Regan
We want you to meet our son Regan and hear a little of his story…
Regan is the last of our four children. He was born in Whangarei, New Zealand, five years after his sister and two older brothers. Our three older children were old enough to be able to anticipate his birth, and rejoice that a little brother had come to join our family. As you might imagine, Regan was treated by our other kids as someone really special … a cute little guy, always the baby of the family, and they delighted in watching him grow through all his various stages. Even when Regan became a teenager, they treated him in the same special way … with delight and affection.
We also loved and delighted in Regan very very much. However, from the first few months of his life he suffered with chronic eczema and asthma and required a lot of extra attention from his Mum … this created a unique bond between him and Suzanne … even though Suzanne found such intensive care for Regan's health very demanding and often exhausting.
Probably through a combination of these factors Regan developed a very loving and kind nature … he thrived on hugs and kisses from his Mum and Dad (even as a teen). He also developed a wonderfully crazy sense of humour … often playing tricks on his friends and brothers. He was very popular with his peers at school and at church. Probably because of his earlier sicknesses, Regan was always the smallest boy in the class ... which only encouraged everyone to think of him as their kid brother.
When Regan was still at primary school, he gave his heart to Jesus. Even though quite young, he knew that he belonged to God and that that was forever. He loved church ... hanging out with his mates there, and he especially loved the music ... always singing around the house – and later becoming a 'hot' guitarist, singing in his own band.
At 11 years of age Regan had a powerful experience. After praying and worshipping in church one Sunday night, he was suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit, and just like the Christians in the Bible's book of Acts, he spoke in tongues and was so "filled" that he staggered like he was drunk. It was funny and powerful all at the same time. After this encounter with God he said to Suzanne, "Mummy, it's real, it's real, it's real."
In November 1999 his oldest brother, Toby, was married and set up home in another part of town. Then in January 2000, Kent and Terri, our second and third children, went to Sydney ... (Terri went to study music at Hillsong International Leadership College). This exodus from home left Regan alone with us ... he was 15 years old and in his fifth form year at high school. He had a very full life: his band, his youth group, his love of sports, his computer games ... and when we caught up with him, his school homework!
What was really special about the year 2000, was the enjoyment Suzanne and I received from having Regan like an only child at home. We went fishing together, watched sports matches together, and often had the house full of Regan's church and school friends.
On the 17th of May 2000 I received a phone call from the deputy principal of Regan's high school. "Mr Collins, can you please come to the school, there has been a medical emergency concerning Regan". Startled, I hurried in our car to the school (Suzanne was visiting a friend at the time). When I turned into the street where the college was located a teacher stood in the middle of the road waiting to direct me through the gate which led to the sports ground.
Soon coming into sight, out in the middle of the field, was an ambulance and a circle of people. After bringing the car to a stop nearby, I joined the circle. In the middle our son lay limp and unresponsive as paramedics worked earnestly to revive him, we later learned that they had already continued well past the time usually given such patients.
After a moment's assessment I told the surrounding group who I was and asked them if I could pray for Regan. I knelt down and took Regan's head in my hands and prayed with emotion, command and desperation for life to come back into his body. Moments later the paramedics got a faint heart-beat and quickly placed him in the ambulance to rush him to the hospital's emergency ward.
We later learned that Regan's class was having a fitness test during their physical education period. The test involved the students running as far as they could around a track for a time of twelve minutes. When the time was up the teacher blew this whistle, the students stopped running ... letting themselves fall to the grass whist they 'caught their breath'. Minutes later they all started to get back on their feet ... all except Regan - he had been felled by a heart attack. The school group quickly realised there was something wrong with their little mate, and raised the alarm.
I followed the ambulance in my own car, and enroute, telephoned Suzanne and told her to come quickly to the hospital. I arrived well ahead of her, and Regan was soon connected to sophisticated life support ... his breathing aided and his heart stimulated by careful emergency treatments. This was to be the beginning of an anxious vigil.
About five minutes later I stepped out of the hospital room to see if Suzanne had arrived. As I did a young ambulance officer who had attended Regan on the field approached. "Mr Collins" he said, "I reckon there's something in that praying." Then the High School Principal who had been in that circle on the school sports ground added, "Yes David, there was definitely a change after you prayed."
Regardless of that encouragement, Regan was still in a dire situation. We were told that if he survived, he might well be permanently brain damaged as a result of the lengthy period of oxygen deprivation. That evening, a hundred people from our church gathered and prayed passionately for Regan to be healed and restored whole. A number of our closest friends joined Toby and Anna and Suzanne and I at the bedside of our comatose son.
As soon as we were able, we placed a call to Sydney to tell Terri and Kent of Regan's plight. As our tears flowed, the distance between us seemed huge, much much more than a three hour flight.
It was a long painful evening watching Regan in his unconscious state, not able to respond ... even to tell us that he could hear us. Whether he could or not, we chose to believe he could, and so talked to him, prayed for him, sang to him, told what a great son he was, and how much he was loved.
At 4.35am on 18th May 2000, Regan died. Toby and Anna were there with us to say our tearful goodbye. We also said, "See you later, Regan". We said that, not out of wishful thinking, or the blind belief that everyone is carried by angels into the presence of the Lord no matter who they are. We said, "See you later" because we knew that Regan had received the gift of eternal life from Jesus many years before. We had also, at an earlier time in our own lives, received the same assurance ... something happened in our hearts, we could feel it, when we too prayed to ask forgiveness for our sins and asked Christ to come into our lives. Not only that, but we were assured by the Bible's promise that when a person decisively puts their trust and belief in Jesus Christ they will not perish, but have everlasting life.
Later that day Terri and Kent joined us from Sydney. Friends and family began to respond to us with amazing love and care. Regan's school friends visited the following day ... most of these teenage kids were not Christian (living in a Christian country or being born in a Christian family does not make a person a Christian). Among the memories and stories these kids shared that day they said something very special ... "Regan told us about God, we know he's in heaven."
Over 600 people packed and overflowed the church for Regan's funeral. During the service we sang the songs he loved ... songs about the God who had become a very real friend.
On 17th May 2000, Regan had one day to live and didn't know it ... none of us know what tomorrow holds. This is not meant to be a morbid prediction, although it is a warning.
The most important thing is this, Regan became a committed Christian, not for some kind of eternity insurance policy, but to possess the joyful and truly blessed life that only knowing Christ can give a person here and now. As a result he lived sixteen happy, adventurous and fun-filled years. The wonderful thing is, his days have not ended ... the happy adventure continues for Regan eternally with Jesus, and all who have put their trust in him.
