Interview with a happy mother

Q: How did your son end up in hospital?


A: He just began to have breathing difficulties, so we took him to the hospital and were then advised to take him to Great Ormond Street hospital instead, as they had the facilities needed there. But in the meantime, his breathing was getting worse and worse and he was put in intensive care on a life support machine.

Q: So one day he was fine and the next, he was in ICU? A:Yes, it was terrible. He was also put on a kidney machine due to his kidneys being bruised because of the breathing difficulties he was facing. 


Q: So what did the doctors say the problem was? 
A:They did so many tests but just couldn't find what the problem was. At one point, he even began bleeding through his nose and mouth. Q: That must have been awful to witness. A:Yes, I was crying and beside myself with worry. (Her expression changes as she recounts her ordeal.) I would never wish that pain and worry on anyone. They tested him for tuberculosis but the test came out negative. Doctors were doing everything they possibly could, including blood transfusions, but he was getting worse and his lungs had collapsed. Someone from the medical team would drain the blood from my son just so that he could breathe. 

Q: What happened then? 
A: My husband and I were called into a side room and were told that there was nothing more that could be done for him. We were offered a room to stay the night so that we could be close by and were left alone. It was obvious that they were implying that we needed to be close by when he would get worse. My son was dying but I couldn't accept that.

Q: What do you mean you couldn't accept it? Do you mean that you couldn't come to terms with it and didn't know how to cope with that news? 


A: No, there was a belief deep down inside of me that something could still be done for him. How could I lose my son at such young age? I remembered something that I had read in the Bible where it says that if anyone is sick, to call the elders of the church to anoint the person and the prayer of faith would make the sick well. (She refers to a passage in the Bible, James 5:14.) This verse gave me and my husband spiritual strength to believe that something amazing could happen. This was my faith! 



Q: You really believed that something could happen through your prayer? 
A:Yes, I was sure of it. (She begins to laugh and starts speaking faster as she remembers what happened.) The next morning, the night nurse had a surprised look on her face and said that she didn't know what had happened but our son appeared to be breathing by himself! Doctors and nurses couldn't believe what had happened and, when he was examined, they found no more blood and his lungs had expanded. We were overjoyed! 



Q: Don't you think that that could just have been coincidence? 
 A: Coincidence? I believe God brought my son back from death. In my opinion, it was a miracle. God is alive! (Her voice gets louder) He is ALIVE! 



I was told that, because he had been in a coma for a few days, he would need some time to recover things such as normal speech, but he had no problems when he woke up. It was like he'd just woken up from a deep sleep! I truly believe that it was my faith that helped my son recover. 



Onawelo family