By Mary Ippel—
MUNCIE, Ind.—My name is Mary Ippel. I am almost 69 years old. I am the wife of Bruce Ippel. I am the mother of ten wonderful children, seven in-law children, and grandmother to 15 grandchildren, as well as several other children I love as my own. I love the Lord and, as a Purdue Master Gardener in Delaware county, I love to garden.
Six years ago I suddenly became very ill while we were visiting my daughter and her family in Williamsburg VA. I was rushed to the hospital at the end of May and was not aware of anything until August 1st. I had acute pancreatitis and a whole lot of complications that came with it. My heart stopped twice, I had fevers of 107-109 degrees for weeks and because my blood pressure was bottoming out, I was put on 3 simultaneous pressor medications that preserved blood flow to my heart and brain, but left my feet and hands and everything else without enough blood.
I was in the hospital for 3 months and in rehab for another month. I was supported in prayer for all this time and still am supported this way by many friends, family, and a lot of people I do not know.
When I came back home to Indiana the end of September, I was greeted by over 100 people who lined my driveway to welcome me back home. I was however now a double below the knee amputee and 7 of my fingers were at least partially amputated.
Many people showed so much love to me! I have numerous examples of this but this one comes to mind. I had just planted a huge garden when we left for Virginia. My husband was trying to run his medical office and drive back and forth to my hospital (a ten-hour drive). He had never gardened in the past and certainly had not time to do it then. The children who lived nearby were all working at their jobs and doing their best to take care of our big but now empty house as well as mow the lawn, which was very time consuming.
My Master Gardener friends came to my home several times that summer and pulled weeds, picked berries, beans, tomatoes and even froze the produce from my garden and filled my freezer with it! Like I said I have so many friends who love me.
Fast forward through the next year of rehabilitation and now it is summer again. Thankfully, now very mobile with my prosthetic legs, but picking beans, raspberries and rototilling are no longer easy for me although I still rototill! My son-in-law Dan worked for Cardno, a firm that specializes in native plant restoration. I became interested in replacing my garden with native plants. Dan helped me select seed and starter plugs. Several of my children helped me plant hundreds of those plugs. My garden now is largely native prairie areas.
I have traditional flower areas but the native plants are so happy they are quickly encroaching. I have planted scores of trees which are mostly thriving.
I still work in my garden every day, weather permitting and take care of our large house. There’s lots of mowing, so, four years ago, I killed much of my Kentucky bluegrass lawn and planted a no-mow mixture of grass. It should actually be called a seldom-mow variety since you do have to mow it a few times each season.
Many people ask me why this had to happen to me. I will admit that this question kept coming to mind when going through the surgeries I went through that summer and several more the following year. I have an answer… The answer is I don’t know why it had to happen, but I know that God’s plans for me are always good. I am confident of that!
When people ask me how I manage I have an opportunity to tell them of God’s goodness to me through the past 6 years.
He has provided for every detail of my life and made me able to rest in His provision for all the rest of my life.
For more information on becoming a Purdue Extension Master Gardener, click here.
