Gazelle 14 Spring 25-48_Gazelle Magazine 4/17/14 8:15 PM Page 30
LOR
ETTA
GOE
BEL
When Life Brings
You Lemons
CHOOSING TO LIVE
LIFE TO ITS FULLEST
By VICKI BENNINGTON
n
obody knows what tomorrow will bring.
Life can drastically change from one day to the
next in ways we could never imagine. And no one
knows this better than Loretta Goebel.
One day she was a healthy wife and mother
preparing for a happy Christmas season; the next
day she was gravely ill, and her life was altered forever.
After suffering a devastating illness nearly thirteen years
ago, Loretta said she emerged from the experience changed in
several ways.
Physically changed – yes. A loss of circulation in her limbs while
suffering from strep toxic shock prompted the need for multiple amputations. Mentally changed – yes. She drew on an inner strength
that helped her face new challenges, and feels she surfaced as a more
compassionate and empathetic person. Faithfully changed – yes. Her
belief in God – and miracles - grew.
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Loretta said she doesn’t
dwell on what was taken
away, rather, she’s thankful for what she was given.
“Only about ten percent of the
people with the type of illness I had even survive,” Loretta said. “I lived to be with my family
and my friends, and hopefully, to provide hope for others.”
Reflecting on the years since her life-changing experience, she said
she has come a long way. At first, she didn’t like to look at herself in
a mirror. She had down days. She did cry. Yet inner strength brought
her and her family to “a new normal.”
Originally from Shipman, Illinois, Loretta and her family lived
in the Chicago area in December 2001. A self-professed “Christmas
nut,” she goes “all out” for the season, and that year was no
different. In the midst of wrapping countless gifts, the doorbell rang.
She rushed to answer, inadvertently banging her right hand on
the bannister.
SAVVY
SOPHISTICATED
SASSY