Camey Joy’s story of resilience, overcoming the odds, and persevering began with a miracle.
Joy, author of “Beautifully Scarred: Conquering Clefts, Receiving Adoption, and Embracing Scars,” told CBN News she believes everyone carries emotional, spiritual, and sometimes physical scars. Her own story includes all of these elements.
“I want for people to know that your scars are worthy of the Lord’s grace,” she said.
Joy’s life began with intense difficulty. Born in the mountains of Guatemala with a severe bilateral cleft lip and cleft palate, her parents struggled to sustain her.
“I was unable to eat and unable to nurse, and so my biological parents, Rita and Jesus, they tried desperately for three days to keep me alive,” she said. “They would take breast milk, put it on rags, and just squeeze it, drip it into my mouth, but with no success.”
Her father wrapped her in a blanket, went down the mountain to a hospital in Guatemala City, and doctors said the family simply didn’t have enough money to treat her, nor did medical professions know how to surgically treat Joy’s needs.
“[The doctor] basically kicked him out and said, ‘She’s gonna die,’” she said, noting her father walked out and started crying over his baby daughter’s life.
And that’s when the miracle unfolded.
“Two men — seemingly out of nowhere — came up and just said, ‘Excuse me, sir. Why are you crying?’” Joy said. “And the two men said, ‘There is hope.’ And the two men led Jesus and I to an orphanage. And along the way, the two men gave Jesus some money and clothing.”
The orphanage’s owner let Joy in, but when Jesus turned back to thank the men, they were gone. The owner then told Jesus no one was with him and Joy when they arrived on site.
“I believe that that was a divine intervention over my life,” she said, noting she believes the men were angels. “I was there at the orphanage for two months and there they were able to keep me alive, but I had an opportunity from there to go to Spokane, Washington, to live with the foster family.”
Joy was able to receive much-needed surgeries, and the plan was to return to Guatemala, but she ended up staying in the U.S., as she needed consecutive surgeries.
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Her foster family soon fell in love with her and asked Rita and Jesus if they could adopt. Along the way, she experienced physical and spiritual healings. Faith sustained and guided Joy’s path, with the Lord healing her along the way.
Growing up with medical issues was sometimes difficult, with adults often being harsher than the kids.
“It was the wounds of my heart that were the ones that often took longer to heal,” Joy said. “I’m so thankful that God was with me each step of that journey.”
In the end, she learned to trust the Lord and move forward.
“I took Jesus back into the wounds that we’re still healing, and it was there that I was able to see healing in his hands,” she said. “He has the scars to show me — the beautiful scars that really were the healing in my journey.”
Joy continued, “I want for people to know that a scar, it’s an indication that healing actually took place.”
She is hopeful people will see the Lord through her story. Find out more about Joy’s story in “Beautifully Scarred: Conquering Clefts, Receiving Adoption, and Embracing Scars.”
