Count It All Joy
With two obtrusive pumps attached to his body and strict doctors orders to remain
in isolation, Danny Hannan went to church anyway. With Covid running rampant in
our community, he knew he couldn’t go inside, but he desperately needed to be
close to believers. He brought a retractable chair for tailgating up to the side of the
church and sat there all morning one Sunday. He prayed as families and couples
and college students trailed inside for services and prayed as everyone went back
to their cars and drove home. It was the closest he could get to his church family, to
be in fellowship with his brothers and sisters even if from a corner in his chair. But for
him, it was enough.
Fifteen years ago, Danny Hannan was dying of alcoholism. His drinking had gotten
so bad that he was wearing two shirts everywhere he went in case he spit up
blood on the top one. His doctor told him not to even worry about giving up alcohol
at this point since he was so far gone. With a beautiful wife and son at home there
was nothing more to do but wait to die.
Doctors were hopeless and grim, but Danny’s sister was not. She encouraged him to
talk to God about it. While Danny had grown up in church and believed in God all his
life, he hadn’t considered turning to God in this crisis. On December 26, 2005, he did
say a prayer and gave it all to the Lord in that very moment.
The prayer was easy, but what came next was hard. Danny immediately entered
an alcohol treatment facility. Detoxing from years of misusing alcohol was misery.
One night while in the depths of withdrawals, Danny fell to his knees and cried out
to God saying, “save me or kill me.” Being struck with a sudden heart attack seemed
better than this agony. Instantly, Danny felt God come over him in a wave, and after
years of restless insomnia, he fell asleep right away. What a gift- to sleep with a soul
unburdened.
Upon leaving the treatment center, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
immediately. Danny and his friends later started an AA group called The Lighthouse
which grew so large they needed to find a bigger meeting place. And that is how
Danny Hannan first connected with Mars Hill Church. At the time, Mars Hill Church
was still meeting in the cafe on Cottage Hill Road. Danny held Lighthouse meetings
there and started attending church on Sundays. He’s been coming ever since.
It would be easy to understand if Danny’s story of God’s redemption and faithfulness
in his life ended here. A man who should have died gets a second chance at life. We
are used to this narrative- we’ve heard it before. So at first take, it’s confusing when
we hear this next part- the part where Danny gets incredibly and unbearably sick
with a diagnosis having nothing to do with his past drinking. But twelve years after
the miraculous healing of his body, Danny noticed a sore throat he just couldn’t
shake. And things got bad again.
His sore throat became something he could no longer ignore. He went to a doctor
who recommended surgery to remove a benign polyp on his throat. Surgery was
needed then Danny was sent back home to recover. The next day, he started
spitting a steady stream of blood and when he filled up a plastic cup with blood he
knew he had to go back to the doctor. Another surgery was performed to cauterize
the cut which was causing the bleeding. Everything was fine until a few days later,
he passed out in his home. His wife and son helped him stand up and while helping
him move to the couch, he passed out again.
Back in the hospital, doctors ran tests for three days before coming to the diagnosis
of Portopulmonary Hypertension (PPH). Doctors explained his heart was enlarged
and his heart pressure was dangerously elevated. A normal pulmonary arterial
pressure (heart pressure) rate is between 15-28 with 50 being heart attack range.
Danny’s heart pressure measured at 101. He was told to get his will in order because
the average life span of PPH patients was less than a year and there was no cure.
Danny had been here before, only this time he was experiencing it in light of God’s
will. All those years ago, facing death was scary. This time, he had peace.
Doctors again were hopeless and grim, however the suggestion was made to see
Dr. Karen Fagan, the then Chairman of International Pulmonary Heart Association.
Danny was told her waiting list was six months, but he was able to get an
appointment within the week. Dr. Fagan told Danny that she and Dr. Phillip
Henderson had a way to cure his PPH but that the procedure was extremely risky.
So risky in fact that the procedure was considered contraindicated by most doctors
in America because of the high risk of death associated with the procedure. But
both Fagan and Henderson were confident Danny would make a good candidate,
and he decided to go for it.
