11 May 2025 Vickie Victorious

By Tammy Keith

Vickie Bailey-McMichael is clear about what kept her going after her beloved husband, John, died in 2015 while she was coming out of a coma and spent 106 consecutive days in a hospital recovering from complications of cancer surgery.

The Conway woman credits her close family, her friends and her strong foundation of faith for getting through the tough times. And there were a lot of them.

“There were so many lows and so many setbacks that we were just trying to make it from day to day,” Bailey-McMichael said. After relearning to walk, spending two years as a patient at the Mayo Clinic and undergoing a total of six surgeries, she is healthy, remarried and enjoying a new beginning. That includes becoming an author. She’s written a yet-untitled, 23-chapter book about her journey, and it is set to be published in early fall.

 “I knew I had a powerful story to tell,” Bailey-McMichael said. “I want this book to be seen as a way for someone to find hope and resilience.”

Although weeks of Bailey-McMichael’s hospitalization were a blur, her daughters kept an online journal during that time, and Bailey-McMichael later kept a journal. As she prayed about how to share her experience, she said she heard God saying: “‘Write your story.’”

It starts with a love story.

She and her late husband met as students at the University of Central Arkansas. He became a sporting goods regional manager; she was a facilitator for gifted and talented students and a Pre-AP math teacher in Conway schools. They have two daughters, Laura Rettberg of Illinois and Andrea Bailey-Fournier of Conway.

John was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in April 2015, and “it rocked our world,” Bailey-McMichael said. Despite her husband’s illness, he helped plan a surprise 35th anniversary party for her in June 2015. The next day, she got the surreal news that she had colon cancer. Their daughters turned into “warrior girls,” Bailey-McMichael said, and became strong advocates and caretakers for both parents. 

Bailey-McMichael planned to be treated and take care of John, but her colon surgery two months later did not go smoothly. She hit “every category” of the surgery risks and was placed into a medically induced coma for almost a week.

Then, the unthinkable happened. John, 57, died unexpectedly, and the family held his funeral while Bailey-McMichael was still incoherent from the coma. Doctors gave strict instructions to the family and hospital staff not to mention John’s death to Bailey-McMichael because of her fragile health. “They had to hold back the tears and act like everything was OK,” she said.

She remembers the moment her daughter, Laura, broke the news to her. “She leaned over and said, ‘Mom, I know you’re in pain, but there’s something I need to tell you,’ and that’s when she said, ‘Dad passed away three weeks ago.’”

Bailey-McMichael said she didn’t allow herself to grieve until much later. “I was in such pain that I could not allow grief to enter,” she said. “My job was to breathe in, breathe out.”

She kept a photo of her granddaughters (now she has five) by her hospital bed. “I’d look at their photo and I’d say, I will be a part of their life.’”

Her church family, teacher friends and a group of female friends she calls the Tribe of 12 rallied. They did everything from spend the night in the hospital to shop for clothes for her. “Because of so much support, I stayed ready to fight,” she said. There were lighter moments, such as regaling her friends about a dream she had about eating a delicious “ice cube pie.”

Sue Farris, one of the Tribe of 12, marvels at her friend. “The challenges Vickie faced were multiple and monumental. Yet she persevered, relied on her deep faith, leaned on family and friends, and showed more resilience than anyone I have ever known. From being by her side during her lowest times to seeing where she is now is nothing short of amazing. Vickie is an inspiration to all of us.”

Bailey-Fournier, who was at the hospital every night, said being her mother’s caretaker gave her greater empathy and strengthened their relationship.

“I come from a long line of strong, independent women who draw their strength from God and sheer grit,” Bailey-Fournier said. “Growing up, my mother always taught me to fight my own battles and find resilience and grace in any situation. That is probably why she is still with us today. There were many days I witnessed her endure unimaginable pain and heartache, yet she battled each time to keep living.”

Bailey-McMichael said another part of her healing process was revisiting her lifetime love of horses. She bought property and started planning a barn, which helped take her mind off her chronic pain. In May 2018, she and her friends sat at long tables in the breezeway of that barn. They toasted with a bottle of wine called Eleanor that she and John had saved for their 35th anniversary and never opened. She christened the barn with the same name.

Today, Bailey-McMichael, 67, is thriving: gardening, traveling, and playing on the floor with her granddaughters. “I never thought I’d have a normal life,” she said. “I discovered grief was not the end of my story, and that was huge. I never, never, never thought I’d be able to love again.” She married Joe McMichael in 2023. He had been the caretaker for his late wife. “We just had a lot of commonalities,” she said, adding that they honor their first loves while celebrating their own.

She spent six years writing the book, which she described as a tribute to people who supported her, as well as a guide for others to “learn how to be that friend; how to be that daughter.”

“I know what’s important now, and it’s to live every day with thankfulness and joy. You need to have that community of friends, and you need to have that foundation of faith.”