SURVIVAL INSTINCT OF A WOMAN

The following is an edited excerpt from Survival Instinct of a Woman. This book is a true story of a woman's journey from a living hell of drugs and prostitution that culminates in a terrible skiing accident. However, this accident leads to an encounter with Michael Mirdad, leading her to discover a new life, a new career, and a healthy new relationship.

Linda, a beautiful woman of slender build, has gone on a skiing holiday to escape her life and marriage and to reassess her life. She was wide-eyed and very naïve when she met the man of her dreams, which became nightmares. He drugged her, beat her, and pushed her into prostituting herself to clients of his choice. March 22, 1992, was a beautiful day in Beaver Creek, Colorado. She was skiing downhill and coming to a stop when her right ski got stuck in the melting slush. In horror, she heard and felt the bones breaking in her right leg just above the ankle. She screamed in agony as the excruciating pain raced up her leg. The next morning Linda was taken into surgery. Days later, while recovering at home, Linda decided she would get up and go into the kitchen. Her crutch slipped on the rug, and she fell with all her weight on the broken leg. Her leg was x-rayed, revealing several shattered pieces of bone. The next morning she spent six hours in surgery. Over the next two weeks, Linda continuously called the doctor to report unusual levels of pain, each time being put off.

Michael Mirdad with actor Richard Hatch.

Eventually, the time came for the doctor to remove the cast to inspect her leg. As he did, his heart sank when he realized that an infection had set it and that they would immediately have to get her back to the hospital. Each week for three weeks, Linda was taken into surgery to clean the infection. Since she was unable to move in any direction, she spent the next year and a half flat on her back on an old cot which wreaked havoc on her body. Upon gaining some mobility, she had to continue to use her crutches to support the majority of her weight which lasted for the next four months. Since the accident, she still had not laid eyes on her injured leg. The time came, and her hands began to shake as she unfastened the straps that held the removable cast together. Finally, she looked at her stick of a leg and the huge, bulbous thing that was just above her ankle that was the same size as her knee. Then she looked at her foot which turned straight out to the side, unmovable in any way.

Later, Linda was put in a removable brace, but she still needed to use the crutches a while longer. The incision on the side of her leg wouldn't heal, and the doctors didn't know why. Then a longtime friend of Linda's invited her to join her for a class on “Manifesting Your Own Destiny.” Trying desperately to keep herself occupied, she accepted. The lecture was facilitated by Michael Mirdad. He travels all over the world giving classes and seminars, as well as counseling and healing people. Linda was completely captivated by this man and the message he had to share. After his talk, it was announced that he was taking appointments for private sessions. She had an overwhelming feeling she had to have a private session. It had been almost two years since her devastating skiing accident. She had worked very hard to rehabilitate her leg, but she still suffered with a distinct limp. She had also torn the rotary cuff in her right shoulder, and after a year of therapy, she still had to use her left arm to lift her right. The doctors told her there was nothing else that could be done except to repair it with surgery. When Linda went to her appointment with Michael, she entered the room and was overwhelmed with a peace she had never before experienced. He looked like every picture she had ever seen of Jesus Christ and there seemed to be a glow all around him. He smiled and took her hand saying, “Please, have a seat and tell me why you have come to see me.” Linda replied, “I-I don't know why. My life has been such a mess for the past few years, and I feel so desperate all the time.” Tears ran slowly down her cheeks, and she looked down at her hands embarrassed. Michael took her hand in his. He said softly, “I noticed when you walked in you have a limp. Tell me about it.” As she was concentrating on regaining her composure, Linda told Michael her story. When she had finished, he said gently, “Looks like you need some healing.”

Linda had no idea what this meant, but she was open to anything. Michael stood behind her to channel healing energy into her body and said, “Close your eyes and relax.” Linda closed her eyes and moments later, she felt a wonderful tingling accompanied with a warmth around her head that slowly moved over her shoulders, down her back, and into her legs. When he was done, he said, “I think you should feel much better now. If you need me again, please do not hesitate to call.”

Linda felt renewed, like she now had what she needed to deal with any of the issues that were affecting her life. She said, “I don't know or understand what you did, but thank you very much.” Michael smiled and took her hand again, leading her to the door, and said, “Just remember you have the ability to do anything you want with your life. It is your choice.”

As Linda walked slowly to her car, the only thought in her head was “What a wonderful man!” She closed the door and put the keys in the ignition. Then it occurred to her that for the first time since the accident, she had used her right arm without the help of her left. When she realized what she had done, she couldn't believe it. She started to laugh and slowly moved her arm over her head. “Oh my God!” Again, she lowered her arm and raised it above her head. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed again, unable to remove the smile as tears of joy began to roll down her face. Then she realized, “I never even mentioned anything about my shoulder.” She sat with the motor running for some time, trying to regain some semblance of composure. When she finally put the car in drive, she was still shaking.

Over the next several days, her limp lessened and her crooked foot began to turn straight. Soon after, the swelling around her ankle, where the infection from the surgery had taken place, began to shrink and her limp completely vanished.

After Linda's physical healing was complete, she still had moments of mental weakness, wherein she felt tempted to return to the life and relationship she worked so hard to leave behind. But when shadows from her past began to sneak back into her life, Linda could hear Michael's guidance saying, “Just remember you have the ability to do anything you want with your life. It is your choice and yours alone.” It was at this point that Linda realized that her past relationship was not solely responsible for her abuse. She was making poor choices and allowing the abuse. If she didn't love and respect herself enough to make healthy choices, how could she expect others to do so? But now things would be different. From now on, she would take responsibility for her life and her life has never been the same.