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Faith Stories with Pastor Joe Coffey is a podcast about the real stories of real people and the real ways God moves in and through our lives. Each episode shares honest conversations of breakthrough and struggle–stories of faith, failure, drift, redemption, and the slow pull back to Jesus. From seasons of success to moments of darkness, these testimonies are reminders that no one is too far gone, no story is beyond redemption, and Jesus is still in the business of restoring what feels lost.
Hey, everybody. Welcome to Faith Stories, a podcast from Christ Community Chapel about how Jesus can change anything and everything. I'm your host, Pastor Joe, and this is my special guest, Rajini Poth. Thanks for joining us, Rajini. Thank you for having me. Pleasure to be here. All right, let me start with this. How long have you and Gary been coming to CCC? We have been coming here 19 years now. I know. It's a long time. Yeah. Long time. Yeah. So tell me something about your background. Okay, so, Gary and I've been married 36 years, and we have three kids. all married, two grandsons. And so background is, I was born in India, and my dad. Family. Mom and dad. Where in India? Madras. Like Mumbai. Yeah, got it. And so, Chennai, actually. Got it. Been there, yeah. Yes. Yes. And so we came here in 1970. Dad was a psychiatrist, and so he came for educational opportunities for the family. We came here and landed in Cuyahoga Falls. I started working at Fallsview General Hospital, the psychiatric hospital, and bought a house in Stowe and lived there ever since. How about that? Yeah. Okay. So in India, were you. I know India is primarily a Hindu nation, but were you raised as a Christian? So what's interesting is, both my grandparents on both sides, Mom's side, dad's side, they converted to Christianity through missionaries from England. It was a really cool story. So they converted. Christianity. And so my mom and dad didn't know anything about Hinduism. They just grew up as Christians, and so we didn't know anything about Hinduism. So when I meet people, they say, oh, you're Indian. You must be Hindu. Yeah, No, I know nothing about it. Grew up in a Christian home, and. Yeah. So when you first moved here, how old were you? I was five when I moved here. Yeah. And what language did you speak when you spoke? Tamil. Okay. Yeah. And then. But you're young enough. You learn English right away. Yeah, I went to an English school. My mom was a principal at a school in India, like a British English school, so we learned English, So. Yeah. And where'd you meet Gary? I met Gary at college here. I was at, Kent State. He was at Akron. Ugh. So you, grew up in a Christian home when you first. When you moved here, do you guys find a church? We did. we went to different churches, and then we settled for at St. Paul's in Akron on West Market. And dad loved the church. They grew up Lutheran in India, and so they loved the churches here, and so we started going there since 1974. And mom and dad were very active. He was in the choir until he was 80 years old. So loved, St. Paul's and grew up in the church. And, I remember being at the church and learning about God and everything. But every we were. My mom and dad loved the Reverend Billy Graham. And every time he was on tv, they made him sit right on the floor, watch the tv, watch the living room, watch Billy Graham with his crusades. And it's just those foundational things is really what stuck with me. And so when I went to college, my cousins and I went to go see River Billy Graham, his crusade in Buffalo, New York, and I went forward in college. So it's just amazing. Yeah. It's like, wow, it comes full circle. You never know the things that parents implement in your family. Yeah. And I don't know if you knew that My wife Karen went forward at a Billy Graham crusade. Did she really? Oh, that's awesome. The one that was here in Cleveland. All right, so you give your life to Christ when you're in college. Right. But I know that, just, in talking about this particular interview, you have feel like you have had an experience that has deepened your faith. Yes. Tell me about that. So, went to college, got, a degree in counseling, then got a PhD in counseling. And, Gary. We moved to different areas, came back here, the area. And, we're really active. We were at Riverwood Community Chapel with Paul Sardarelli, and very active in the church. Bible studies, women's Bible studies. but then I get a call to be an assistant professor after I got my PhD at the medical school, Neomed. And so I went to Neomed. And then it was just like my faith was put on hold. Everything became about my career, my job, keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak. And so, yeah, all that was put on hold. Did that happen, like, slowly? How does that happen? It happened slowly. It did. It did. because I'm like, well, I should be in this Bible study. Well, you know, I gotta do this. I gotta go to this. And then, so I did really well. I mean, they moved me up to the president's office, and I was teaching, guiding, lecturing, doing all kinds of stuff. And so my ego was full. My pride was full at the time. And so the president's like, hey, want you to work with us? I go, of course. Who wouldn't want to say no to that? Worked in the president's office. And when he couldn't go to events, he had me Go speak at events for him and do things for him. So little by little, that became the center of my universe, so to speak. When you talk about the bicycle with the spoke, that was my center, I always think about that. Yeah. Yeah. What's a killer is that it's working. It does, yes. Yeah. For at least a while. So, what's going on with your family at that