Chapters
PATRICE WINKEL
Every chapter of My Lifeguard Walks on Water captures a moment that challenged Dr. Patrice Winkel physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Together, these experiences reveal a life shaped by survival, family, prayer, and a faith that continues even when the outcome remains uncertain.
The Medical Procedure
Patrice looks back on her childhood in Iowa and the medical procedures she endured from an early age. When surgery damages a facial nerve, faith, family support, and an unexpected recovery become part of her first powerful story of survival.
Thyroid Cancer: The Deadly Killer
While raising a young family, Patrice receives a frightening thyroid cancer diagnosis and undergoes surgery followed by radioactive iodine treatment. Isolation, fear, and uncertainty test her strength, yet prayer and her determination to see her children grow keep her moving forward.
Two Freak Car Accidents
Two frightening accidents—one involving a semi-truck during Patrice’s high-school years and another during a blizzard—bring her dangerously close to tragedy. Looking back, she sees both experiences as reminders of life’s fragility and the divine protection she believes surrounded her.
The Traumatic Brain Injury
A devastating fall down the stairs leaves Patrice with a traumatic brain injury, memory loss, and doctors uncertain whether she will survive. Her recovery becomes intertwined with another challenge: rebuilding her academic work and completing the doctorate she refuses to abandon.
05
A Struggle in the Pacific Ocean
A peaceful walk along the beach after her daughter’s wedding becomes a desperate fight for life when a rogue wave drags Patrice into the Pacific Ocean. Trapped beneath the water and struggling to reach shore, she turns completely to God as survival seems increasingly impossible.
06
Sleepless in Seattle
During a family visit to Seattle, Patrice unknowingly drinks lemonade containing CBD and THC and experiences frightening cognitive and physical effects. Confusion, hallucinations, anxiety, and sleeplessness follow, while prayer becomes the constant she relies on until she can safely return home.
07
Cutting Edge
A violent Iowa wind catches a glass table and sends a sharp shard straight through Patrice’s foot. Even amid blood, a tornado warning, and emergency treatment, she once again finds herself instinctively turning to prayer and reflecting on the remarkable way her body heals.
08
Perpetual Motion
A misstep on a Minneapolis airport escalator sends Patrice tumbling repeatedly down the moving stairs, causing extensive injuries and months of recovery. What could easily have ended her life becomes another extraordinary chapter in her understanding of survival, healing, and God’s presence.
09
Nine Lives
For the first time, Patrice reaches the end of a chapter without knowing how her story will resolve. Facing a neuro-autoimmune diagnosis that is still being investigated, she confronts fear, uncertainty, and memories of her mother while choosing to continue living through faith rather than waiting for certainty.