Student is the lesson

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Ten years ago, Anthony De La Garza was 27 and experiencing severe headaches. One night, he had a massive stroke in his brain stem, which left him paralyzed from the neck down.

"No miracle can compare to the one God did for us 2,000 years ago, but I am an example of God's miraculous attribute today," De La Garza said via e-mail. "Just that I am alive is a miracle; the doctors gave me five more years to live, and that was 10 years ago."

But the miracle he wanted to share came from his desire to go back to school. "I was afraid because the stroke left me mute," he wrote. "I asked myself, how can I communicate my thoughts to do my school work? For the first time, I had a doubting attitude."

JOAN BARNETT LEE / jlee@modbee.com - Anthony De La Garza 37yrs is pictured at his home in Empire with his mother Josie Halcon on Thursday morning (12-22-11). He had a stroke 10 years ago that paralyzed him from the neck down. He recently got a Tobii comunication device that allows him to use eye movements to manuever it. He is now taking an online history class at MJC.

Miraculous Experiences

On this day of Christian celebration, readers tell of times they've felt God's hand.

He asked God for a miracle. "I really wanted to go back to school."

An Internet-savvy friend found a computer that works like a laptop, but tracks eye movements and translates them into words. "My insurance would cover the cost, but the representative said it would take a year to process the paperwork," De La Garza wrote.

"Now comes the miracle: I got the computer in a month! I am taking a history class at Modesto Junior College online. I am so happy!"