time? How your kids? Kids were great. They were all at cbca, Gary's job. Everything was good on the outside, but inside I was struggling because I had. I was, like, kind of bouncing those balls, keep them all up in the air not to fall. So, you know, home life and work life and social life and church life. We were coming to church on Sundays, but we were not as involved as we should be. And so I noticed a little bit of, I don't know what the word I'm trying to think, but I knew something was not right, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was at the time. So you had kind of an unsettled feel in your spirit. All right, so how many. What. What year was this? So this was, This is 2010. Okay. So 2010. And then working full time, I thought things were great. And, And then in 2016, I suffered a stroke driving to work. And so, I was. Tell me what that was like. So that. That was a nightmare, so to speak. So I was leaving my house, and, I couldn't get my car to go faster, and I thought I was having car problems. I got to go fast, and I couldn't get it to stop. I'm going on Route 14, which is, like, all lights. And thank God, that day was all green, but one light was red, and I couldn't stop my car. And so I went flying through the intersection. And by the grace of God, I didn't hit anybody, and nobody hit me. So you don't know it's. Physically, you think it's the car? I thought it was a car. I thought it was a car. That's how I. No, you've never had physical problems before. I was 51. I was good shape. I thought, this can't be it. I kept thinking it was a car. So then I hit something, and my car came to a brush stop. I thought, okay, I got a flat tire. And so I still wasn't cognizant what was going on. And I had no idea. And so I had another 10, 15 minutes to drive, and I drove with a flat tire for the next 10, 15 minutes to the medical School. So you did have a flat tire? I did have a flat tire. Something, I think. I think it was a pothole is what I'm assuming. And so I'm like, okay, well, I'm almost there. I'll just keep going. And so I kept driving. I called my Fred Flintstone tire at the time. And so I went to the parking lot. The faculty parking lot was busy. Now, your vision. Everything's fine. Everything was fine. Everything. Nothing. Numb. Nothing. Right. Okay. Nothing. So then I go to the parking lot and my spot was taken. Go park in the back. I went and parked in the back and it was like a little after 9 o'. Clock. I put it in park and then I couldn't move. My whole right side was paralyzed. And I thought, this is weird. I can't move my arm. This whole right side, left side was okay. So I get on my phone and I texted the office. I said, hey, I got a flat tire. I'll be in when I get a fix. But I failed to mention I was in the parking lot. So I sat there for about two and a half hours. Oh, goodness. Yeah. Did not know what was going on. Like, I just need to go from here to there. I just can't move. And didn't bother to call anybody. Didn't call my husband, nobody. So I sat there for about, close to 11 o'. Clock. And then I got on Facebook and I voice texted a bizarre message. By then I was losing my speech. And, my sister saw it, I think close to like 11:20. And she calls me, and by then I lost all ability to speak. And, I just. I pressed talk on my car and. And she said, where are you? Because she saw the message on Facebook a little while earlier. What was the message? I didn't even know it was deleted. It was a Bible. Yeah. Right, okay. Did not make any sense. Right. She was concerned when she saw it, like 20 minutes later. Right. So she calls me and I couldn't speak then, and she thought I was being held at gunpoint. And so. And then she goes, oh, my gosh, you're having a stroke. So then she calls the ambulance and she calls my husband Gary, who's working in Cleveland at the time. And so he calls the police. And. And so they say, he said, go look for her. She's in the parking m. Lot somewhere, we think. And so, they came looking for me and they said, by the time. Somebody's in your spot. Yeah, someone's in my spot. And I'm almost there. Yeah. And well, no one could see me because someone's in my spot. But I was facing away from the university. Usually I always face the university, so they couldn't see me sitting there. I was in the last row, so they came and got me. And I remember the police officer that knew really well. She said, you're going to be okay. And I thought, oh, m. I'm fine. Everything's good. I just can't speak. I can't move my arm, but I'm good. I always put a band aid over everything. Boy. So in your mind, you're still going? Yeah, I'm good. I'm good. They had to carry me into the ambulance. And so, I'm laying there in the ambulance, and I couldn't talk. I was getting really angry because they're talking about me, but I couldn't say anything. And they said, oh, her blood pressure is 220 over 120. And, you know, normal pressure is 120 over 80. And they said she had a stroke. I'm thinking, no, I didn't. I'm 51. I'm good. Life is good. I didn't have a stroke. And so, I get to the hospital. I was in the er, and I'm thinking, all these people are coming at me everywhere. Like the doctors, the residents, the nurses hooking me up to things. And I couldn't speak, and I was so agitated. The mom and dad came, and then Gary and the kids came. And it didn't hit me until I saw my daughter. And she looked at me. As soon as she saw me, she started crying because my face was crooked. And that's when I knew something was wrong. Up, until then, I'm good. I just can't talk. But something's not right. And so I was in the hospital for about a week. And then they said, well, she had a stroke. We don't know what happened. but take your medication and, you know, make sure. Were