Miraculous Encounters

Life is so unpredictable. Anything can happen in just a snap of a finger and there's nothing you can do about it.

Just last Friday, my grandma was confined in cardinal santos after experiencing numbness & weakness in her right arms & legs and having a very high blood pressure. We were so worried because symptoms show that she might be experiencing a mild stroke. So the doctor told us that she should undergo CT Scans to check what causes the numbness & weakness. After getting the results, we learned that it's not Stroke but something worse! A Brain tumor! The tumor in her brain is already the size of a golf ball. It was already growing so the symptoms are starting to show. The result is Benign (non-cancerous). But the doctors said that she can't have radiation but rather an open surgery since it was already big and have to be removed within the month or else some of her systems will malfunction and will lead to paralysis due to the growing tumor that presses on her nerve. And doctors said that it's hard to tell if she would be able to survive the operation since it's a major surgery and she's already 77 years old. The survival percentage is only 5%. Then It suddenly hit me..that my grandmother can no longer live long and that bought me to a mixed emotion..I felt so sad, angry and confused at the same time. There's a sense of dread growing from the pit of my stomach, making my legs feel as if they weighed a thousand pounds. My head were full of questions.. Why my grandma? Why does she have to suffer?? Why is someone who's pure hearted and kind would experience this? Someone who is a devoted Christian and servant of God would encounter this kind of illness? Why not inflict this kind of punishment to people who deserves it. Someone who ruin someone's life, or people who corrupts and murders. Or maybe some prostitutes that caused broken families and lead people to immorality. I couldn't understand why her, I felt so helpless and I couldn't do anything about it.

I'm the one who took care of her last Saturday; I spent the night in the hospital with her so I could assist her to the bathroom and stuff. She was staying for 2 days in the hospital so the doctors could monitor her and at the same time for further check-ups. We didn't told our grandma the result for she might get nervous and fear that her Blood pressure would shoot up if she knew the truth, so she assumed that she was just experiencing from a mild stroke. But the reality is, something much worse is gonna happen. Something dreadful!! It's death that awaits her! It's not I'm being negative but it's the reality! I tried so hard to control my emotions, tried not to cry..I can't let her see that i'm feeling sad or worried for she might think that there's really something wrong with her.

That night, I'm in the brink of tears everytime i see her in the hospital bed, telling me her plans after her discharged out of the hospital. I didn't slept that night; I kept on crying and praying to God. While she was sleeping, i secretly go to the bathroom and wept there for an hour. I felt so helpless, coz I don't know what will happen next but I know for sure that it's not good. I also felt so guilty coz lots of times i get angry with her especially if she's nagging me. I felt that i had taken her for granted...I'm asking God for another chance, to perform miracles. I believe God could heal her. God had raised Lazarus from the dead thousand of years ago..He let the blind see and the deaf to hear... how could He not heal my grandma from this Brain tumor?? During the time of distress i read my bible..I'm reading at 1st Corinthians in New Testaments. While reading, suddenly God spoke to me and said: 1st Corinthian 2:4-5 "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, So that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power". I felt peace and comfort after receiving these words from God. Thou it's hard to hold on with these words coz in reality, the doctor said that my grandma has a very low chance of surviving the operation. And surgery should take place as soon as possible coz the tumor is growing fast and it may affect some of her system. But in my heart i believed that God will make a way and He will hear my prayers, that all i had to do is believe and have faith.

Monday came, she was already discharged from the hospital and went home. I sleep with her since i was a baby so we are staying in the same room. It's a torture for me seeing my grandmother..but of course i have to contain myself and pretend there's nothing wrong.
Every given chance i tried to pray and read my bible. I need comforting words from God. I believe that God is testing my faith, how firm and how i put my trust in him. I received words from God everytime i read my bible mostly about faith like"faith can move mountains" and "Believe and have faith". I was so enlightened with it and in the end i managed to control myself coz i believed that God won't let bad things happen to my Grandma. The word has gotten hold of me that my worries and doubt turned to comfort, peace and an abiding in faith. And everytime i felt fear and doubtful, God's word would once again remind me to have faith and don't rely to the knowledge and wisdom of men rather the power of Christ.

