Once Blind, but Now I See

Philip T. Dunn, lead pastor at Valley Christian Assembly in Charleston, West Virginia, was blind for 14 years due to macular degeneration, a progressive, incurable eye disease. Dunn also had cataracts in the front and the back of both eyes, which complicated his vision problems. But from the start, Dunn believed God would heal him.

A few months ago, Dunn received his miracle. Today, his vision is 20/30 in his right eye and 20/60 in his left eye. The macular degeneration, which blinded him for 14 years, is completely gone.

Now, Dunn is driving, playing football with his grandsons, and helping his granddaughter blow out the candles on her birthday cake. He recently returned from driving his wife, Suzette Marie, to Florida to celebrate their 40-year wedding anniversary. This is the same man who only recently questioned his ability to serve God’s people.

Dunn’s blindness hit his 32-year-old daughter Sarah M. Frazier especially hard. She missed her dad being able to see her on her wedding day, and later how he couldn’t distinguish the features of Frazier’s newborn daughter, AnnaFaye Marie.

Today, Frazier is rejoicing at the goodness of God.

“It’s been a phenomenal few months,” says Dunn. “God is restoring the years the locusts have eaten,” referring to Joel 2:25-32. “Sometimes I just stop and weep at the goodness of God.”

Dunn’s healing came about unexpectedly.

In August, while working in his yard, he began experiencing pain in his left eye. Initially, he thought it was a sinus infection, but the pain worsened. At Suzette Marie’s insistence, Dunn made an appointment with an ophthalmologist, who explained the cataract in his left eye had ruptured and the pressure in his eye had risen to dangerous levels.

Dunn required immediate surgery. Without it, he could experience serious medical complications, and potentially death. The doctor prescribed drops for his eyes, hoping it would lower the pressure until surgery could be arranged.

Pastor-evangelist Roger L. Williams of Abingdon (Virginia) First Assembly of God came to Valley Christian Assembly for a scheduled series of services. Dunn wanted to provide God with a platform to heal him. Dunn went up for prayer Sunday through Wednesday, trusting God for his healing. But nothing happened. In fact, the pain worsened.

The next morning, Dunn went in for surgery to remove the cataracts. Later that evening, Dunn removed the patch covering his left eye. Although his eye had swollen shut, he pried it open using his fingers. When he did, Dunn clearly saw the dining room table, the curtains, and even the folds in the drapes!

He got up, walked into the kitchen, and for the first time in 14 years, saw his wife’s face.

Praising God for the miracle, Dunn then called other church leaders. The Dunns also called their daughter, Sarah, using FaceTime. During the call, Dunn saw Sarah’s husband, Cody, and his granddaughter for the first time.

But God had more in store for Dunn. Two weeks later, the doctor operated on his right eye to remove the cataracts. As the bandages came off, Dunn could see out of his right eye!

The surgeon, when examining Dunn after his operations, found no evidence of macular degeneration. The black dots on the backs of his eyes, a hallmark of macular degeneration, had disappeared.

“The doctors did what they could,” says Sarah. “God did what they couldn’t.”

While Dunn appreciates the work of the doctor, he gives God all the glory.

“I believe God healed me during the miracle services we had at church,” says Dunn. “But He let the doctor unwrap the package.”

The first sermon Dunn preached as a sighted pastor came from John 9, about the blind man that Jesus healed at the Pool of Siloam. For the first time in 14 years, Dunn could read his own text.

Dunn has had the opportunity to share his testimony at several different churches over the past few months. As he shares his story of God’s healing, he sees faith rising in the people of God. He hopes to one day return to ministry as an evangelist.

“What God has laid on my heart is that we are going to see answers to long-term prayers for the saving, healing, and delivering power of God,” says Dunn. “If there’s one dream I have, it is to bring this message, this anointing, and the manifest presence of God to the people.”

Mary J Yerkes

Mary J. Yerkes is a freelance writer based in metro Washington, D.C.