After the Eucharistic Adoration, these words were said: "Jesus wants to heal a man with dark brown hair who has a brain tumor" - I froze when I heard this. The person who said those words was wondering if anyone knew him personally. When no one came forward, I timidly raised my hand.
Carl:
We visited in 2010, Monika and I were engaged. He was concentrating on finishing his studies, I started writing my doctoral dissertation. I was already struggling with health problems during my university studies. I had undergone a sinus surgery before, I had sinusitis for a long time - after that a series of surgeries followed, severe headaches characterized my everyday life, I was forced to take painkillers, which stopped working after a while, and also caused intestinal problems.
I took these symptoms lightly, but my fiancé was very concerned about my health, especially my headaches. We ended up going to a neurosurgeon. After performing a routine examination, the doctor believed that no further diagnosis was necessary, but Monika was adamant and insisted that I be referred for at least one MRI scan. This is how the test was done. At the next consultation, I showed the doctor the results of the examination. The doctor looked at the images of the MR examination for a long time and did not say a word. He then said that the results were very worrying and referred him to the hospital as an acute case.
The neurological diagnosis did not provide clear results, only a 2.7 cm x 3.5 cm lesion was detected in the right frontal lobe.
That's how I ended up in the neurosurgery department. A biopsy was performed at the site of the brain lesion. When the doctor released me from the hospital, he drew my attention to the fact that this change should be monitored in the future. He also emphasized that I should contact another hospital with the test results to get a second opinion.
However, he did not mention that I have a glioblastoma, which is a malignant brain tumor...
I returned home in a bad physical and mental state. So far, apart from severe headaches, I have had no neurological problems. After a brief rebellion - why me? - peace came to my heart, I thought it should be like this. Monika was my only but huge support. I asked various specialists for help. Opinions are divided. Some believed that the tumor should be observed, others suggested that it should be removed.
My doctoral dissertation was pending, but as far as our life plans were concerned, we had no doubts. We were absolutely sure of the marriage, despite the illness and uncertain circumstances. On April 30, 2011, we got married in a church and moved to the countryside with my parents.
Finally, I had the opportunity to consult with a professor who gave me the impression that what he was suggesting was correct. We set a date for the surgery. In 2012, the time came for me to enter the hospital, this period marked the beginning of intense prayer for my relatives, especially my father-in-law. Monika's father had already entrusted the outcome of my operation to the Virgin Mary in the prayer part of the Pompeian ninth and told us: "I discussed with the Virgin that if the operation is successful, then you (meaning me and my wife) will pray the thanksgiving part of the Pompeian ninth .”
Despite the fact that such operations are always life-threatening, my operation went very well and on the second day I was able to stand on my own two feet. The glioblastoma - which was stage two - was successfully removed and I have not experienced any neurological problems. When I returned home, I found out from my wife that my father-in-law had made an agreement with the Virgin, despite this, I found it very difficult to pray. I enthusiastically got back into preparing my doctoral dissertation and was also able to do agricultural work. In the same year, God gave us a wonderful son - Julian.
Monica:
The birth of Julian was not exactly an easy thing, after he was born the whole hospital department worked hard to save my life, as I lost a lot of blood. Everything was causing me pain, I was getting anesthetic every few minutes. After a few hours, the situation was resolved and I was transferred to the intensive care unit. However, I was still struggling to breathe and couldn't move. Suddenly, I felt more and more pain all over my body, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. I thought my time on earth was about to end. I told God in my mind that when my time came, I would agree to take me out of this world. I was calm and agreed to everything. Then my physical condition started to improve, I was breathing normally again and I no longer needed oxygen. Then followed a blood and plasma transfusion lasting several hours.
It is no coincidence that all this happened on this very day. It was September 8, the birthday of the Virgin Mary.