The procedure involved a liver transplant and to even get on the transplant list,
Danny’s health had to meet all kinds of requirements. For the next long, nine months,
he had to get his heart pressure down low enough to get on the list. During that
time, he got an infection that sent him to the hospital which then became septic. All
of this at the same time that Covid has become full-blown. Once more, he is very,
very sick.
Despite the odds, Danny came through that and was able to be placed on the
transplant list. At this time, Danny knew of only two other people who had survived
the procedure he was about to go through. While PPH is extremely rare, and the
risks of the surgery very high, his doctors were confident and Danny was willing to
put his life in God’s hands. His wife and son, and his family prayed for and supported
him. Danny firmly believes that the prayers of his family, his Mars Hill Church family,
his AA family, and of many others gave him the strength he needed to live.
In September of 2020, the liver transplant to correct his enlarged heart and
elevated heart pressure was performed at UAB by Dr. Sheik. . He survived the
surgery, but the road to recovery would be fraught with challenges.
Covered in tubing and stitches snaking around his torso, side, and back, Danny laid in
a recovery bed for months. Unable to care for himself at all, he had to rely on the
compassion of others. Day after day, orderlies would bathe him and dress him and
change his bedding. Nurses would come in for wound care and take his
temperature which got up to 106 at one point. He was completely vulnerable,
powerless, and helpless. And if you ask how he got through it all, he’ll happily tell you
the phrase he repeats on a loop throughout each and every day: to count it all joy.
Throughout his life’s trials, Danny has experienced God’s sovereignty in such a way
that leads him to honestly be able to count it all joy. In doing so, he has reached a
closeness to the Lord unachievable without undergoing the refiner’s fire. If not for
those painful moments of humility and helplessness, he might not have called out for
God. He would never have felt that wave-like rush of God’s love. He would not have
experienced this beautiful peace and hope that comes in trusting God.
“ It’s amazing how close to God you can be when you can’t do things for
yourself- when you have to have God.”
Living in light of counting it all joy has transformed Danny’s faith. Prayer is a common
thread woven throughout each and every day now. He prays all the time and about
everything. Meditation is something he has also worked into the rhythms of his faith.
Danny explained that when in prayer, he is talking with God then he takes time to
listen to God through meditation. He says he rarely asks God for anything; rather, he
just asks God to show him what to do. He says, “I don’t know what is good or bad
for me, so I just give it to God and count it all joy.
His desire for fellowship with believers has also been reshaped. Growing up, church
was something he would attend, but not much more than that. Through his medical
isolation, however, Danny now understands the powerful benefit of being with
others who love Jesus. So much so that he would sit in his little folding chair outside
the building while we all worshipped within.
Today, Danny is the picture of health. He goes in regularly for tests and check-ups,
but is cleared every time. And while his scars bear witness to the close calls with
death, his faithfulness bears witness to the Lord’s great lovingkindness and mercy. To
talk with Danny is to be encouraged. He is grateful for things that most of us never
consider, like the ability to worship with each other. Danny’s life is a reminder that
God’s plans for our lives far exceeds what we could ever want or imagine.
So let’s count it all joy, friends.
Three Pillar Resources
Biblical Teaching: While he has read many great gospel-centered books on
addiction, Danny recommends people starting with the ESV Study Bible and the
Celebrate Recovery Bible. He also mentioned “The Seeds of Contemplation” by
Thomas Merton as being helpful to him.
Authentic Community: No matter what path you have been down, we hope to
encourage everyone to be in a community group at Mars Hill Church. If you are
struggling in particular with alcohol, Danny suggests connecting with Alcoholics
Anonymous in Mobile. The AA Central Ofice is located on 600 Bel Air Boulevard
#224, Mobile, AL 36606 (251-479-9994). They have lists of every meeting in Mobile as
well as other AA resources.
Family Discipleship: For families coping with addiction, "Paths to Recovery" by Al-
Anon and "Codependent No More" by Melodie Beaty are great resources.