Lost but Found
A testimony of God’s amazing grace and healing power.
“Papa! Papa! Mummy fainted!” shouted my six-year-old daughter, Bethany, as she raced up to her father who was cooking in the kitchen. Little did my husband, Brian, and I know it was the beginning of a major medical drama that would test and eventually strengthen our faith in God and our love for each other.
During the first week I was in hospital, I was fretful and confused. It was horrible not understanding why I was in a strange place and not knowing exactly where I was - periodically I had even assumed I was still in Malaysia! Struck with what had initially seemed simply to be a bad case of ’flu, I ended up succumbing to a brain infection that triggered a series of seizures. What I also did not bargain for was short-term memory loss or amnesia!
In one incident, I mistakenly thought some Maori men visiting my ward roommate were Malays and I motioned to them that they were welcome to some chairs nearby, saying “Abang, abang, situ ada kerusi!” (Hey bros, take those chairs over there!). They probably thought the Neurology ward, where I was, housed some pretty psycho cases!
The seizures I
suffered over that first week caused my body to tense up greatly, as my brain
experienced what was basically an electrical storm triggered off by a possible
infection of the brain and subsequent high fever. The tension in my body was so
palpable that I would stop breathing for as long as two minutes - thankfully no
longer or there’d be the danger of oxygen deprivation, bringing on the danger
of brain damage and perhaps even death. Brian described how horrifying it was
to watch me go through a seizure, and how helpless and despaired he felt during
those moments. In order to find out what was making me so ill, the doctors put
me through countless tests (like some big laboratory mouse?). Greatly
distressed by it all and aggravated by the fever, I was vocal in my protests
about the pain and (what seemed like) endless procedures. My amazing husband
was beside me all the time, soothing me and holding me, as well as ensuring, I
was kept calm and still for certain complex tests. He also slept on the chair
or even on the floor beside my bed whenever he was allowed to, in order to
watch over me and be on hand when I awoke.
What overwhelmed me besides my husband’s unfailing love and support was the concern shown by my extended family and church family. It bowled me over to know so many people in my adopted country of New Zealand and my home country of Malaysia, and even Australia, Singapore and America, were thinking of me and praying for me. While I might have lost some memories leading up to the emergency, I have certainly found new ones to cherish!
I truly thank God for healing me so quickly. My doctor is very happy and amazed at my progress, and my medication is being decreased continuously! It is a wonderful feeling knowing I am in my Heavenly Father’s care, and that His grace has brought my family and me through that trying incident. As we look back at it together, we have much to be thankful for. Hey, we can even laugh about certain events that happened along the way…Abang, abang! Tuhan sungguh bagus! (“Hey bro! God is so good!”).
by Di and Brian Low
CBC members, now residing in Auckland, New Zealand