A call from the Almighty

Feb 5th 2005…that was exactly three years ago today and similarly, it was only a few days away from Chinese New Year.

On that day, I almost died….and gone to heaven....well, hope it's heaven....:P

But seriously, I nearly died!

Medically it’s called brain aneurysm. Blood vessel (artery/vein) in the brain bursts. This is a serious medical condition as it is fatal. In my case, blood oozed out from the blood vessel which later formed a ping pong ball size blood clot in left rear side of my brain.

I’ll post another article on brain aneurysm. Reading that you won't expect me to be back to who I am now.

All that happened in a routine beginning of the year meeting here in KL. That was when I was based in hometown Kuching and as usual, colleagues and I took the early flight to attend a 10am meeting. From KLIA we zoomed directly to the meeting room in a hotel in PJ and began the discussions before checking into our rooms.

After lunch, while chatting with colleagues before meeting continued, an intense sharp pain overwhelmed the left side of my head and in an instant I felt a warm rush over that area. It was the most painful headache I’ve ever experienced. Blood flowed out of the blood vessel engorging the surroundings.

I fainted…dropped to the floor like a sack of tomatoes. Colleagues told me I had seizure and they helped by lifting me up and shoved something into my mouth avoiding biting action severing my tongue.
As the seizure stopped I was quickly transported to Assunta Hospital.

In the ER, doctors and nurses were busy removing my tie and shirt when I awoke and struggled before being jabbed with suppresent to calm me down and make me sleep.
That night I woke up…very groggy…saw colleagues and friends all around me. Immediately I asked for a phone. I had wanted to call home to say goodbye to my parents. Unexplainable but somehow I had the feeling that I was going to die.
Held my colleague’s hp but I just didn’t know how to make a call. I also could not remember my home phone number. Slowly I drifted back to sleep.

Next morning I woke up to find my dad beside me. Still lying in bed, couldn’t get up and was pushed into the scanning room. Had CT, MRI and other scans done. I was just like a piece of vegetable. Helpless…

Results were handed to SJMC specialists the next day I was transferred. Peace and quiet was what I longed for as the shock slowly faded but the effects revealed the pain. I looked for God….but it was also when I broke down. I had always prayed The Lord’s Prayer, Our Father, but on that day, all I could utter was “Our Father, who art in Heaven…” I could not continue. No matter how hard I tried, I could not remember the words.
Tears fell and I broke down. I cried dearly and asked for His forgiveness. I told God that my life is in His hands. I depend on Him, need His help.

Usually for a man on the age of 30s, it is the primetime of their life. It is when they are the strongest and most independent. But that was the time when I felt the weakest and most helpless. I needed God so badly.

For the first time, being 30 years old, I cried like a baby...I criedto the Lord….

And so, God answered me. I was granted a miracle! From that day on, I recovered. Brain aneurysm took away some of the memories (eg: phone numbers, names, how to do certain things) Basically I became a kid again, so have to learn from scratch. On the other hand, memories from other pages of my mind came about. Beautiful memories which I’ve not thought about for so long appeared to me. I'll talk about this in another post, ya.

10 days in SJMC or spending the CNY in a hospital finally ended and we headed back to Kuching.

I took a 2nd opinion and the neurologist in that private hospital marveled at the speed of my recovery after what has happened. I told him…..”Believe and trust in God!”

A month after that, I sought after a 3rd opinion in Sarawak General Hospital. There, after analyzing on the scans, the neurosurgeon immediately booked another scan for me in order to find more. He ordered me to admit myself once he went through the readings. I needed a surgery!!! Next day, I went through a brain surgery where the neurosurgeon did a clipping of the blood vessel.

Basically I was a ‘medical walking time bomb’ after 5th Feb as no surgery was performed on my brain to rectify the aneurysm. I could have gone into a stroke or the could have bled again and gone into a coma.

Well, I was in God’s hands. He protected me and kept me going!

The brain surgery was a major surgery. Normally it takes 5-6hrs but for mine, only 3hrs and it was done. God truly guided the neurosurgeon.
Anyone who looked at me would have thought I needed to spend at least a couple of weeks in the ward. Well, it was very different for me. I cannot explain it.
After surgery, I was ushered out from ICU to normal ward in 24hrs and 2 days later, discharged and headed home!

Amazing! God does wonders!


I’ll upload my post surgery photos after CNY. Otherwise you have no mood to enjoy lah…


Anyway, here’s wishing everyone KONG XI FA CAI !!!!

Have a Happy & Blessed Chinese New Year !!!!!