you getting better over the week? Not. I couldn't walk. I had a walker. I couldn't talk. Still. I mean, I was still having issues speaking. Wow. But I ran through a lot of testing and stuff, and so, they let me go after a week. And so I get home, and we had. No, wait. I'm sorry. Yeah. Darcy, you can hear everything and you understand what they're saying. How are you processing what they're telling you now? Are they giving you any kind of prognosis? At, that point? They're just going, you've had a stroke and you're processing. I'm 51. And you're finally coming to grips with the fact that you had a stroke and that a stroke could have long term impact. It has certainly changed your approach to your job for the immediate. Right, so. So during that time, Gary was with me the whole time he stayed at the hospital. And so instead of talking to me, they spoke to him. So I understood everything, but I couldn't get the words out at the time. And so, little by little, it came back. My speech came back a little bit at a time. And so by the time I was released, it was okay. I could say broken words. I didn't sound very articulate. but they said, oh, you know, she'll be okay. It'll take time. So that summer I took off work. It was in June. I took medical leave off that whole summer. Okay, let me. I talk a lot with myself. No, no, this is good. No, I remember reading, somebody who was, I forget who it was. A philosopher or something who always told God, just don't take my mind. So here you are. Uh-huh. You have put a lot of stock in a mind that got a PhD. Uh-huh. Your whole. I mean, the set of your wheel. Yeah, yeah. Is your job, but your job depends on your mind and your ability to speak. Yes, exactly. So all that has been shaken. Right? Yeah. Right. So. So I went back to work in September. This was June. I went back in September. My son and my future, they started medical school. And so I do all the orientations for every class. And I wasn't ready. I said, I'm still not ready. I could speak a little bit. I said, I'm just not ready. I said, okay. And then little by little, the lectures I used to do, I couldn't remember anything. I had my PowerPoint presentation, things that I did in my sleep. The words didn't come out right. And so people were like, something's not right with you. There's something wrong. I said, no, no, I'm good. Everything's fine. Everything's fine. But my memory was going. Long term memory was great. Short term memory was like, coming and going. Right. I was talking too fast, or I didn't talk enough. I didn't say much when I talked, I didn't make any sense. And so my husband said, please quit your job. Please quit your job. I'm like, no, I don't want to quit my job. I love my job. And so eventually, I did quit my job after a lot of kicking and screaming, because I loved what I did. And so he said, you need to get some help. I said, okay. So I went to a psychologist, neuropsychologist. How did that feel when you quit your job? I cried. I worked so hard to get there. I loved what I did. it was stressful. I was getting burned up, but I just loved it. I was one of those, go, go, go, go, people. I quit my job. I was like, now what do I do? He goes, let's get testing done of your brain do. I went to Cleveland Clinic, and I did, like, eight hours of testing with a neuropsychologist. And she says, well, we know you're very bright. You have a PhD, but you lost a lot of brain cells sitting in that car for two. I had no oxygen to my brain. Oh, man. And I said, it was bittersweet. That got answers why my memory was gone, why I couldn't speak as well. And I said, what do I do? And she said, you go to speech therapy. And so I went to counseling. I went to speech therapy, a little bit of physical therapy, and I just worked. I worked. And speech therapy, people don't know. It's a lot more than just learning how to talk. Right, right. It's. It's cognitive breakthrough. Yeah. A little bit of everything. So I did speech therapy through Case Western, through Zoom, instead of driving all the way to Cleveland. And that helped quite a bit. And so I got my, voice back, but I still wasn't articulate. Like, I was saying things that didn't make any sense. I was getting really frustrated, and I slid into a depression, too. So I'm like, God, I don't get it. I worked so hard to get this point. And so, I went into counseling, and, the first thing my counselor said was, you're going through a grieving process. You lost your old way of life, but now you have to build a new way of life. And I thought. So I went to my identity. So worked on my identity issues. And so, yeah, it was taking off the old, putting on the new. And so I had time, obviously, because I wasn't working or anything. so I started the Bible studies Thursday. Bible studies, women's Bible studies. And I got back into learning more about Jesus. My identity needs to come through him. And so that kind of saturated for. It took several years to get to that point. Several years, yeah. So the stroke happened in 2016. 