“I’m
fine,” he told them. But their concern snapped into panic a few minutes later
when they realized that he was still sprawled on the grimy concrete of the
basketball court. To pacify their panic, Paul heaved himself off the ground and
stood up. Then it hit him like a force – he fell to his knees and started
retching as the others stood around in shock, before he collapsed on the floor
once again. This time, he couldn’t get up.
THE PHONE CALL
Paul’s
mother, Lilian, was mopping the floor at home when the unexpected phone call shattered
the peace of that calm Saturday mid morning. She recognized the voice on the other
end of the line as one of Paul’s friends, but the terror in his voice made her
blood turn cold. It was every mother’s nightmare to discover that something
terrible had happened to her son.
Within
minutes, she quickly learned of the tragedy at the basketball court and that
his friends – Donald, Steffan and Shawn – were now driving a coma-ridden Paul to
the hospital. They had chosen the hospital out of convenience, oblivious that
it actually housed the best brain specialist in town, Prof. Ben. After being told
of the hospital’s location, Lilian rushed over, praying for Paul every step of
the way. After all, it wasn’t the first time that death had come knocking at
Paul’s door.
THE FLASHBACK
The
first time it happened, Paul was only a four-month-old fetus. Lilian was a new
Christian, and one day as she bent over to pick up a heavy bucket of water, she
accidentally dropped him in her womb. Despite being born with an under-developed
liver and weighing in at only 3.5 pounds, God preserved Paul’s life and
continued to do so.
At
seven months, the enemy attempted another attack. Paul was suddenly plagued
with jaundice (a medical condition that yellows the skin and eyes) and his spleen
was affected. His stomach was bloated, he desperately needed an O+ type blood
transfusion, and his treatment involved a very special drug that wasn’t easily
obtained. His blood count was very low and Lilian worried day and night over
her youngest child, crying out to God to heal her innocent baby boy. Trips to
the hospital and medical bills were taking a toll on her.
One
day, she attended Pastor Dhinakaran’s sermon and rushed out to talk to him
after the message. He was about to leave for the airport, so she ran with baby
Paul in her arms, careful not to exert too much pressure in case the little
needles that were stuck throughout his tiny body would wound him the wrong way.
“Pastor Dhinakaran!” she’d cried, blocking his car just as it was about to leave
the parking lot. “Please pray for my baby. His name is Paul and he has a rare
blood disease.”
So the pastor laid hands on Paul’s head and announced, “This day, a miracle
will take place.” True enough, Paul’s blood test improved from a weak blood
count of 0.00 to a healthy 0.14. He was declared healed. God had been there for
him every step of the way – He never failed, and He wasn’t going to start now.
THE NEWS
When
Paul’s friends laid his unconscious body on the stretcher of the hospital, a
neurologist Dr. Sani happened to walk by. It didn’t take him long to notice the
severity of Paul’s situation. God’s favor was on Paul because there was an
operating room and a support system available at the time when he was admitted.
During the first surgery, seven holes were drilled into his head. The doctor
noted that his pupils were dilating and there was a second bleeding at his
brain stem.
By
Wednesday, Paul had contracted a high fever and gooey green pus was seeping
from his closed eyes. His corneas had been badly scarred by the contact lenses,
which the medical team had overlooked on Saturday. His pupils had lost their
usual round, dark form and had become shapeless flurries. Lilian was told that
her son would go blind, unless she managed to find two corneas for him as soon
as possible. Then there was the financial strain, because apart from Paul’s
hospital bills, both corneas mounted up to RM 30k – if she even managed to get
them – and now Dr. Sani was delivering another blow of devastating news:
“Your
son might be a vegetable,” he shook his head gravely as a shell-shocked Lilian
stood helpless before him. “I’m afraid he’s not one of the lucky ones.”
At
that exact moment, Lilian didn’t know how to praise God.
THE VISIONS
A
miracle happened one night as Janet, a dear friend of Lilian, paid Paul a visit
while he was still in coma. Janet was praying beside his bed, when she suddenly
received a vision as clear as day – a tall angel was standing on the other side
of Paul’s bed, with two large wings that fanned out behind him. He gently
plucked one feather from each wing and laid it over Paul’s eyes. Janet told
Lilian that both feathers started out long, but seemed to shrink as they
reached Paul’s eyes so that they fit perfectly over his lids.
Then
the next day, Janet saw Jesus standing where the angel had been. He made a
light sweeping motion over Paul’s body, sprinkling him with gold dust.
A
few days later, the eye doctor noticed that Paul’s pupils were growing round
and dark – which meant that they were healing! In addition, his eyesight was
also restored to a complete 20/20.
Paul
was hospitalized for three months, during which he had two pieces of titanium
plates fixed into his hips, and another surgery for stitches. After that
surgery, however, Paul went into fits. The surgery had injured his brain by
about 65%, according to Lilian. Throughout all that, God preserved him and also
equipped Lilian with the courage to care for his needs. She never cursed God.
Instead, she held on to His promises of healing. After nine months, Paul was
finally able to take his first step again.
THE TESTIMONY
“The
amazing thing is that God always sent the right people at the right time,”
Lilian smiled at me over coffee that afternoon, as she and Paul recounted the
bold battle of faith. God sent them the right doctors, the right
physiotherapist and so forth. He sent the right people to help them financially
as well.
The accident has left an undeniable impact upon Lilian and Paul. As a mother,
Lilian has learned that it’s all about the art of surrendering it to God and
putting her complete faith in Him. “It’s giving God a chance to show His truth
and faithfulness. God always gave me a clarity of mind, so I never panicked. I
knew that God would come through. I just had to be obedient and be close to
Him.”
She
smiled at her son as he stirred his coffee. In the soft light of the afternoon,
I could see a film of tears over her eyes.
“Paul
has never once questioned why this happened. He woke up from the coma and just
seemed to have such a maturity – and he was the first neuro patient in that
ward who wished the doctor good morning. He was cheerful and filled with so
much peace,” she beamed.
It’s been nine years since the accident, but Paul never tires of telling this
story. He sees it as an opportunity to encourage others and glorify the Father
who created and healed him. Today, he moves around with a walking stick and a
big grin on his face. He works full-time at the Full Gospel Assembly of Kuala
Lumpur and part-time with the team at Wealth of Life. He also goes to schools
and shares his inspiring testimony with kids, spreading hope and love into
their hearts. During his free time, he updates his social media platforms with
visits to his favorite coffee shops with friends.
“Before the accident, I was serving as a youth leader at Full Gospel Assembly
and I was very active in church. I was a cell group leader, I was in the
worship team and I was so passionate about doing God’s work. But I didn’t have
a relationship with God,” he reflected. “The accident was probably God’s way of
telling me to be still. But I’m glad I’m alive.”
He
raised his mug, the light in his eyes radiant. “God gave me a second chance to
live again. And now I live for Him.”
