A 9-year-old Minnesota boy survived after an arrow went through his brain. His parents and doctors call it a miracle.
If we think about how we are here today, we can surely say that it’s only because of God’s mercy and protection.
How many times has He protected us from certain harm? In some instances, it was really close, and we narrowly escaped death.
But through it all, God was on our side, and He didn’t let it happen. Gus Deterding’s story shows us this truth in a powerful way.
A Normal Day Turns Into a Nightmare
Gus Deterding was helping his family on a cold March day. The driveway was icy, and he was loading items into his dad’s truck. One of those items was a youth bow and arrow.
“I think was carrying everything at once, and the arrow was like right here. and he then fell right on it,” said Abby Deterding, his mother.
The fall was bad. The arrow went through Gus’s skull and deep into his brain. But Gus did something amazing. He pulled the arrow out of his head by himself.
Parents Think It’s Just a Small Cut
When Gus came inside, he was bloody and scared. His parents saw only a small cut on his face. They thought he just needed stitches.
“At home he kept saying, ‘Mom, am I dying? Am I going to leave you? I don’t want to leave you yet, and I’m like Gus, ‘No, we’re just getting stitches,'” Abby remembered.
The family drove to their local hospital in Alexandria. The doctor there was careful. He sent Gus by helicopter to Children’s Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis.
The Hospital Sends Him Home at First
At first, Gus seemed fine. He looked so normal that doctors sent him home without brain scans. But when Gus started throwing up, his parents brought him back.
That’s when doctors finally saw what had really happened.
Brain Scans Show the Shocking Truth
Dr. Ken Maslonka works at the children’s hospital. He looked at the brain scan and couldn’t believe what he saw.
“That’s the path the arrow took and a little bit of hemorrhage along the way,” he said.
The arrow had gone through the middle of Gus’s brain. It came within two centimeters of coming out the other side of his skull.
Doctor Says He’s Never Seen Anything Like This
The doctor made a model to show how close the arrow came to Gus’s carotid artery.
“The carotid artery is right here… had it hit that, that would have been death within minutes,” he explained.
Dr. Maslonka has worked at Children’s Minnesota for 28 years. He has never seen anything like this.
He said if he saw a model of this injury without knowing what happened, he would think the child died.
“I would say that this poor unfortunate nine-year-old young man didn’t survive this, based on what I see here,” he said.
But Gus was alive. He was talking. He was getting better.
God Controls the Arrow’s Path
The doctor knew this was more than luck. Maslonka said, “It’s a heavenly presence of God controlling the direction of that arrow.”
Gus’s parents felt the same way. “We know it didn’t just happen,” his father Dave said. “This is a miracle, yep,” his mother added.
Gus Makes a Complete Recovery
Gus recovered quickly. He got back to playing the sports he loved. His family watched him return to being a normal 9-year-old boy.
Some people might call what happened to Gus just luck. But we know better.
Nothing happens in our lives without God knowing about it first. He sees everything before it even happens. His protection goes far beyond what we can imagine.
When you look at how that arrow missed every vital part of Gus’s brain, you see God’s hand at work. The same God who protected Gus is watching over you and your family too.
Let us pray for Gus as he continues to grow and for his family as they witness God’s amazing grace every day.
WATCH: Doctors Credit God After 9-Year-Old Boy Survives Arrow Through Brain
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