From Paralysis to Praise

The Story of the Noah's Ark Ministry

This captivating autobiography is an exciting real life adventure of healing, survival and the creation of the Noah’s Ark ministry—a place where stories from the Bible are brought to life through fantastic life-sized reproductions and incredible scale models.

Shirley Thrush was born to a poor couple in the farming community of Todd County, Minnesota, during the Great Depression. Paralyzed by polio as a small child, she spent nearly a year in the hospital and was almost sent to an iron lung. Her life was saved by a novel therapy promoted by an Australian nurse, Sister Elizabeth Kenny, who also rendered care for her personally. One year later, she was taken to another health care facility for an infection, and began profusely bleeding on the waiting room floor. She stayed in that infirmary roughly another year and almost died of leukemia. Afterward, she was given yet another reprieve by a spontaneous remission of the cancer that many would call healing. She survived to face more abuse and tribulation, but was ultimately able to raise a family and grow in her journey in Christ. Later in life, she started a world-class ministry, “Noah’s Ark,” a unique place where stories from the Bible are brought to life through fantastic life-sized reproductions and incredible scale models. This is her story, the story of her family, and the guiding influence of the Creator.

Jerry Thrush, MD, is the son of Shirley and Irvin Thrush. He assisted the author by editing and compiling her story. He is a graduate of both Stanford and Loma Linda Universities and is a board-certified Emergency Physician. Dr. Thrush has an interest in preventive medicine and teaches the “Behavioral Basis of Disease,” the theory that human lifespan is dependent on behavior more than any other factor.