Prayers, lot of prayers, and positive thinking - these have saved my uncle, Kanding Mambak, from dying from cancer. He was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis which caused cancer about 2 months ago (in March, 2009). About 5 percent of patients with cirrhosis get cancer of the liver. His reading was 7,000 compared with normal people with reading 29. Meaning, it was already too late to do anything. And to make the matter worst, for your information, cancer could double every 24 hours!
The doctor at Sarawak Government Hospital, Kuching (SGH) gave him two options; ONE, take chemotherapy and survive for another two months (only!?); or TWO, go back home and enjoy the last 1 month to live (and hope for miracle to happen). That's certainly not the thing that we want to hear from our doctor. As if we are reading the "Book of Life", found our names and see the times of our deaths. As if the Angel of Death whispering to our ears. As if our world collapse on us.
Well, he decided to take the second option. He skipped chemo and told everyone to pray with him for recovery.
The news shocked everyone in my big family. Due to this, our big family is now reunited again. Even my aunty, Aunty Anda, went back from abroad to meet him to give him support. We grouped together to pray for his recovery although we come from many different churches; Catholic, Anglican & SIB (Sidang Injil Borneo). Church members, relatives, villagers & friends also pray for him (thanks to them). Recalling back what he said in SIB's special prayer gathering for him, which my wife & I attended, he said, "... I put my life on God's hands ..."
May 24th, Sunday, 7.30PM - He was rushed to hospital again. That news updates did caught me in a big surprise. It was only last week when I talked about him with my father, "It's 2 months already. How's uncle doing? He seems fine because we didn't hear any (bad) news about him." We went to hospital in no time. He was still in SGH's Emergency Unit when we arrived, in "Red Zone", an area for critically ill patients! He was then hospitalised.
May 25th, Monday, 7PM - My wife and I paid him a visit at SGH. We can't believe what we saw. Uncle Kanding isn't the same person that we used to know. He looks like a different person. He is skinny from abdomen up, the upper part of his body. He looks skeletal. This reminds me of King Tut Mummy which I watched in Discovery's History Channel. But he is gumpy, fleshy from tummy down, lower part of his body - a symptom which indicates liver's inefficiency (could be also due to heart and kidney failure or inefficiency). His tummy is big. His legs are swollen. We touched his legs. They felt like plasticine. He said he can't feel our touches - his touch sensors were not really functioning. The leg's skin is stretched. There's no wrinkle, no normal folding of skin at kneecaps; and foot and leg joints. And we can't see his legs' skin pores too. His lower part is literally ballooning! It was a sad view. I'm sure that no one would like to see their love ones in that terrible condition.
My wife can't hold her tears. The sadness filled her eyes. She cried to uncle, her Tingkat's friend (Tingkat is the name of my village's name). This year's Gawai (harvest festival celebration) would be her 5th Gawai celebration with uncle. But the previous Gawai could be their last. No one knows if he can survive till June 1st, the Gawai's day. I managed to hold my tears somehow. Yes, men are good in hiding their true feelings. With soft and weak voice, uncle talked (whispered) about his readiness to meet his Creator. Quoting his words, "... everyone will go pass this way one day ... I'm not afraid ...". Everyone there, me, Eliza (my wife), Noni (my first cousin), Elizabeth (my first cousin's wife, Noni's sister-in-law), Enggan (my cousin, his youngest son) and Hannah's grandfather and grandmother (his in laws), paid close attention to what he said. We didn't want to miss it as that could be his last words. His son, Enggan, argued with him to give him spirit and will to survive. I could just listen.
And God Almighty does hear our prayers. He does!
May 26th, Tuesday, 7PM - We visited him again. We joined Aunty Nila (my father's youngest sister), Uncle William (Aunty Nila's husband), Noni and Mit (his daughter who is taking shift with Enggan to look after him at hospital). And Aunty Nila's daughter, Rachel, who has a vision gift to see demon/ghost reported to her saying that she has stopped seeing "bad things" with Uncle in her visions. Rachel reported to her mother, "Uncle is just sick". And yes, uncle is much better now. He is recovering. The swollen legs reduced. And he is no longer receiving Sodium fluid intake. We were so delighted with the test result. Uncle Kanding is now free from cancer! How's that happened? God's miracle! Another God servant's life is spared.
May 27th, Wednesday - Aunty Anda in Australia sent SMSes to family members pledged everyone to fast and pray to God, beg to God for his full recovery. Hence, I fasted the whole day. No breakfast, no lunch. I had nothing but plain water whole day. And yet I survived the day - I did my things; went to (four) banks; accompanied my wife shopping at (three) shopping complexes; visited uncle at hospital; helped my sister-in-law to move her things to our house; and put her things in order in my house (she moved from her rented house and staying with us temporarily as her own house would be ready by next month). And to tell you the truth - I don't feel weak, tired and carving for food. I did felt energetic the whole day. I guess the God was with me as I was fasting yesterday. And yes He was, as my wife and my sister-in-law sponsored Pizza meals that night. Hmmm ... yummy!
We visited Uncle Kanding in "Yellow Zone" of the ward at 3PM after our shopping. Thanks goodness, he was transferred there from "Red Zone". Now, that's a relief! His condition has improved further. By now, we could see wrinkles and skin pores, more like our normal legs although they are still gumpy, fleshy. We do feel happy with his recovery. Uncle Julian, my father's eldest brother, was there too. They were talking about uncle's test result when we showed up at the ward. The cancer has left many small scars on his liver and his liver is "regrouping" (I don't know what it mean). By now, his liver is functioning at 18% efficiency. The cancer has damaged pretty much of his liver's part and function. 18% is low but just enough to survive - but we have to pay more attention to his health. 18% - it could increase or decrease.
That is what Uncle Julian meant when he said, "the God is testing us ... therefore, He doesn't give him full recovery yet (to Uncle) ... we have to pray harder." We left him at the ward after giving him a prayer. Uncle Julian led the prayer. And to add more to our delight, I received an SMS from my father yesterday's evening saying that uncle has been discharged from hospital. Yipee!!
Our big family is now praying so that Uncle Kanding Mambak's liver is fully recovered, renewed so that he can live a normal life, a second chance. Hold both your hands together, close your eyes and help us to pray for him.
Thank you.
Edited By: Ian Kree
(Click the photo to enlarge)
