Nothing Less Than A Miracle
Eng Teck & Brenda
April 2006

On 3 Feb 2006, our 13 month old son, a review done on an X-ray taken in November 2005 confirmed that Titus was diagnosed with an ectopic (abnormal) insertion of the ureter. The Senior Consultant surgeon at KKH had advised that surgical correction was necessary. We were also told the operation was going to be a major one and general anesthesia will be applied during the 4 hour-long surgery. The surgery would involve making a hole in the bladder to re-engraft this ureter tube that was wrongly inserted to the bladder. The surgeon also informed us that this re-engrafted ureter must not be too taut or too loose to prevent complications. Titus will be warded for 5 days or more and urine from the kidney will need to be artificially removed via a temporary external tube and external urine bag for 2 weeks, while the ureter tube heals for a month or more. We were told the situation will not improve without surgery as leaving it in the existing state will harm his testes and his kidney in the future. Worse, the tube may burst. Thereafter, there would also need to be repeated visits to the hospital to follow up on the healing process. 

Our hearts sank as we listened to all that medical jargon. As the surgeon spoke, our eyes could not help but look at Titus who was smiling and playing, so oblivious of his soon-to-come suffering. It was a difficult decision to be made but we had to do it. The surgery was to be fixed on 15 March 06. I cried. 

The 1 month long wait for the operation was a difficult one and while we knew God could heal if He desired, there were no signs as yet. 15 March 06 came and went as Titus had flu and we had to postpone the operation for 2 weeks.

29 March 06 came and Titus was well and were comforted by God's words in Psalm 121, ready for him to be operated on.  As parents, our hearts ached very much.  It was a difficult day.  Titus was not allowed to drink milk after 6am. We thank God for my parents and parents in-law who came along and helped and the visits by Pastor Charles Seet, Pastor Colin Wong, Preacher Kheng Kwang, Elder Sherman Ong and Elder Khoo, and June Lim.    

By 2.30pm we received instruction to bring Titus into the operating theatre (OT). Our hearts grew heavier. It was time for little Titus to go in. Inside the OT, I held down Titus as the anesthetist administered the general anesthesia (GA). Titus struggled and cried but soon the arms and legs went limp as I went out of the OT, I broke down and cried. I felt that I was lying to Titus that all was well and knocked out my own son. At this point, the Lord sent a familiar face in Elder Beng Keong who came by just as I had sent my son in and he sat with us quietly before praying with us.

Brenda and I waited at the Kopitiam outlet and it was just ½ hour into the operation when I received a call from the OT. My first thought was that something bad must have happened during the operation. It was like eternity as the surgeon explained that a detailed cystoscopy taken during the operation showed to the surgeon’s astonishment that the ureter was normal and the surgery was to be aborted. What happened?  Whatever it is, we were very joyful!  Titus was almost operated on! He was already on the operating table under GA and epidural. As I entered to OT to pick up my crying son, I was congratulated by a group of surgeons who said to me, “You are a very lucky man. I mean, we are all very surprised by this. This has never happened before that we did the scope only to find him normal. Give Titus some milk as he must be quite upset now.” 

Subsequently, the surgeon told us that the decision to operate was based on that X-ray that was taken in Nov 2005.  The X-ray clearly showed that there was an ectopic insertion of the left ureter.  Although the chief surgeon later concluded that the X-ray could be misleading, when asked if there were previous cases, I was told that all children go through the similar X-rays and they have not seen something like this before. Well-meaning non-Christian friends have advised that we should lodge a complaint against the hospital, claim for damages and for the stress suffered. To me, this was not the surgeons’ mistake, nor the hospital’s. It was not a mistake, but it was the hand of the Almighty God who decided that this was what we could bear and provided a way of escape, and He healed my son in this most wonderful way. To us, this is nothing less than a miracle! Looking back, I was encouraged by God’s word that “All things work together for good to them that love God and who are the called according to his promise.” Romans 8:28. Although trials come as a means of increasing our faith, our less-than-steadfast belief is sometimes shaken when events become uncertain and we begin to ask questions. Through this experience of God’s encouragement through His Word, the encouragement and prayers of brethren in church, our faith is strengthened and we have learned to know this Living and true God more, who is present in the church and manifests His grace through the love of our brethren toward us. Everything is indeed within God's Hands and we give praise and glory to Him! Amen!