How LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE Star Witnessed God’s Plan Through Brain Surgery
By Movieguide® Contributor
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE actress Wendi Lou Lee underwent surgery in 2015 to remove a brain tumor and recently shared with Fox News how she trusted God through it all.
“Lee said it was her ‘very faithful close walk with God’ that gave her bravery to face brain surgery and the possible complications that could come with it,” Fox News reported.
In a 2019 interview with Fox, Lee said, “Faith played a huge role. Before my surgery, I was so hopeless. I kept praying to him and saying, ‘I need you; please be with me.’ And then, after surgery, I just felt such gratefulness…I just felt like my faith woke up, and I had this sense of boldness to share my story in hopes it could help someone.”
The surgery went well, but the recovery process brought new challenges. The operation caused her to experience sensory overload. She struggled to take care of her own basic needs and could not care for her two children like she wanted.
Lee shared how the experience impacted her faith.
“This was the hardest thing I had to deal with,” she said. “At the time, I felt like this was another storm that I was walking through. The best thing that I can do in this situation is just trust that God knows what he’s doing. A lot of people didn’t understand how that was possible.”
She continued, “But I just kept going back to the verse in Romans 15:13, which is, ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’”
“You may not be experiencing any joy or peace in that moment of your life, but trust that God has a plan,” Lee added. “And after surgery, I was so joyful and so at peace—more than really what made sense. And I think that’s because I put my trust in God.”
In her upcoming memoir, “Red Tail Feathers,” which releases on August 13, Lee opens up about everything from her time as “Baby Grace” on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE to experiencing God’s grace throughout her life, a description of the book shares.
“I have been a believer my whole life,” Lee said. “I was raised in the church, and it’s just a part of who I am. But there’s something that happens when you go through something really hard that just brings you to a different level. It makes you cling to God in a way that you never knew that you could. It was an eye-opening feeling of ‘I do need God more than I ever knew that I needed him.’”
“How do you keep going when the road is tough? I tell [readers] at the end of the book, ‘Now you go find some red tail feathers of your own.’” Lee said. “The encouragement is to take the time to look through your life and see God in a new way.”
Lee also shared why LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE resonated with audiences: “It shows how people desire stories that are simple but are based on faith and family.” She said, “I think viewers are just longing for simpler times, and the show delivers that. The show is all about survival and relying on faith and family to overcome the obstacles of life.”
Movieguide® reported on Lee’s co-star, Melissa Gilbert, who also wrote a memoir:
Gilbert’s new book tells the story of her and [her husband’s] new life and how they made their mountain cottage a home.
“I hope [“Back to the Prairie”] reminds readers of what we’ve been through,” the actress said. “We’ve been through something extraordinary and here we all are, those of us who are still here. My heart does, of course, break for the hundreds of thousands of people who lost loved ones to this horrible pandemic. But I hope that maybe people will read this and realize that it really is the sweet, simple things that are the best and most important in life… Maybe it will inspire people to be a little more gentle and loving with each other.”
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