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Angel on Earth
Brad Baker
By Lyn Mettler
Brad Baker would never describe himself as an Angel on Earth, though many people see him that way – from his in-laws to his wife, Holly, who wrote about his unselfish support in the book Chicken Soup for the Caregiver's Soul (Health Communications Inc., 2004) by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and LeAnn Thieman. Baker, who cares for his wife of 25 years who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), says he is simply doing what God called him to do: taking care of his wife for better or for worse. Just more than a year after Brad and Holly married (they met in Greek class at Texas Tech University), Holly was diagnosed with MS. An avid tennis player, Holly began experiencing double vision on the court and headed to the doctor to find out what was wrong.
After she was diagnosed with MS, Holly told Brad that because they were newlyweds, they could end the marriage and she could go back home and live with her parents, so she wouldn't be a burden to him. Brad says he never even considered such an option but instead forged ahead into the unknown. "We prayed about it and went on from there," he says.
And forge ahead they did. In the early years, when the MS was not so bad, the couple had three children – a boy and twin girls. In fact, doctors told Holly her second pregnancy had to be her last, even though the couple hoped to have three children. But, it was not a problem: "We were blessed with twins," says Brad.
