It
was the screaming of the children that brought me to full wakefulness where I
lay in the parlour late February 2013. My father had fallen on the doorway and
lay still on the floor; blood oozing from his scalp. I saw no breathing, felt
no pulse, and hurriedly began massaging the heart. My wife started praying out
loud. He was 74 and a known hypertensive; was
it a myocardial infarction? He had informed me he fell on the bathroom some
days earlier and hurt himself; was it
blood collection within the skull? He revived and we rushed him to the
hospital. I feared the worst. I remembered a dream in which he passed
away. “Whatever happens honey we will
take it” I said to my wife. She gazed at me incredulously, strongly rejecting
any evil.
At
the hospital as the doctor attempted to suture the scalp he passed out again,
his blood pressure reading falling so low. We laid him flat and when he revived
urged the cardiologist to come quickly. She did, and ran an ECG test on him. In
the coming days other scans and tests followed with nothing conclusive. The
number and range of drugs increased. The family in Diaspora was roused. All
manner of prayers were raised and assurance given of answers. My sister in law felt unction leave her after praying for him; she was certain God heard. As we rounded up
the morning prayers in early March I heard an unusual sound come from him and
looked up to see him slumped on the chair. Was
he dying before me? Who can speak
and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Lam 3:37 (NIV). When
he revived we rushed him to the teaching hospital and were directed to UNTH
emergency room where more tests and a blood thinner (intravenous tenecteplase) were
ordered and given. A single injection
cost over N350, 000 and had to be given within 12 hours of an incident
requiring it. It was released to us on credit. We moved after consultation
to the Good Shepherd Specialist hospital and invited cardiology, neurosurgery,
urology, and cardio-thoracic reviews. He had by now done a lot of tests and
scans: CT scan, chest X-rays, blood counts, electrolytes and urea, several
ECGs, repeat cardiac enzymes... the works.
The professor of cardiology was sure the primary problem was not the
heart, “perhaps neurosurgical” he suggested. The neurosurgeon opined it was not
primarily from the brain or its cover, “it may be cardiac” he said. The cardio-thoracic
surgeon noted a huge collection of blood in the pleural space and drained it.
“But that can’t explain the problem” he cautioned. Indeed while there he
suffered another attack before the clinicians. Priests prayed for him and
anointed him. He started having urinary incontinence whilst on admission and was also treated for a urinary tract infection. The hospital authorities graciously waived his bill at the time of discharge; even the specialists would not accept any pay. The professor of cardiology visited often not to prescribe any drug but to encourage him to read and meditate on the Bible. He made it clear that was where the victory would come from.
After his
discharge I studied the barrage of drugs wondering if adverse drug reaction
might be involved. As I came into the parlour to report my findings he had
slumped. I decided to monitor him and noted his blood pressure was again very low. Again the pulse was fading and breathing in gasps; but this time he wet his trousers. That was a sure sign of dying to me. Hurriedly he was picked up (by now he had lost significant weight) placed on the bed and resuscitated. After God brought him round again my
phone rang. My cousin had received a message from someone in a prayer group that death was hovering around the
family but God would intervene if we fasted and sought Him. "I said I would tell you since we are all one family". "My father virtually just died now and revived" I said. What to do was clear when my wife confirmed she had been thinking the whole family should fast and pray.
Every member of the
family fasted and prayed. Those in Diaspora had already prayed. All medication
was stopped (I later restarted an antihypertensive). It was 24 months back. He has been whole from
that day! I am the Living One; I was
dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and
Hades Rev 1:18 (NIV)
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