video i made all by myself of the normal things i can do so far

 

so far i'm able to do play ping pong/table tennis with one hand,

play the bass guitar with one hand,
play bowling with one hand :)

Touched By An Angel by Carissa Gan of Asian Beacon

Published with permission
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL by Carissa Gan of Asian Beacon
Mar. 26 2006 seemed like any ordinary Saturday. Beads of sweat were trickling down Paul Tan’s face as he weaved his way skillfully across the basketball court so he could snatch that tattered orange ball and score another point for his team. This was just another friendly match, and 21-year-old Paul knew the routine by heart: finish up the game, rush home for a quick shower, and then rush to church to play the bass for worship practice. It seemed like any ordinary Saturday, except it wasn’t.

THE ACCIDENT

It happened in a blink of an eye – he slipped and slammed his left temple on the concrete. But he was still gazing up at his pals, who’d hurriedly gathered around him with concern written across their sweaty faces.

“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.”