At the age of 42, Derik Davis has already weathered more health crises than many people twice his age.

He was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in college. He has had a knee replacement that later became infected, and in 2013 he suffered a stroke two weeks before his 40th birthday.

But while the knee problems may have slowed him down for a while, and the stroke was undoubtedly a turning point in his life, Davis had one thing going for him: his Christian faith and unwavering trust in his Lord and Savior.

Davis remembers the stroke like it was only yesterday.

“I woke up one morning, and when I got up I couldn’t use my hand; it just seemed clumsy,” he recalled. “I spoke to my mother and she noticed my speech was off, so we made the decision for me to go to the hospital. They told me I was having a stroke, and I spent a week in the intensive care unit.”

In fact, Davis went from faltering speech to not being able to speak at all. He knew he was facing a long recovery.

“I’ve always considered myself a man of words … I’ve always loved to talk,” he said with a smile. “It was really crippling; I worried more about my speech than I did about my right side.”

He began physical therapy, first in Greenville and then at the Vidant rehabilitation center in Tarboro.

“The people there just really endeared themselves to me,” he said.

But there were moments of extreme frustration, Davis admitted. He became despondent about his future, but he never gave up.

At one point during his recovery, a therapist was urging him to say a series of words written on cards, and the normally complacent young man threw the cards across the room in despair. The therapist then suggested Davis sing one of his favorite hymns, “Amazing Grace.”

“And that became my turning point,” he said. “They built on that; they rebuilt my speech through singing.”

When he recovered, Davis knew he wanted to share his experiences with others.

“Of all my health struggles, that stroke was my milestone,” he said. “I try to talk to people who are having difficulties. I had a stroke, but a stroke never had me.”

Davis enjoys reading to schoolchildren, and he has spoken before medical groups in order to offer a patient’s perspective.

“There’s always hope,” he said, sharing the recurring theme of his message. “There’s always hope for a better day. I made a deal with God that if he ever got me back to where I was speaking again, I would never stop.”

He is dedicated to using his health issues as stepping-stones instead of obstacles. And his love for serving his fellow man was strengthened.

“If I have an opportunity in the community to give back, I won’t just sit back,” Davis vowed. “Time, talent, finances … we all can give back in some way. It’s not how many times you fall down, it’s how you get back up.”

Davis said the Beaufort County community rallied around him in his time of need, and now he feels led to reciprocate.

“I was the beneficiary of a great swell of support and love, and I want to be a part of that for other people, as well,” he said. “I maintain an active lifestyle; I am out and about in my community, and I’m very blessed.”

Born and raised in Beaufort County, Davis graduated from Washington High School and later studied at East Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke Divinity School. A minister, he is an assistant funeral service director for Paul Funeral Home in Washington.

And he doesn’t rule out a possible foray into the political arena.

“There’s been so much frustration with our elected leadership on the national, state and local levels, but we have it within ourselves to change it,” Davis said. “If you don’t like what’s being handed to you, then step up and be counted.”

A lesson he learned as a child rings true for him today.

“I was taught that what you tolerate, you teach,” Davis said. “We cannot tolerate anything that takes us back as a nation, a state or a community. We need to realize we hold the power; the power is the people. It’s our right and our responsibility to use it.”