“Amazing Grace” Series: Rejoicing in our Blessings

Today marks one of the happiest and most glorious feasts in the Christian world - Jesus is risen, Alleluia! As we celebrate and look forward to the next 49 days of Easter (yes, the Easter season is 50 days long) let’s choose to  have a deeper relationship with God, by being more prayerful and counting our blessings daily.

I came to know 40 year-old Abby Sasscer, devoted wife to Larry and homeschooling motherto Mia, 11, Ian, 7,  and Elisa, 5, because we also homeschool. I was surprised to discover that she is also the author of the e-book Simplifying Your Domestic Church.

Mommy Abby shares her  near-death experience with us in the hope that others may be blessed by her story, and come to know that death is not something to be feared — because there really is a life after it — the best, most beautiful life of all!

During my pregnancy with my third child, I knew something didn't feel right. I was sicker than usual, gained a lot of weight and was showing unusual symptoms, compared to my previous pregnancies. Thankfully though, when it came time for me to give birth, there were no complications. However, when my baby turned six months old, I was still having some of the symptoms I had when I was pregnant (fatigue and hives). Doctors said that it was probably due to extreme hormonal changes after pregnancy.

On the first week of November 2007, I started complaining of pain on my side and difficulty breathing. I wanted to make sure that everything was okay so I went to the hospital. After several tests, I was discharged. 

 

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The next night, I felt lightheaded, dizzy and had the most difficult time breathing, especially when lying down. I felt very faint and when rushed to the hospital, I had a blood pressure reading of 45/80. The hospital staff took care of me right away and the diagnosis was congestive heart failure due to pregnancy. 

While my first instinct was to call my husband, I instead called my spiritual director and confessor of 25 years. It was 4 a.m. so he knew that my reason for calling was serious. He said he would come to the hospital right away. I then called my husband and both of them arrived at the same time. 

My husband held my right hand while my spiritual director held my left hand. I asked if he would give me the privilege of an Apostolic Pardon (a special pardon given to a dying person that removes all purgatory time). With tears in his eyes, he said yes. 

My heart failed again and I was then rushed to another hospital facility with a more extensive cardiology department. I was in critical condition in the ICU for several days. During that time, my heart failed once again. 

At the time, I was totally surrendered to go into the arms of my Divine Savior but felt heartache for my young children. My prayer to Jesus was to please, please, make my heart whole again and, if that's not possible, to make sure to find a healthy, holy mother who will love my children as her own. My heart was torn. I wanted to see my Savior face to face but I could not bear to leave my young family.

When my heart failed once again, I felt like I was drowning within. Thst’s when I realized that I own nothing in this world, not even my own breath. With that realization came the spirit of surrender, and with that surrender, an intense sense of peace and joy. After the staff was able to stabilize my heart again, I held on to that peace and knew everything was going to be all right. 

My cardiology team came and said that my ejection fraction (which measures the pumping action of the heart) was too low (25% — the normal amount is 65%). I was also told that I may need to go into surgery and, afterwards, still wear a difribrillator vest, just in case my heart fails again. They said that if I didn’t respond to medication over the weekend and if my heart fails once again, then the next step would be surgery. Once again, I surrendered everything to our Lord's will.

 

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On Saturday night, I had a most wonderful dream. I dreamt that I was approaching the throne of Jesus. I could see His Sacred Heart beating but I couldn't see His face clearly. I proceeded to offer Him my poor, weak heart (which looked similar to a flat tire) and raised it next to His Sacred Heart. He then blew the Sacred Flame from His heart and the flame made my heart whole again! I woke up and thanked Him profusely for what He had done.

Monday morning rolled around, and the hospital staff were prepping me for another echocardiogram before the surgery. My cardiologist rushed into my room (with his Operating Room clothes on) and said that my ejection fraction was NORMAL! He said there was no need to go to surgery and that a difribrillator vest would be medically unnecessary.

After ten days in the hospital, I was able to go home and see my beautiful family once again. Praise the Lord!

However, my condition definitely took its toll on me. Physically, I was exhausted. Emotionally, I was up and down (it's hard to take care of and homeschool three small children while taking 10 different heart medications). But spiritually, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward my Savior — He truly is my SAVIOR in the literal sense of the word, and I thanked Him for being with me through this ordeal.

As a Roman Catholic, I can say that having a deep, personal and intimate relationship with Jesus is what helped me not to fall into despair. Also, our Lord sent me all the right people at the right time: my spiritual director, who was with me and gave me an apostolic pardon; my family and relatives who came and helped take care of my children (my Kuya even flew in from Australia to help out); our neighbors who helped watch my children, make dinners and prayed for us; and of course, my husband and my children, who were so understanding while I recovered for the next year and a half.

Through my experience, I learned that everything in our lives is a pure gift from God —everything from our heartbeat to our breath. 

Don’t get me wrong, though. I did have my “down” days, too. When one experiences such trials, how does one not fall into despair? However, while laying in the ICU, when I was tempted to ask God, “Why me?” , I instead asked, "Why not me?" 

 

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I recalled then that Jesus suffered a most horrible death even if He had done nothing wrong. He was innocent, and yet He suffered. I am a sinner, why shouldn't I suffer? Realizing this, I felt privileged to suffer for my Savior who suffered so much for love of me.

Inspired by the Holy Family and the virtues they exemplified in their home in Nazareth, Abby started

Project Nazareth to help families de-clutter and simplify their lives. It is one of the ways she has chosen to use the new lease on life God has given her.

Our next mom, Teresa Gumap-as Dumadag, 37, is an author, too, like Abby. Her book, “When My Bridegroom Comes,” is a good read for single women. On the side, Teresa is also a freelance writer and HR consultant. She is also a homeschool mom to Gian Timothy, 3, and Hector Mateo, 4 months. 

Here, Mommy Teresa shares some of greatest blessings in life, so that others may marvel at God’s glorious goodness: 

One of the greatest blessings/miracles in my life is having two children because I was diagnosed to have polycystic ovaries when I was still single. My ob-gyne then told me that I would have a hard time conceiving a child and that I would need to undergo medical work-ups to get pregnant. 

But God gave me two miracles — I got pregnant with my eldest son two months after getting married without going through any medical work-ups. Then, after breastfeeding my eldest for a two years, I got pregnant again with my second child. Again, without any medical work-ups. 

The other big blessing and miracle I have is that my father, who is turning 66 and who has survived five strokes over the past 10 years, is still alive to see my sons. Each time he had a stroke, I prayed for the miracles of healing and provision. God answered my prayer each time. 

This was true again with my dad’s most recent stroke. Last weekend, when he was discharged from the hospital, we only had to pay 6% of his total hospital bills, due to huge discounts from Philhealth and from his attending physician.

I truly believe now that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1: 37). He makes miracles happen every day, and all you and I need to do is claim His blessings and miracles!

This Easter and beyond, let’s be grateful for the blessings — big and small — that God sends our way. Like Abby and Teresa,  and the other moms featured in this Holy Week series, let’s also be thankful for the trials that come our way — because through these, we are refined, strengthened and blessed as well.  Have a joyful Easter, dear SP readers!

 

Photo by Guppydas via flickr creative commons