Six Year Temple Dream Comes True

Feb 2009 Issue

by Mark Severts
Eleven years ago, in Ft. Myers, Florida, doctors were convinced Melisa Pugh would not live. Raging encephalitis had taken its toll.
In just five days, the brain infection had destroyed her ability to communicate, had numbed any awareness of her devoted husband and family, and reduced her to a near-vegetative state. She would remain on total life support for the next three weeks.

Priesthood blessings were pronounced, recovery was promised, and Melisa slowly came back to life. In the words of her husband Brian Pugh, who was serving as bishop at the time, her recovery was “miraculous.” Yet, he put the recovery in perspective by noting, “When Melisa was released from the hospital, she had a vocabulary of fewer than 300 words, and she no longer knew how to read, ride a bike, drive a car, or many of the ordinary daily tasks we take for granted.”

After her release from the hospital, Melisa enthusiastically took on the arduous task of cramming a lifetime of physical and mental learning into a few short years. Six years ago, after moving to Las Vegas, Melisa embraced a goal of being able to walk from her home in Summerlin to the Las Vegas Temple.

Finally, at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009, Melisa and five supportive sisters in her ward began their 20-mile trek across the Las Vegas Valley. Melisa was accompanied by Margit Gaffin, Tiffany Mainor, Jean Richards, Gina Shea and Shannon Hancock.

Melisa had scoped out the best route that took them through a variety of beautiful, diverse and historic neighborhoods. They were occasionally shored up by devoted family members and friends who refilled water bottles and energized them with bananas and other healthy foods.

They reached the Las Vegas Temple by about 1 p .m. and quietly celebrated with hugs of joy, feelings of accomplishment and a reverence for The House of the Lord.

This temple-centered trek is likely to be repeated in the future, and already is serving to remind others in the Las Vegas Valley of how blessed they are for having a temple so close and of the importance of “finding time for the temple.”