Dr. Mark McDonough is a survivor. As a child, he overcame Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a debilitating neurological disease. At 16, a house fire traumatized him. Not only did he lose his mother and little brother, but he also suffered burns on over 60% of his body.
He has also recovered from a paralyzing stroke and congestive heart failure that required open-heart cardiac valve surgery.
But McDonough was raised to believe that God had a reason for everything that happened to him. One of the reasons he became a plastic surgeon was to work with burn and trauma patients, and to help them find healing and encouragement for their future.
His strong faith moves him to encourage others that, even through the fire, they don’t have to become angry and bitter about life’s circumstances. They can survive—and thrive.
“When you don’t know or can’t understand what is happening to you, you need to remind yourself to check in with God,” McDonough told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast. “The more clueless we are, the more we depend on Him.
“The goal for my ministry is to help other survivors to learn to live again. Through everything, God has a purpose for you. You can persevere. Surrender to His will and lean on Him, let Him be the person in charge. My faith in God is at the core of all I do, but all glory is His. Just know that you are not alone on your journey to recovery.”
For the rest of McDonough’s incredible story, listen to this podcast.
Charisma Staff 
Joseph Mattera