Meet Caleb

I was born with eczema, a skin disease, which causes rashes and extreme itching. Eczema can vary in severity from mild to very severe. When I was five years old, my condition took a dramatic turn for the worst. Over the next three years, my condition continued to worsen to a point where doctors in many locations labeled it as “very severe”. By the time I was 8 years old, there was not a part of my body that was not affected by eczema. I had it outside and inside my body. I had swollen lymph nodes all over.  Since my body was constantly healing, I had not grown in over 2-1/2 years. I was always miserable and never got a full night’s sleep. I made numerous trips to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. I also spent time in the hospital in Denver, Colorado and Portland, Oregon.

To make matters worse, I developed a reoccurring staph infection. Due to the eczema, it covered my body.  Each time it came back, it was more resistive. Doctors were running out of treatment options. I was fighting a staph infection that many healthy people did not survive. My condition worsened to the point that, as an 8 year old, I weighed 39 pounds, had lost my hair, was being fed with a feeding tube down my nose, and had to be carried anytime I left my bed. There was a lot of concern from my family and my doctors that I would not survive.

What changed?  James 5:14-16 says: (14) Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. (15) And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.  (16) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

The elders of our Church came to my house and did as the Bible said. I was carried into the room where they were in the condition described above. Within a month, I was playing on a soccer team.

I was granted the wish of being able to go to Disney World and other Orlando attractions.

As I grew older, I was able to participate in different Magic Moment Events. Being involved in Beyond the Moment events has had a great impact on me. A lot of my memories from growing up are being involved with the Family Camp at Lake Martin. I always looked forward to going there during the summer and getting to do different activities that I normally wouldn’t get to do, as well as, meeting new people every year or getting to see people I did know. I enjoyed volunteering there as I got older and helping others where I could. Another event that I enjoyed helping with was the golf tournament at FarmLinks and getting to meet several former Auburn and Alabama players. I have been involved with magic moments with different events over the years from being a junior counselor at the Family Camp, to helping raise money for Magic Moments, getting to present a Wish to a child, and just recently I was able to participate in the Capital City Clay shoot.

In 2018, I graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. I currently work for Central Alabama Electric Cooperative in Prattville, Alabama. I recently got engaged to my fiancé, Britney, this past September, and we are getting married in June.