt like you’re in a dream, and then you wake up and realize it wasn’t real. That’s what my vision feels like — like I’m in a dream. And there were floaters in front of my eyes all the time.”
That terrifying experience occurred in January 2012. Later tests revealed that it wasn’t just an aneurysm — a tumour had actually ruptured.
“Praise God, He saved me, because if I was at home, I would have died. They wouldn’t have gotten to me in time,” she said gratefully.
During her recovery, there were days when Appleton felt deeply discouraged and overwhelmed. Struggling with memory loss — sometimes unable to recall what had happened just five minutes earlier — she admitted there were moments she asked God to take her home.
One incident that stayed with her was when her daughter asked her to do something, but by the time she got up to do it, she had completely forgotten. “I felt so bad,” she said softly.
In time, Appleton recommitted her life to the Lord, though she admitted she wasn’t immediately fully surrendered.
“I was mad at God at first,” she confessed. “I said, ‘God, why me? Why do You have to do this to me?’ And He said, ‘Why not you?’ After that, I stopped asking why.”
Appleton said she refocused her heart and eyes on God, praying,
“God, You are my foundation. It’s going to be scary, but Your will be done.”
She also gives God thanks for her family, who she says have been her biggest support system — rallying around her through the difficult years and continuing to stand by her side.
For others walking through similar or even greater challenges, Appleton offers this encouragement:
“Hold on to God’s promises and keep your eyes on Him. The key thing is to have a firm foundation. I praise God that my family, although we’re not all holy, gave me that foundation in Christ.”
