An Amazing Recovery

SUPPOSE your employer came to you, advising that your nineteen-year-old son had been involved in a traffic accident. What thoughts would flash through your mind? This was my experience here in Belgium.

On arriving at the hospital, my wife and I learned how critical the situation was. The surgeon told us: “Your son not only has a skull fracture, with serious brain concussion, but also has broken ribs that have penetrated the lungs, resulting in profuse bleeding. His blood already looks like colored water. Without blood, he has only a few hours to live.”

Till then the doctors had abstained from administering blood. Why? Because they had respected the two written statements found among our son’s identification papers, asking that no blood be given under any circumstances. They had waited until our arrival to get permission to administer it, as everything was ready to do so.

It was an extremely tense moment for both of us. We went to Jehovah in prayer and experienced how he is a God ‘that is a help readily to be found during distress.’​—Ps. 46:1.

Deep in our hearts we were grateful that the doctors had shown respect for our stand on the sanctity of blood. We thanked them for this and for the good treatment that they had so far given to our son. We asked them to continue doing everything within their power to respect our son’s wishes to abstain from blood. Convinced that the high principles of the Bible about the sanctity of blood had been given by our loving Maker, the Creator, Jehovah God, we explained to the doctors how the three of us were concerned about having divine approval and that we wanted to obey his laws. We knew that we would never regret having taken a faithful stand for Jehovah.​—Acts 15:28, 29; 21:25.

Arriving in the postoperative unit, we immediately noticed how well our son was being cared for. But he was still unconscious. Since the surgeon had told us that he might possibly hear something now and then, I approached him and managed to say: “Freddy, you just keep sleeping and don’t worry. Everything will be all right.”

The following day, at six o’clock in the evening, there was a tremendous drop in Freddy’s pulse rate. This was a sign of decline in his vital energy. A nurse was continuously at his side, attending him and watching every little sign that could give us hope. At eight o’clock in the evening the nurse opened the door of his room and told us that the blood loss had remained stable for a while. This gave us renewed hope for his survival.

Imagine our happiness, when on the afternoon of the third day after his accident, our son was able to say a few words. He felt as though he were awakening from a dream. He had not been conscious of anything during the whole incident and never felt any pain. From then on improvement was rapid.

Twenty-eight days after the accident Freddy was allowed to leave the hospital, to the amazement of many. One doctor said, “How nice it is to see a dead person come back to life.” Another commented, “My hat’s off to their stand.”

Now, with Freddy along, we descended the same steps that we had climbed the morning of the accident. We were more than ever aware of the wide gap existing between life and death, between fear and joy, between anguish and peace. Because of our determination to continue obeying God’s law, we went down the steps as conquerors.

During this difficult time we were moved by the deep concern of our brothers and sisters in the faith. They truly knew how to comfort us. Even persons that we never saw on other occasions came to ask how our son was. The doctors also were a great source of encouragement, especially because they respected our Christian conscience.

Particularly did thanks go to Jehovah, who had sustained us so strongly with his spirit in answer to our prayers. Never did he forsake us in those difficult hours. Even more than before, the three of us are happy to visit our fellowmen, showing them that Jehovah soon will bring an end to all sadness, for “he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.” (Rev. 21:4)​—Contributed.