Isabel: Turning Tragedy Into Blessing

Psalm 50:15, “Trust Me in your times of trouble and I will rescue you, and you will give Me glory.”

Good morning, I am Maria Isabel Trinidad, known to most of you as Ysa. I have been a Christian for almost five years and just recently I went through a major test of faith. I got into a terrible car accident that changed my life radically. We were on our way back from a company team building, when our van was hit by a car on its way to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

After the crash, all I remembered was staring at the blood flowing from my body then everything went black. When I woke up, I was at the Asian Hospital already and I had no idea how badly I was injured. I was eventually able to grab my phone and call my family. When my family came, they started to cry silently beside me.

I then heard the doctors telling my family that I needed to be operated on as soon as possible since the left part of my face and my right leg are not in good condition. Afterwards in the recovery room despite feeling groggy, I asked my doctor if my leg will be amputated since it was in bad shape. The doctor didn’t give a concrete reply but he said that the possibility of that happening was not far off.

After 3 days and 2 nights in the Asian Hospital, my family decided to transfer me to the Perpetual Help Hospital since my bills already reached more than P300,000 and my insurance could only cover up to P400,000. We were also unsure if the insurance would cover the doctors’ fees.

At that time, the company I worked for had not given us any assurance if they will be paying for my hospital bills. But much to our surprise, after all the computation was done for my final bill, my Phil Health and insurance covered everything even the doctors’ fees! God took care of everything we needed. I was discharged from the Asian Hospital without owing them anything.

The transfer of hospital was also a blessing since it was the nearest hospital to our house and one of the members of our D-group had a brother working there. As soon as I got to the Perpetual Help Hospital my leg operation was scheduled immediately. I thought that since my face operation was successful, everything would also go well.

However, my orthopaedic doctor discovered that there were shattered bones and bacterial contamination already on my leg. At first, they thought that the bone only needed support for it to be straightened; so they decided to place a metal support inside my leg.

I was in so much pain afterwards and in addition my leg was attached to a 15-kilo sand bag which made the pain even worse.
I was then scheduled to be operated on again but this time the doctor decided that my leg had to be amputated already since infection had set in and my nerves and muscles were no longer responding because there was no more blood flowing through them.

The decision was urgent because further delay could either cost me my life or make the amputation extend higher that might leave us with a smaller area for my prosthetic leg to hold on to. As I was hearing this, I was desperately crying, hoping for a miracle to happen, knowing that God can do anything. But sometimes God’s answer is not the one we’re praying for.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, for My ways are not your ways”. I even asked God, “Lord, of all the people, why me?” But I heard Him answer in my heart, “Ysa, I love you enough to die for you at the cross, then can you trust me with the answer?”

At that point, I trusted God and acknowledged that He was in control of everything. Last June 24, under the sovereign hands of God, my leg was amputated. When I woke up at the recovery room and touched my leg, I cried. But I was at peace knowing that this was the will of God.

During my stay in the hospital, I was overwhelmed with the number of visitors who dropped by and encouraged me. Weeks after, I was discharged from the hospital without owing anything since my company paid for my hospital and doctors’ bills even if I wasn’t a regular employee yet. I was also assured that I can come back to work as soon as I’m ready. God was truly holding me by the hand every step of the way.

Just when I thought that the battle was over, the reality of having one leg made me realize that it wasn’t. When I went home I had to face the difficult reality that I can no longer do things on my own. Although I know this is only temporary. It was one of the biggest adjustments that I had to face in my entire life.

The physical suffering didn’t end as well. As I suffer as well from Phantom limb which is normal for all amputees. I found myself crying even more, hoping that my suffering will end.

By God’s grace, I’ve learned to slowly sit down, stand, move, and balance my body. I have been undergoing rehab therapy thrice a week so that my other leg and my upper arms will be strong enough to support my weight while using crutches. Still, I wait and trust God for his provision so I can have my Prosthesis. There are still times when I do get discouraged and even frustrated but I am thankful that I can hold on to God’s promises. As I continue to read the Bible, I discovered the richness and goodness of God.

I knew that in my wheelchair God owed me no explanation, He did enough explaining at the cross. He didn’t provide me with the words I was looking for instead He is the Word, the Word that was made flesh, whose hands were nearly ripped off, nailed to the cross, endured scorn, and was completely forsaken.

Until now, we have not found the person who is liable for my accident, but I know in my heart that I have already forgiven the person. Through this accident, I experienced the overflowing love of my family and the people who prayed for me. I am grateful for the second life that God has given me and I am looking forward to what He will continue to do in my life.

But more importantly, I will be forever grateful to God in giving me this opportunity to see my family worship and sing praises to Him. Truly, He has not withheld anything good from me, most of all the salvation of my family. My parents stand witness to the overwhelming love God has poured on our family and they too, received by faith, Jesus as their Lord and Savior. What I once conceived was a heart-breaking tragedy, I now can say with overwhelming gratitude, became the door for my family’s salvation. Nothing can compare with this priceless gift!

As I stand before you, by God’s grace, I seek your prayers so that I can continue to fight the good fight, finish this race, and keep the faith. In behalf of my family, I would like to thank God and all of you for the love and kindness given to us and for this I can only declare; To God be the Glory!!!