Celebrating Life

ON THE eve of my 57th birthday, my wife and I visited a family friend who had undergone the first phase of surgery to remove a cancerous cell in his liver.  Bro G is an active member of the Couples for Christ, and together with his wife, they coordinate the activities of the youth in their assigned area.

When we arrived, he was resting on his bed, having undergone a three-hour operation. He must have heard our voices that he woke up, and clearly he looked weak and uneasy. He said he had not eaten for nearly 20 hours, and that he felt both thirsty and hungry. Good enough that his ration was delivered and his wife gave him water to drink.

The space allowed only two people at a time, but visitors started to arrive, and the number swelled to nine. Bro G then told us how the cancer was discovered a few weeks earlier: “I went for a routine checkup and just to make the nurse more attentive, I told him that I felt pain in my stomach, though I was just making it up.” 

A few days later he was asked to return to the hospital for more examinations. He thought that was the end of it, when a third request was made for him to visit the doctor. He told the doctor that he was tired of going back, and asked if there was any reason to be worried.

It was then that the doctor told him that they had discovered an advance stage of cancer in his liver, with an addendum that there was nothing more than they could do, not even surgery. From that moment on, he started to feel sick.

I queried if he asked the question, “Why me, God?” He replied, “No, I remain hopeful that He will heal me.” He then narrated of how at one time, he noticed an unusually ultra-white dove flying right in front him as he was driving the car. He claimed it was the Holy Spirit who heard his plea, for the doctor had changed his assessment by having an operation to remove the cancerous cell. Prior to his surgery, he got to know the doctor and the nurses who attended to him, and observed that all of them had names of saints.

When we left the room, Bro G was lighthearted and never showed sadness about his situation. He thanked us for the visit, and looked forward to seeing us again. We could only respond with a promise that we would pray for him. We then realized that the image of the Sto. Niño had settled in our home for our assigned nine-day novena, and it must be for the reason of healing Bro G that the Holy Child has made the visit in our home.

The next day, Nov. 6, I marked by birthday. It was work as usual, and later in the evening, my family treated me to dinner in a Japanese restaurant. What made it special was that everyone was accounted for: my wife Debbie, my three children Kim (with wife Krizia), Jam (with husband Rey) and Me-el. And to complete the picture, my two grandchildren–Jeydi and Emjey. 

In response to greetings from friends on FB, I wrote: “One is never too old at 57 when you feel the love of your family... You are my greatest gifts.” Thank you, Lord for the good health. Thank you, God for life.