One early morning in November last year, I was awakened with a mild chest pain. After some procrastination, I decided to head to the hospital. The pain disappeared en route. I wondered if it was a better decision to turn back home but decided against it.
I was wheeled into the Emergency Ward upon arriving at the hospital and was then told that I needed to undergo some testing procedures. In view of the long waiting time, I decided to use the restroom. As I was getting out, the chest pain abruptly returned. The pain was excruciating and it quickly overwhelmed me as I slumped to the ground. I could hardly breathe. In the midst of this, the doctor told me I had a “massive heart attack” and needed to be operated upon immediately. Soon after, I underwent an angioplasty procedure. By God’s grace, it was successfully completed.
God was indeed with me throughout the entire episode. I felt at peace. Today, I am mostly recovered! At a recent review, the cardiologist who earlier attended to me said that my progress has been remarkable! Praise God. Would my life be different had I not experienced this near-fatal experience? Yes. One cannot deny that life is fragile. We cannot control our lives, but we certainly can be good stewards of it. Trust that we are in the good hands of the Lord and He has created us for a purpose. Now more than ever, we need to treasure relationships, bless lives – to look beyond ourselves.