Roli Sabado

It happened last November 17, 2009 in what was supposed to be a special Tuesday night with my D group. After a short devotion we decided to watch the apocalyptic film “2012.” Little did we know of what was about to take place late that night.

Peculiar things happened. Before proceeding to the movie house I took Tylenol twice to ease my migraine. Then sometime in the middle of the movie I got an overseas call from my mom and right after, I immediately excused myself and said goodbye due to extreme headache. And that would have been my last goodbye.

I didn’t realize that I was already experiencing a stroke and I seem to have “sleepwalked” from Megamall to Camp Crame. At around 2 O’clock in the morning of November 18, I was found by a mobile patrol slumped and slightly unconscious lying on the side walk in front of Camp Crame. The police said that half of my body was on the highway expose dangerously to any wayward vehicle that might run me over. If God had not protected me, that would have been my last.

The police brought me my apartment unit to the surprise of the building security. Knowing that I live alone and all my family resides in Toronto, Canada; they started calling people in the address list of my cell phone. A brother-in-Christ who is my officemate responded immediately and brought me to Medical City.

Roli Sabado at the Hospital

The hospital personnel quickly ran several tests. My CT Scan images revealed that I had a heavy collection of blood at the right side of my brain. I was experiencing internal bleeding with hydrocephalus or so much water which increased the pressure around my brain. If my diagnosis had not improved I would have needed to immediately undergo an open brain surgery.

Just like what is written in James 5 :14 -15 “ Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. “

The Lord directed my CCF family to take care of me in the hospital while my mother and sister were still on their way back from Toronto, Canada. Pastors and friends from CCF came to visit me in the hospital and they blessed me with their heartfelt prayers.

Pastor Ito de Jesus made sure that I get the best medical attention and care possible. He requested for his personal neurologist and brain specialist to oversee my condition. Pastor Jess Lantin was so fatherly looking at my tests and talking to my attending physicians. Pastor JP Masakayan started raising funds to pay my hospital bills. My friends described every visit was like having a prayer vigil in the hospital.

Text messages circulated among my brethren in CCF updating about my condition and calling for everyone to pray for my healing. Matthew 18 : 20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” God was indeed present at that most critical time and he answered your prayers.

On November 19 an MRI was conducted to scan my head and the examination results showed that “the previously seen blood in the previous CT study is no longer seen.”

My MRI showed that my stroke was due to a ruptured arterio-venous malformation or AVM. It was a congenital condition near my brain in which several veins intertwined with each other or “nagkabuhol-buhol na mga ugat” as my brain specialist described it.

But God made it so that a wall of water (the hydrocephalus) protected my brain and in the process washed away the blood coming from the ruptured vein. For this reason I was spared from any permanent damage or any fatal consequence. I was spared from a high-risk operation and was eventually released from the hospital the next Monday.

God is good!

In our visit to my brain specialist, he recommended me to undergo angiogram with embolization to disable the risk of my AVM (arterio-venous malformation). Last December 15, 2009 I underwent the necessary angiogram-embolization at the Philippine General Hospital. Surprisingly the procedure took less than an hour. Right after my brain surgeon met up with us seemingly baffled and all he can say about the procedure was, “It’s a mystery.”
To me it was a miracle.

My angiogram showed that I was negative of AVM or even aneurism. My neurologist was so happy about the result and said , ”Nakuha sa dasal !” I will be scheduled for an MRA this January to doubly make sure that the risk is no longer present and find out more what really happened last November 17, 2009.
God did not only manifest His presence by being my “Jehovah Rapha” or My Healer but also as my “Jehovah Jireh” in providing for my financial needs by using friends and other brethren from CCF who in the generosity of their hearts donated money. My mother was deeply moved by this show of love from CCF and is now encouraged to attend worship with me every Sunday.

Please join me again in praying that my MRA will bring good results. I pray that the remaining days of my life will be worthy of this miracle God made me go through. My desire is to live in the pleasure of our Almighty Father.

Just as it is written in 1 John 4 : 12”…if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” This scripture was made so real through your prayers, time and other acts of love shown to me and my family. The love of God is indeed being perfected in and through CCF. I praise God for you.

This miracle is not about me. It is about the Almighty, the one true Miracle Worker. I am Roli Sabado, a servant of the Backstreet Kids Ministry, testifying that miracles still do happen today when people pray in the name of Jesus.