A Christmas miracle

Miracles still happen at this day and age!

This was the first thought that entered my mind when I got word from my sister Marilou last Dec. 30 that our mom had woken up after being in vegetative state for a month and a week at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

There were simply no words to describe my feelings as I stood in the balcony of my friends’ house in Tagaytay City. All of a sudden, I just burst into tears as I stared at the sky and realized just how big our God truly is!!! I kept uttering, "Thank you, Lord, for bringing back our mom to us."

I wanted to go back right away to Manila to see the miracle God has done to my mom, Maria Teresa del Rosario, 67, but when I called my sister again, she told me to just leave in the morning because our mom was already sleeping.

I couldn’t believe what just happened. I was tossing and turning that night, not anymore because of the hyperacidity I had developed due to the stressful predicament our family was in ever since our mother was confined in the hospital, but because my heart was filled with so much joy.

We left Tagaytay early the following morning to go to church. It was truly a special day for me and my family. I felt like a different person as I entered our church. I felt God’s presence more in my life as I know I have more faith in Him now.

I remember just how I would struggle to keep my faith in the Lord a month prior to the miracle. There were moments when I would be so distraught at the idea that my mom, although physically present, was emotionally and mentally no longer there. She simply had no consciousness of us, her children, or of the state she was in.

The respirator that helped breathe for her, the feeding tube in her nose, the dextrose, the machines that monitored her blood pressure and oxygen level, and the tracheostomy on her entire neck, added to our emotional and mental torture as we saw our mom go through so much pain day by day, and we couldn’t do anything to ease her suffering. I thought to myself, what kind of life could still be in store for her given her grave condition?

During the first week we prayed, "Lord, please help our mom completely recover." The following week our prayer changed into "Lord, even if her brain activity is that of a child, okay na… but please don’t let her die" The third week we prayed, "Lord, please prepare our hearts for whatever may happen, but please allow us to have more time with our mother."

But after a month, we firmly prayed, "Thy will be done."

We went through a roller-coaster of emotions – merely knowing what to pray for, or even knowing how to begin praying at times. But all in all, in our darkest moments, my siblings and I decided to cling on to God for strength. When push comes to shove, there’s really nothing or no one else we can turn to but the Lord.

Incidentally, we have our mom to thank for when it comes to us having faith in God. She instilled in us very early on in our lives that God is good, God is great and that the Lord is faithful to His promises. He will never abandon us. I fondly recall how my mother would always sing to us, "God will make a way when there seems to be no way…" I truly believe her great faith in the Lord healed her.

So far, our greatest joy comes when we see our mom mention our names… "Connie, Marilou, Gigi, Suzette, Robert, Eric, Joey." Amazingly, after all that she’s been through, she never forgot the goodness of the Lord. She said, "Mag-da-sal ka-yo," accompanied by a big smile. This is truly an overwhelming and faith-building experience for all who witnessed my mom’s recovery.

I will never forget when one of my mom’s doctors asked, "Who called for Dr. Jesus of Nazareth?" I know in my heart we all did, as well as the hundreds of friends and relatives we have contacted for prayers. God heard and He answered with no less than a miracle. My mom’s brain activity went down to as low as three to five, that’s almost brain dead, considering that the normal brain activity of a human being ranges from eight to 13. She can now respond and recognize us as if nothing serious happened last Nov. 23, when my mom was supposed to undergo cystoscopy, a supposedly simple procedure primarily to take out the kidney stone obstructing her ureter. But unfortunately for my mom, even before she was operated on, she became a vegetable after the anesthesia was given her.

Although my mom is still in the ICU and could still not move her entire body, I know God’s complete miracle of healing is on its way. I take to heart what author Darlene Sala quoted in one of her books. She said the phrase "be not afraid" appears in the Bible 365 times.

I believe this is God’s way of reassuring us that we should not be fearful of anything or of anyone everyday of our lives; because truly, without fail, God is in control. I know that our faith in God and the ability to completely surrender to our Lord is the key to my mom’s miracle – God’s greatest gift to our family this new year.