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, "Noahś 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.