Mary Beth Prater: A Walking, Talking, Christmas Miracle

December 26, 2024, began much like any other day for Mary Beth Prater. The day after Christmas went pretty well as expected, with Mary Beth babysitting all day, then going with her daughter to run a few errands. Mary Beth, a smoker from a relatively young age, stayed outside on her carport for a few minutes when she got home so she could smoke a cigarette before going inside. When she finished her cigarette, Mary Beth went inside and decided to lie down for a bit as she didn’t feel too great. At that point, she still had no idea what events were about to unfold.

Mary Beth is a 66-year-old lifetime resident of Waynesboro. Having always been relatively healthy herself, she still remembers growing up watching her father, the late Mr. Dugan Prater, struggle with coronary artery disease and heart attacks. She says that she can still remember thinking when she was very young herself, “When is Daddy going to have another heart attack? Will he be okay?” Scary stuff for a kid! However, as she grew into adulthood, she never really thought twice about heart problems herself, as she never showed any symptoms.

On that fateful evening last December, Mary Beth was sitting in her bedroom eating the supper that her daughter Tiffany had prepared. She says she just didn’t feel well enough to leave her bedroom. As she was trying to eat, she began to have difficulty chewing her food, and was feeling more and more unwell. She was then struck with debilitating pain in her right arm and shoulder, saying it felt like it was “in a vise.” She tried to call out for Tiffany, who was in the kitchen at the time, but her voice was too weak to be heard in the other room. Mary Beth then dialed Tiffany’s phone number, and Tiffany’s ten-year-old son Eli answered. He and Tiffany then quickly came into the bedroom to check on Mary Beth. After telling Tiffany she needed to go to the restroom, Mary Beth got up and was able to take four or five steps before collapsing on the floor. Still conscious at that point, Mary Beth asked for a cold, wet washcloth as she was sweating profusely.

As Mary Beth was unable to walk to the vehicle to go to the hospital, Tiffany quickly made the decision to call an ambulance. Mary Beth remembers asking Tiffany to call Dusty Malugen, their pastor, to ask for prayers...the last memory she has for about 36 hours after that. After a quick assessment, EMTs determined that Mary Beth was indeed having a heart attack, and began preparations to transport her to Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia. Things took a truly dire turn at that point; Mary Beth “coded” (her heart stopped) before they reached the end of her street. Mary Beth was then taken directly to Wayne Medical Center, with the medics performing CPR as she was rolled into the Emergency Room. Tiffany says that Mary Beth coded twice within the two-hour period she was at Wayne Medical, and had to be shocked seven times to get her heart going again.

The ER doctor came out to give the family an update after some time, and said that Mary Beth’s vital signs and bloodwork were “incompatible with life.” He said they weren’t going to give up, but that if Mary Beth survived, it would truly be a “Christmas miracle.” Six hospitals refused to accept Mary Beth to be transferred to them from Wayne Medical, as they either did not have room, or deemed her too far gone to be helped. Centennial Hospital in Nashville ultimately agreed to accept Mary Beth, and she was airlifted there at 9:30 that night.

When Tiffany and her brother arrived at Centennial, they were given the terrifying news that their mother was brain dead. Tiffany says that she and her brother kneeled on either side of their mother’s bed and began to pray and talk to her, when it happened. The Christmas miracle, that is. Mary Beth opened her eyes! A nurse then began giving her commands, and Mary Beth followed – blinking her eyes, squeezing their hands, wiggling her toes.

On Friday, Mary Beth was able to go to the heart cath lab and undergo a balloon and stent procedure. One vessel was 100% blocked; the doctor called that type blockage the “dark side of the moon.” She had a fractured sternum from all the CPR that was performed, and a CT of her brain indicated that she’d had a stroke at some point. To top it all off, Mary Beth was diagnosed with COVID pneumonia Friday night. It seems that the deck was quite heavily stacked against Mary Beth! But when God moves, He moves in mighty ways. Mary Beth regained consciousness and was able to come off the ventilator the following day, Saturday, December 28.

Mary Beth was in Centennial Hospital for seven days. She was under isolation protocol due to the COVID diagnosis, but family was thankfully able to be with her by taking turns. After seven days, she was able to return home to Waynesboro for recovery. There have been a couple of bumps in the road for Mary Beth since then – a bad stomach virus sent her back to the Centennial Hospital for five more days in January, and she then unfortunately took pneumonia once again. Since her last stay in Centennial, Mary Beth has been showing improvement every day. She proudly says that she has not smoked a cigarette since the last one she had on the day of her heart attack. The incentive to stay alive is the greatest incentive of all!

“The one thing I am certain of, God had his A-Team on me that Thursday evening,” said Mary Beth. “He had all the right people working on me that night.”

And, just maybe, a big Christmas miracle took place that night, too.