Faith, love and miracles

During the sixth Philippine Tatler ball last Sept. 29, publisher Irene Martel Francisco raised funds to build Friends of the Philippine Tatler GK Village. Everybody knows by now that Gawad Kalinga (GK) builds houses for the very poor and the ball raised enough money to build 35 houses. Surprisingly, it did not take too long for Tatler to realize its village. 

Two weeks ago, Irene sent out invitations to the donors to witness the groundbreaking of the Tatler Village and take part in building houses. The site is in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. We all congregated by the side entrance of Shangri-La Makati where a huge bus was waiting to take us to the site. The expedition was headed by Irene and Barrie C. Goodridge, CEO and publisher of Edipresse-Asia, and his wife, Rita.

Shangri-La’s Joy Wassmer thought of everything to make our road trip comfortable and enjoyable. She made sure that we all had a healthy breakfast treat of yogurt, fruit and little croissants, neatly packed in plastic bags. There were also fresh towels for all of us who needed to freshen up before arriving at the site. She also organized our breakfast, lunch and drinks for this excursion.

There is something about fate that puts people together. During the trip to Bagong Silang, I found myself seated next to Helen Ong, Consul of Angola.  I asked her if she has always done philanthropic work and she told me her story. By the time we reached our destination, I already felt a kinship for this kind lady who suffered so much but was made whole through the power of prayer, love and her deep faith in God.  During these troubled times when the world is shaken by wars, natural disasters, pestilence, disease, hatred and heinous crimes, it is so uplifting to hear about miracles in people’s lives.

About 15 years ago, Helen Ong went through a major health crisis, which turned her life around. It all started when she felt that the right side of her body was hardly functioning. She was rushed to the UE Hospital, where she had to stay in the ward until a private room became available late in the evening. 

Helen heard all kinds of stories from the poor people around her. One lady wailed that she had no money to buy her medicines. Helen was barely conscious when she heard this but she remembered giving money to the woman for her medicines. During her short stay in the ward, she realized how abundantly blessed she was. One funny detail that she could not forget was when the nurse told her to hold tight to her Gucci bag so she would not get robbed. She laughed at the recollection of being dizzy and barely conscious but still clinging to her Gucci bag. 

After she went through a series of tests, the doctor’s prognosis was grim. Helen had an aneurysm in her brain and the only solution was surgery. The arterial dilation measured 4x2x6 cm. There was a 50-50 percent chance of survival and even if she did, there was a possibility that she would be wheelchair-bound. 

When she was released from the hospital, she turned to God and joined prayer groups. She attended the faith-healing Masses of Fr. Adorable. Friends and neighbors offered love and prayers. Time was of the essence. They had to decide soon if she would undergo surgery or not. Her husband decided to take her to the USA and consult specialists. The UCLA hospital had a specialist but he was in Germany. In the course of waiting for this specialist, Helen discovered the Church of St. Therese, the Little Flower. She ardently prayed and prayed to the Little Flower and during one of her conversations with St. Therese, Helen said, “I know that the sign you give is always in the form of a flower. But who will send me flowers here? I am just a tourist with no friends.” 

Finally, when the specialist arrived, he looked at Helen’s records and conferred with the doctors in Manila. The two teams of doctors agreed that Helen should be operated on immediately.

The day before her surgery, Helen received a card from her prayer group wishing her well. The cover of the card was a hand with a flower! Upon seeing this, Helen was jubilant and confidently told her husband, “ I received a sign from St. Therese. I am healed!”

On the day of surgery, as she was being wheeled for one last x-ray, which is standard hospital procedure, Helen remembers praying the rosary.  During the last decade of the Glorious mysteries, they finished taking her x-ray. While waiting  for her doctors, she heard a lot of talk and commotion. Finally her surgeon went to her with her x-ray and asked her this question: “If I say you may go home and you can live a normal life from here on, what will you do? “ Helen answered, “I will tell my husband to take me to Lourdes to give thanks! “ The specialist told her, “Well, you’d better start buying your ticket. Your aneurysm miraculously flattened out.” 

I was in tears when Helen finished her story. That chapter in her started her love affair with the poor, the oppressed and the sick.  In thanksgiving for her gift of life, she started to dedicate herself to all kinds of charity work. I should not forget to mention that she also goes on pilgrimages when she has the chance — to the Basilica of St. Therese, the Little Flower, in Lisieux, France.

Her miracle further reinforced my belief in the power of prayer. When I got home, I put a big sign in my study that said: “Faith can move mountains!”