My Divine Miracles of Mercy

My husband and I rarely complete novenas. Because of our busy schedules, there are times we forget to pray it, or fall asleep midway thru the litany after a tiring day.  

So you can imagine our surprise when my hubby's grandfather, an eminent doctor and devout Catholic, gave us his worn Divine Mercy booklet on Good Friday in 1999. 

The Divine Mercy booklet given by my husband's grandfather

While touched that he chose us to continue and propagate this devotion, we were both secretly worried that it would end up being another unfinished novena. As if reading our minds, he said it was easy to pray and although we'd be using the rosary beads as guide, it took less time than the actual rosary. 

He gave us a background of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which he said was very powerful because it centered on Jesus.  From his own experience, any special intention or request he asked thru this novena was answered.

Prior to this, we had problems getting pregnant due to my pre-existing medical condition. I already had two unsuccessful fertility treatments and my OB warned that I only had one attempt left. If it was still fruitless, we had to wait a year before resuming, a risky option because my medical condition might be worse by then. 

The booklet could not have come at a better time because we were scheduled to have our last treatment. After praying the Divine Mercy, lo and behold, I was pregnant with my son a month later!

But it was a very precarious first trimester because as it was about to end, I had profuse bleeding and a threatened abortion. They also discovered a cyst that was growing near one of my ovaries, which my OB warned had to be removed if it developed further. As a result, I had to be on bed rest for three months. Thru my devotion to the Divine Mercy, I was able to weather these challenges and have a seemingly uneventful second and third trimester.

Little did I know that these were just the minor tests. The greatest test of our faith was yet to come.

At around 4:00AM on December 31, 2000, I started bleeding, although I wasn't in any pain. My doctor suspected I was in labor, so off we went to the hospital, a bit nervous but very excited to welcome the newest member of our family.

My labor was progressing smoothly. By lunchtime, I was wheeled into the delivery room for what was supposed to be a normal delivery. But the pediatrician became worried because my son's heartbeat was slowing, a sign of fetal distress. To prevent further harm to our baby, it was decided that I would have to undergo a caesarian section.

As I was being prepped in the operating room (OR), my husband started praying the Divine Mercy. He was born shortly before 3:00PM, which was coincidentally Divine Mercy Hour.

They were expecting that I would be out of the OR within an hour so but they could not close me up because I was continuously bleeding. A surgeon was called to assess what was happening to me, and he recommended I have a subtotal hysterectomy due to uterine atony, which was rare for a first time pregnancy.

Inspite the hysterectomy, my bleeding still continued and my BP continued dropping. My family was informed that I needed to have a major blood transfusion. Since it was New Year's Eve, most hospitals would usually not be willing to give out blood in anticipation of the evening's festivities. But for some reason, the first hospital my relatives approached had the blood type I needed. At the same time, my brother-in-law, a councilor, was also the head of his LGU's Red Cross chapter so he was able to request additional bags from their blood bank. All in all, they transfused 8 bags of blood in me.

My bleeding still continued, which was already flowing like water. I went into cardiac arrest and they had to revive me several times. Only a miracle could save me at this point because even if I lived, I was so oxygen-deprived that they were expecting I would sustain some brain damage.

By God's loving grace, the bleeding stopped several hours after. I woke up just before midnight in the OR, wondering why there were so many people staring down at me. (Since the whole procedure took so long, they had to bring in other doctors so the first batch could rest. There were a total of 11 doctors who handled my surgery.) I saw tears in their eyes because they were not expecting me to wake up at all. It was a hopeful start for a new year for my family and for all the doctors and staff who were there to witness everything.

My recovery was painful but thankfully, I did not sustain any long-term neurological problems. After one year, I was back to my normal routines, except that my memory isn't as sharp anymore. (Before I gave birth, my memory was photographic. I could recite phone numbers from memory, etc.) I also sustained chronic muscle and joint pain, which can be a hassle at times but manageable. My immune system has become weaker but I am just careful with what I eat and drink and load up on vitamin supplements.

I am alive and I don't take anything for granted.

I owe my life (literally and figuratively) to the Lord's Divine Mercy.