Acid burns don’t slow down young minister
Life was good for Demetrius P. Guyton when he was a baby boy. At two months, he was cute, cuddly and healthy and showed all the signs of one day becoming a tall, handsome athlete or a doctor, lawyer or politician.
That changed suddenly, however, when his mother poisoned his face with a bottle of hydrocholoric acid while the helpless baby was lying ill in a hospital bed.
A high-profile trial followed in Walker County with Mrs. Guyton facing a charge of attempted murder. The jury returned a guilty verdict and she was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Of that sentence she served 14 years and then moved to Florida with her family.
Meanwhile, her son Demetrius was left to struggle for his life, undergoing multiple surgeries and skin grafts to repair the damage he had suffered from acid burns to his face, neck and shoulders. Fortunately, his eyesight and hearing were spared but he was left with a partially disfigured face. He lost part of his upper lip and nose and later lost the ability to smell and had to learn how to be a mouth breather.
After living in a foster home for two years with cruel foster parents, Guyton was adopted by his grandmother, Ruthie Dunlap, and spend half of his childhood in Jasper and the other half in Boligee. In Jasper, he was raised by his grandparents and their six boys.
But her love and nurturing was not enough to offset the embarrassment and mockery with which he had to deal on a daily basis.
It was not until after he landed in prison on an assault conviction at the age of 19 that Guyton began a process of restructuring his life.
In reading the Bible, he was drawn to Matthew 6:14-15, which says, “If you forgive their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you.”
Six months after his incarceration he began to preach on the prison yard to fellow inmates, speaking only with the strength of his voice since microphones were not available.
Soon, he was devoting full time to the study of the scriptures, sharing his testimony with anyone who would listen, writing a book of his life story and searching for his birth mother.
A 25-year broken relationship between mother and son was restored April 13- May 1, 2009, when Guyton was reunited with his mother at a graduation ceremony for his first cousin, in St. Petersburg, Fla., two days after his 25th birthday.
Now 25, Guyton is hunting a publisher for his book—“The Chosen One, A Touch from Above” and accepting preaching engagements as an interim pastor and evangelist. He and his wife and adopted son are living in Hartselle and are members of Central Baptist Church in Decatur, where Dr. Rob Jackson is pastor and his father, Dr. Bob Jackson, is associate pastor.
He added, “If there’s anyone who can relate to or feel my story, please feel free to contact me at guytondemetrius@yahoo.com or cell 606-2940 or 773-7913. I’m always open for advice. I can always use it to be a deeper healing instrument.”
Guyton’s dream is to have his manuscript published and to establish a foundation to help individuals that have been physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually impaired.
