Fourteen Year Stroke Survivor

It has been 14 years since Doug's stroke and he continues to live one day at a time.  He started using his quad cane about a year ago after he fell two separate times in December 2020.  

We moved to a new one story home that we bought in the northeast part of Norman in October 2020. 

This past year has been a challenge for Doug.  He had an MRI and it revealed he had a bulging disc in his lower back.  He got some epidural injections but he continues to experience pain on his left side.  Some days are better than others but he continues to endure the discomfort daily.  I wish I could do more to help him.  

We got two new grandsons last month.  Daniel was born on February 1st and Gabriel was born on February 10th.  Both are healthy and truly a blessing to our family.  That makes 11 in our family now.

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness and giving us all that we need.

Aria Grace Richard is One Year Old Today!

Happy One Year Birthday!

ARIA GRACE RICHARD

Photo Credit:  Jaley Richard Photography

You came into this world on March 15, 2019

and we became your Grandpa and Grandma!

We love you with all our heart!  

💗

Kalen is an O.U. Graduate

Kalen graduated from the University of Oklahoma on May 11, 2019 from the College of Engineering.  He got a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science.  He started a new job at the Tinker Air Force Base as a civilian on July 22, 2019.  We are very proud of you Kalen!

Doug's 58th Birthday!

This photo was taken at the Ozark College in Missouri

at the Keeter Center which is located south of Branson.

We ate there to celebrate Doug's 58th year birthday on

June 27, 2019.

Eleven Year Stroke Survivor

It has been eleven years since Doug had his stroke.  He is 57 years old now.  Doug does pretty well considering how his left side hurts on a daily basis.  He takes pain medicine in the morning to give him a boost to get through the day.  He is seeing his primary care physician, Dr. James Love, every three months.

Thankfully Doug can still maintain his law office and represent his clients in court.  I would say 95% of his cases are in Cleveland County (Norman).  He has a few cases in McClain County and 2 cases in Oklahoma County.

Our law office has four attorneys now that pay rent.  Two attorneys are a father/son law firm,  one attorney is a veteran that does about anything and everything, and one attorney is a female that does family law cases only.

We had to pay for a new roof on our building in October 2018.  That was not fun, but it was necessary.  We kept having leaks and Nester Roofing couldn't get it patched right over the last ten years.  But it sure feels good to finally have a roof that doesn't leak anymore.

Doug is doing well.  We don't know what God has in store for us in the future, but I am praying and believing that Doug can keep on going and practice law for another eleven years.  That would be awesome.

We became grandparents to Aria Grace Richard on March 15, 2019.  She belongs to our daughter Jaley and husband Tyrone Richard who live in Norfolk, Virgina.  She is such a precious gift from heaven and we could not be happier.  I am so thankful that Doug is till with us so he can be a Grandpa to Aria Grace.

Thank you Lord Jesus that Douglas James Smith is a survivor, and that we can continue living one day at a time.

In Christ name I pray, a loving wife, Mary Beth.

Update on Doug After Stroke Nine (9) Years Ago

March 30, 2017 was the nine (9) year marker since Doug had his stroke.  We continue to pray for God's healing.  I started a Ladies Bible Study in January and I even requested prayer for Doug to be healed.  A grandmother of one of Doug's clients prayed for Doug over the telephone on March 30, 2017 asking for God's healing and sent us a letter saying Doug would be healed by Easter.  We waited and waited but Easter came and went and the healing has not come yet.
There was a movie about a little girl that had some kind of disease or intestinal problems for a while growing up and she fell down a hollow tree and hit her head.  After the fall she experienced, she was miraculously healed.  What a testimony she had.
Doug fell on Monday, May 1, 2017 after work on the east side of his office building by the drive way.  He scraped his left cheek on the brick wall and landed on the sidewalk by the wall.  Thankfully he seems okay but his left shoulder and lower right back were very sore.  It's Friday, May 5, 2017 and his left shoulder is still hurting him quite a bit.   We are both thankful that he didn't seem to fracture anything and it appears to be mostly very deep muscular soreness.  We are earnestly praying for Doug to get through this set back and come out with flying colors.
God has a purpose for Doug.  With God's help, he has established a wonderful law practice with a great location across the street from the court house in Norman Oklahoma.  When people get into trouble and make mistakes, Doug is able to help them with their legal matters.  Doug has a good reputation with the Judges and the Assistant District Attorneys so that helps him get better deals for his clients.  My prayer is that God will use Doug to bless people that get into trouble here in Norman but also be able to bring income in to pay our bills.
I made a new website for Doug the first of the year.  It is www.normanoklahomalawyer.com.  I pray that people looking for a Norman Oklahoma Lawyer will find us.  We continue to live one day at a time.  Thank you Lord for another day to live.