My mom had talked to some doctors, asking for their opinions regarding that matter. So they said that we have to make an appointment to one of the best neurosurgeons here in Manila and refer us to him. We have to asked his opinion whether the surgery is the best way or leave it and let it take over her life. And so my dad had already made an appointment and when it's already our turn, my mom rushed to the hospital and visit the neurosurgeon to asked for his opinion.

While she was in the hospital, I was so worried during that time. I kept on pacing back and forth coz i already knew what the doctor would say. That it's really impossible for my grandma to survived the surgery due to old age. And all we have to do is wait until her time is up. It's like a walking time bomb! So that time i get down on my knees and pray...I believe that God has put us in this situation for us to learn something, he has the reason on why these things are occuring. Though we don't understand why but i know that God has special plans.

Not long after, my mom came home to give us the news. My mom called my grandma to confessed that she has gone to the neurosurgeon and she doesn't want her to know coz she might get pessimistic. And so I was there and I can feel my heartbeat runs fast! I don't know what to say so I just stay and wait for my mom to speak up. She told her everything..the tumors and it must be removed as soon as possible because it will worsen..The neurosurgeon told her that he won't operate my grandma coz she might not survived the surgery. Then after that, my mom showed us a brochure about the Gamma Knife. Gamma Knife is a device used to treat brain tumors with a high dose of radiation therapy in one day. It is unique coz no surgical incision is made to expose the inside of the brain, thereby reducing the risk of surgical complications and eliminating the side effects and dangers of general anesthesia. The "blades" of the Gamma Knife are the beams of gamma radiation programmed to target the lesion at the point where they intersect. It kills the DNA in the tumor cells thereby preventing it to grow without harming the healthy tissues. It has proven effective and low level of risks since it's a bloodless surgery. I was like..WOW!!! I'm so happy that I immediately thank God for hearing our prayers. The neurosurgeon told her that it should be removed within 2 weeks or else it can't be done using Gamma Knife anymore. We're just in time, a little later than that my Grandma's life would be in danger. I saw the leading of God; I should cast all my cares upon him. Faith is very important, for it makes all things possible. Prayer is a powerful weapon that will surely help us pass through difficult trials.


Wednesday had arrived and my grandma was sent 6am in the hospital to have MRI scan for further investigation and to locate the lesion in the brain to be treated. The Doctors says that her tumor was kind of flat and was almost touching the nerves, It could be very dangerous when doing the "Gamma Knife" coz it might hit the nerves which could lead to paralysis. After knowing that, I suddenly felt petrified with fear and I was praying to God, telling him that my grandma has gone this far..that it would lose our testimony if anything goes wrong with her since the night before she has gone to the prayer meeting, pastors and elders of the church lay hands on her to pray for the successful operation on her Brain tumor. While I was talking with God, I suddenly received a text message from one of my friends. The message was a bible verse from Mark 5:34 "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." Then once again i was uplifted and believed that God would make everything alright! I just felt that I have an assurance that everything would turn out well.

My Grandma was sent for her "Gamma Knife" operation at 12 noon. Me & mom just waited at the room to do our stuff. After 2 hours, my grandma came back and she was fine! She could walk and eat as if there's nothing happened..and at the same time her tumor was already stopped from growing! I was so delighted and was praising God. God's power and love is beyond understanding, he is merciful and a healer. God's grace is sufficient to meet our every need; He never leaves or forsakes us even in our major obstacles. God wants me to learn that I must rely on him, though the verity was already there but still i have to put my trust in him and believed that God can move mountains...Even if the situation seems so impossible but God can make all things possible according to his Will. Everything has a purpose, and I know that God wants to test my faith, how deep and how strong is it. This miraculous experience is one of the marvelous things that happened in my life. His grace is truly amazing! Praise God!