“You
don’t understand me, doctor,” she said. “I cannot stay here.”
“Why?” We inquired. She was a trauma patient in the Intensive Care Unit of
the National Orthopaedic Hospital, having suffered an acute kidney injury
complicated by sepsis. A while before this, she was rushed to the hospital following
being crushed by a heavy vehicle. The impact was mostly on the left lower limb,
which was temporarily trapped. There was no apparent bone breakage, but the
muscles were badly crushed. When she came, we did our best to save the limb,
but it became clear the measures were not working. The injury was too much for
the survival of the limb. We had also gotten talking about spiritual matters, and
she would not give consent for amputation; however, a few days later, when it
became clear her own life was threatened, she gave consent, and an above-knee
amputation was done. We must separate the dead limb from the living person lest
the living move towards death. Since the consent to amputate was given late,
complications had set in. The kidneys were shutting down acutely, and infection
had also set in, hence her admission to the Intensive Care Unit.
Rather than improve, her condition worsened
with bleeding from the rectum noted. When the General Surgeon reviewed her, he
decided to explore her in theatre urgently and stop the bleeding. We urged her
to consent to this surgical procedure to save her life. Instead, she said,” No! I must get back to the ward.” I pleaded with her that this was a life-saving
move, that the ward was not the right place for her now. She still needed to be
in intensive care.
“I
cannot stay here,” she insisted, “I have dreams that I died here, and there is
no one to pray with me. All my relations are kept away from me here. I must
leave this place.” The anaesthetist said to her, “He is a
priest: he will pray with you.” Having received such an opening, I then led
her to Christ in a sinner’s prayer. The anaesthetist and her mother joined in
the prayer. I rejoiced not only that she was being led to Christ (whatever
happened now, she was safe for eternity), but the anaesthetist whom I had
occasionally witnessed to and longed to lead to Christ was praying to receive
Jesus also. 1Jn 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Then I boldly laid hands on her and requested
her recovery. Mk 16:17-18 And these signs will
accompany those who believe: in my name ... they will lay their hands on the
sick, and they will recover. Before I left, we decided to grant her request to return to the ward
since her oxygen saturation in room air was acceptable. The rectal bleeding
stopped. Within two days, the General Surgeon reviewed her and decided there
was no further need to operate on her. Jesus had stepped in. She had a new
birth and was delivered from premature death also. 3Jn
1:2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in
good health, as it goes well with your soul.
She spent some weeks in the ward to be fully healed of the amputation stump wound and was discharged. She has continued to do well post discharge
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