Testimony: A Prayer Bear

“To go from being told I wouldn’t be able to play to just being back on the court was amazing.”

It was just another volleyball practice for Kara Weitz. She had done it hundreds of times before. Being a senior in high school and having played volleyball since the fourth grade, she was used to the drills, pep talks, and other ins and outs of a typical practice. But October 1, 2010, turned out not to be a typical practice.

During a drill, one of Kara’s teammates spiked the ball, hitting Kara in the head and knocking her to the floor unconscious. After being revived, she was taken to the team trainer. The trainer asked her a series of questions, none of which Kara could answer. She was also unable to balance herself. Suspecting that Kara had suffered a concussion, the trainer sent her to the hospital.

A medical examination revealed that Kara had indeed suffered a concussion. “The next thing I remembered after being at practice was waking up in my bed the next day,” she said. “I had a really bad headache. My sister, who was at practice that day and took me to the hospital, told me that I had a concussion.”

On top of that news, Kara learned something from her parents that hit her just as hard as the volleyball had the day before. Fearing the risk of another concussion, her parents told her that she wouldn’t be allowed to play volleyball anymore, even if the doctors cleared her.

Kara was devastated. Volleyball had been a big part of her life for years. Their team had won state the year before and she really wanted to win it again her senior year. She didn’t want to think about never playing again.

For the next few weeks, Kara was still feeling the effects of the concussion. She wasn’t able to go to school because she couldn’t concentrate. She had to stay inside during the day because the sunlight made her headaches worse. She had a hard time looking at television or a computer screen for the same reason.

Kara’s other sister, Heather, a youth leader at RHE MA Bible Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, heard about the tough time her sister was having. She bought her a volleyball bear and had the youth group pray over it (Acts 19:12) for Kara’s healing before sending it to her.

“I noticed a change after I got the bear,” Kara said. “It made me feel a lot better. I think it sped the healing process up. I was able to focus more and the headaches went away.”

Even though Kara was doing well, her parents weren’t sure that they wanted her to play volleyball again. Her family prayed about the situation, and her father, who was also her coach, agreed that if the doctor cleared her, he would allow her to play.

“My mom and I went to the doctor and he passed me,” she said. “I was at practice about five minutes later and playing in regionals two days after that.”

Kara and her teammates not only played in regionals—they won, knocking off the number-one-ranked team in the state along the way. The next weekend they played in and won the state championship.

“To go from being told I wouldn’t be able to play to just being back on the court was amazing,” Kara said. “I was so glad to be out there. I didn’t want to let a single ball get past me without giving my full effort. Winning state was just incredible!”