What we can learn from a superwoman who nearly died

Life can end in a snap.

My friend K was unstoppable. She worked hard in the office. On weekends, she worked out in the gym, played volleyball, boxed, climbed mountains, and jumped out of a plane, among many other adventures. She also smoked, drank and always stayed awake for as long as she could. She ignored the headaches that came 2 or 3 times a week.

For her exceptional skills and vibrant personality, she was idolized by many.

One day in a foreign land,  she woke up feeling normal. All of a sudden in the bathroom, she felt a “10/10” headache and heard loud ringing in her ears.

She doesn’t know even up to now how many days she stayed unconscious in the hospital. The neurosurgeon said she could have died if she wasn’t rushed to the hospital in time. Back here in the Philippines, we heard that she had a “massive” stroke and that a huge blood clot had to be removed from the back of her brain.

K recalls that she saw her parents on her bedside. But both parents have already been dead years before her stroke. Seeing dead relatives is a common story we hear from people who have been very sick.

When K regained consciousness, she couldn’t swallow from a straw. She couldn’t handle utensils. She couldn’t stay standing up.  At first, she hoped to get better. But when she woke up the following day feeling just as weak, she started feeling resentful. “Why me,” she bitterly reproached God. “I don’t deserve this!” She said she’d rather die than live a life like that. She admitted that many times, she wanted to give up.

Then K received a call from her best friend. The friend said that she and all people who know K at work have not stopped praying for her recovery. More calls and prayers poured in. That’s when K began to think that she must live and walk again. She wanted to live again because it mattered to the people who cared. She asked the nurse to leave a straw by her bedside so she could practice sipping every day.

She prayed hard and willed herself to get better every day.

Today, K can walk again and will be back in the office soon. She is sure that it was faith, family and friends that healed her. She is now more convinced that God and our own will can prevail over any difficulty, but we must also “not stress too much over things we cannot control.”

The stroke left some effects on her health. Her ears can no longer hear as much as before but her heart, she says, can love so much more. She experiences anxiety attacks every now and then but she gives thanks to God every day.

These are some lessons we can learn from K’s experience:

Life can end all of a sudden. We can be grateful for every day that ends and every day that begins.

Our disappointments in life are outweighed by the beauty of life.

Whether we want to live or die, our body may follow our mind.

People will decide to live if they know that their life matters to us.

Family and friends are a great reason to live again.

God answers prayers.

She also advises us to take good care of our body!

By the way, K’s job is in serving the needs of the poor. However long the rest of her life may be, there is a good purpose for it.

Reflecting on the time K blamed God for her suffering, I am awed by God’s mercy. No matter how we felt toward Him, or even if we disrespected Him, God will give us a fresh start and a second chance.