It's not that I don't remember what transpired, in fact, not a day passes by when I don't remember it. But more than the surgery, what I always recall, and what I find to be most crucial and most significant...is that on Good Friday, 2008....my wife, for the first time, knelt down with tears in her eyes and kissed the image of The Crucified Christ. I was behind her and I was in tears as well....it was on the Wednesday after Holy Week that she underwent surgery.
I admit to still feeling some fear, some apprehension and some pain and heartache whenever I would hear about someone stricken with cancer.
When we first heard of the doctor's diagnosis, upon seeing the MRI results of her bone mass, of the possibility of cancer, we both felt like the sky was falling on us. I hugged my wife and told her we'd seek a second opinion. Even if I am a physician, I was then on denial....my greatest love with cancer, no way....but we cried, we cried and we cried.
If hearts could literally be broken, my heart would've been shattered beyond repair.....The only thing that kept me from totally breaking down...was that I knew, that I had to be strong for my wife, and most esp. for our children.....Oh I broke down a couple of times, inside our bathroom, while taking a bath, and outside the operating room when informed that the mass was indeed cancerous.
But more than the fear, more than the heartbreak, more than the tears...what was most significant ....was the story of how we got through our greatest ordeal as a family....we tackled it head on, as a family.....We prayed together, we visited several churches, we hugged each other a lot....we asked friends and relatives for prayers...then one day, my oldest daughter, just 11 years old then, told us..."Stop crying, don't worry...the Lord will heal you, mom, I have prayed to Him and "malakas ako sa Kanya", so He will listen!"....I think it was upon hearing those words that our faith doubled.
Before going under anesthesia for the operation...my wife spoke to me lovingly, she said...."I don't want to leave you and the kids....and please don't let them cut my thighs, because i don't want to be a burden to you."....then I stayed with her throughout the whole surgery, whispering to her, even when she was under anesthesia, and reminding her of how we met, how we loved and how we will continue to love each other.... I don't recall how many times I prayed the Holy Rosary, but it was the only thing I could do to keep me sane and brave.
As most of you know by now, my wife was healed completely, cancer-free. She now sings for the church choir as their soprano. She prays the Holy Rosary each day. She has done several commercials. She continues to be the most supportive wife and most dedicated and loving mother.
Whenever I would be so stressed and besieged by so many problems that I would start to fear, I only have to remind myself of how God healed my wife and my family and of how He had reminded me that He was just a prayer away!
That was my family's greatest ordeal and most terrifying challenge....and we faced it head-on with the only weapons we had....we asked prayers from relatives and friends...we supported each other and became stronger as a family as we prayed together and constantly reminded each other of our love....and we just believed....we believed in a MASTER that is so powerful....we believed in a LORD that is so benevolent.....we believed in a SAVIOR that is so merciful....and we believed in a FATHER that is so loving.
Our greatest ordeal...had become the greatest story of our lives...and our greatest triumph!
Have a blessed Holy Week! Remember that He sacrificed everything for us....to remind us that He loved us and will always love us, no matter what we've done, and no matter who we are....He is just a prayer away...and you JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE!
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