2016? Yeah. Ten years ago, yeah. Right. So what year is this? So the Bible study started, like, in 2018. Okay. Yes. I took two years off, went to counseling, and I thought, oh, I can go back to work. And so they said, we'd love to come back to work. And so I went. But I only went for, like, mentoring medical students like, once a month. And that was it. And so even then, I had a hard time speaking to students. Like, oh, my gosh, why is it taking this long? And so, I mean, the brain is an incredible organ, and it rewires itself, but you have to work at it. And so I just wanted things done quick. I got things to do. I'm on the move. Yeah, that's just me. I got things to do. God said, no, it's going to take time. So I went through a lot of sadness, like I said, depression, anger. why is this happening faster? I'm doing all these things I'm supposed to do, and it's not getting healed. And so, little by little, I had to let go of the old me. I said, okay, Lord, I'm done. I'm tired of fighting this. I know what I need to do now, but I got to cut back with Jesus, and you need to speak to me about my new identity. What is it I need to do? And he basically said was. And I remember the verse that came to me was, when I was reading John 3:30, he must decrease, you must increase. I decrease. I was like, wow, okay. And that's exactly what I had to learn. Like, I had to let go of me to let him increase in my life. And what's happened since? So what's happened since? So I do a lot of volunteer work for the Heart Association. Okay. God's awesome. so I miss teaching quite a bit. And so the Heart association, they asked me to be an ambassador, a national ambassador. Last year with the Heart association, they picked 12 women nationwide a year. They picked me. I just did volunteer work. They picked me to be a national ambassador. So I traveled around speaking about women and stroke. And so I did a little bit of teaching at that time, which I really loved. So brought awareness and education to the community and the public. So. Okay. Yeah. And how would you describe yourself now as opposed to what you were pre2016? I would say I'm much more relaxed, much more content, much more, joyful, because I'm not worrying about all these things I have to do in my head. I don't know if it's aid, but God's just really relaxed me and said, you need to stop. Don't be on a calendar. Don't be On a schedule. Don't be this. I will take care of you. And when I spoke at different organizations, I always say my favorite, verse was Psalm 46. 10. Be still and know. That's one that got me through everything. Be still and know that I'm God. Well, yeah, it's interesting. You know, there's a verse that says God disciplines those he loves. It's interesting for you. I don't know. I guess no one would know what could slow you up other than something like that. But what a. Now, here's the hard question. if you could go back, would you do it all the same? I mean, would you rather have had the stroke and be changed by it now or not had the stroke and be on the same path? Definitely have the stroke. Definitely. Because I've learned so much. I learned more and more about Jesus and my. I mean, I remember before I had the stroke, like, I wouldn't even wake up. No devotions, no Bible. Get on my phone. What do I need to do today? What's my schedule with emails? And now it's so changed. Like, I cannot start my day without having my time with the Lord. I just can't. God sets my day, like, what I need to do, and everything that filters through that day, I know he's got me no matter what happens. That's awesome. So how has that impacted your family? it was hard for them, I bet, because m. My husband's still like, are you okay? Are you getting a headache? He's always on the always. He's always watching for me. But it's good. We're all relaxed. They know I know what. I have tools, so I know what I need to do. And what's the. Did they ever find out why you had a stroke? No. I was getting a lot of headaches. I thought there were allergies, but my blood pressure was going up, and I didn't pay attention to it, didn't go to the doctor. And so I said, I'll take a Tylenol. I'll be okay. I kept taking a Tylenol, but it never went away. And so my blood pressure is skyrocketing, obviously 220 over 120. And now they're just watching. Now they're fine. Yeah. So I take medication, but it's funny because now if I get a headache, I'm like, oh, my gosh, what's going on? I drink my water, I take my medication. I'm always paranoid now. Yeah. How have your kids processed everything? They're good. They're always like, mom, are you okay? Mom, you're doing this. Mom, are you doing that? So they always worry because they're just kids, but we travel together. They see me on a regular basis of what I do, so they know I'm doing a life to the fullest. Yeah. Yeah, it's good. What an amazing story. It is. What do you hope to have happen in the future? I would like to continue raising awareness for women in stroke. I share my story, and a lot of times I share my faith. So God's opened that door, too, to say, this was me then and this is me now, and this is what the change looks like. And so it's been great to share my faith with people I talk about. I did I, think through a Zoom call through 2020, and I did the whole Mary, Martha, and that was me. Mary and Martha. That was me. Clearly. I talked about Job, going through different trials of why me, Lord? Why? so it was nice to share my faith in different times of, what was going on. Rajini, what a great, great story. Oh, thank you. The Lord's used me. So when people say, can you speak? I always say yes. I never say no. That's how you get the word out and talk about Jesus. This is what he did for me. So I have the whole future ahead of me. Whatever it is he needs me to do, I'm ready. I'll, talk to whoever I need to talk to. Yeah. Yeah. Well, thanks. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for sharing your story. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Yeah, thanks for listening. Thanks. Thanks for listening to Faith Stories. We do this podcast because we believe that Jesus can do anything and everything. So you're listening to this episode and you feel like you want Jesus to do more in your life, then you can reach out to us. you can find the address in the description of the podcast, but we would love for you to reach out because we want to meet you where you are and then take you further along with Jesus. Thanks again for listening.