Relentless Pain, Beauty Beyond the Thorns
Darci and Mark Steiner
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - Can Suffering Bring Gifts?
Darci and Mark Steiner’s lives turned inside out and upside down when Darci nearly lost her life after a debilitating fall down the stairs in her home. She was later diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and spent six years bedridden with such horrific pain she could not tolerate even a sheet touching her body. Her husband, Mark, immediately took on the role of caregiver for Darci and all the extra responsibilities of raising their two little girls.
In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Darci, and Mark freely answer questions about their struggle to find a “new normal” when Darci was incapable of caring for their girls or their home. Mark brings the unique perspective of a full-time caregiver and how Mark sometimes struggles with meeting all the needs of their children and his wife. They both share the spiritual challenges of understanding the sovereignty of God over what seem like set backs and unfair loss and how the Lord has met them in their most broken moments.
They share their story in Darci’s book, Beauty Beyond the Thorns: Discovering Gifts in Suffering.
Darci and Mark have both served in ministry, Darci as a teen and women’s ministry leader, as well as assisting with church plants in Denver and Los Angeles. Mark has served in full-time ministry in San Francisco and Thailand. In the late 80s, Mark helped Cambodian refugees from the Khmer Rouge “killing fields" and the fighting between Cambodian guerillas and the Vietnamese army on the border of Cambodia and Thailand. He is an entrepreneur, along with caring for Darci.
Darci and Mark Steiner
Darci has served in the ministry as a teen and women’s ministry leader, as well as assisted with church plants in Denver and Los Angeles. In 2001, Darci nearly lost her life after a debilitating fall down the stairs in her home. During her six year recovery, she earned her Master of Science degree in Holistic Nutrition and implemented natural remedies into her lifestyle that helped save her life.
In 2018, when Darci became disabled a second time, she began writing to distract her from her pain. By 2021, Darci published her debut book and study guide, Beauty Beyond the Thorns: Discovering Gifts in Suffering and Study Guide for Beauty Beyond the Thorns. Connect with Darci at her website
Mark has served in full-time ministry in San Francisco and Thailand. In the late 80's Mark helped Cambodian refugees from the Khmer Rouge “killing fields" and the fighting between Cambodian guerillas and the Vietnamese army on the border of Cambodia and Thailand.
Mark is an entrepreneur, a caregiver for Darci, a mentor, and a servant of Christ.