This day was the day of my rebirth, i.e. the day of my deep conversion. I prayed alone the thanksgiving part of the Pompeian rosary that we promised earlier. Karl started too, but soon gave up. Sometime later, one evening, words came to my heart that encouraged me to offer myself completely to Mary. In the following months, I studied the meditation of Saint Louis Grignion of Montforti on the veneration of the Virgin Mary. In May, I began the exercises that must be done before the offering, after which I offered myself to Jesus through the intercession of Mary.
Carl:
Not quite two years after Julian's birth, our daughter Viktoria was born. In December 2015, I finished my doctoral dissertation with excellent results. After that, I had severe migraine attacks, I was vomiting, and I felt bad both mentally and physically. At first, we thought that this was how my body was reacting to the particularly high stress that I had already left behind. However, the idea arose to have myself examined. It has been four years since the tumor was removed.
Our fears were confirmed - the test results showed that the glioblastoma had recurred.
The renowned professor ordered immediate surgery. In June 2016, I returned to the same neurosurgery department where I had been before, where they performed a craniotomy and removed an even larger area of the brain affected by cancer cells. This operation also went well, and I felt completely normal afterwards. Despite the fact that the tumor was completely removed, the histological examinations led to the conclusion that radiation treatment was necessary.
The type of glioblastoma - this time in stage three - was a final sentence on my whole life, which seemed to be about to be fulfilled...
I started the radiation treatment cycle prescribed for me. I don't remember much from this period, I was constantly exhausted and aggressive, I had an uncontrollable appetite, and I had to deal with new dysfunctions. I couldn't even make a cup of tea, I couldn't express myself intelligibly, I had trouble concentrating, I was confused and felt like I was out of my body, and I was hypersensitive to light, noises and smells. During this time, I became another child in the family, who occupied most of my wife's attention.
After the radiation treatment, a one-year chemotherapy followed. My health was getting worse day by day. We even planned what kind of things my wife should do after my death, since this treatment only postponed the time of my death. We both resigned ourselves to this situation. For the first time, Mónika consciously and completely offered my life to God and trusted that God knows what is best for us. He decided to attend a retreat that was 250 km from our home. From the second meeting, he had the impression that he should pray fervently for my recovery. He made every effort so that we could both participate in the day of the retreat when the healing prayer took place. On this day, I experienced something incredible for the first time:
When the priest blessed me with the Eucharist, Jesus let me feel his physical presence. Through the blessing, a great grace was poured out on me. My whole body was flooded with heat, my heart was pounding like crazy.
After Mass, these words were said: "Jesus wants to heal a man with dark brown hair who has a brain tumor" - I froze when I heard this. The person who said these words inquired if anyone recognized him in these words. When no one came forward, I timidly raised my hand. My wife and I applied these words to our current situation.
Monika
However, after this meeting, my husband's health condition did not improve at all, on the contrary - his illness continued to worsen... I decided to take part in the spiritual exercise one last time. I specifically asked them to pray for my husband. While praying, I felt a slight but noticeable tingling on the right side of my head - in the place where my husband had a brain tumor. Some kind of electricity and tremors went through my whole body. I got my answer: "The crowd walking in front of him and the crowd behind him shouted: Hosanna to the son of Dávid! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Matthew 21:9)
I went home, sat down next to my husband, and was shocked to discover that he looked much better: his condition had visibly improved.
After the retreat, the leader of the community who prayed for me called me and said: "You have carried a lame man in your prayers, so he will be healed." Hearing these words strengthened my faith in his recovery. All my insecurities disappeared, I knew my husband would make a full recovery.
The recovery took a long time. However, with each passing week, Karl's health improved significantly. All neurological disorders gradually disappeared, which were difficult to explain medically. My husband was not in a state to believe in his recovery and to accept it. He attributed the improvement in his medical condition to the success of the medical treatment. However, I was absolutely convinced that a miracle had taken place, which I had witnessed. I knew something had to happen that would make Karl believe.
A few months later, I talked my husband into a retreat. Shortly before the retreat, we both had a strange dream. I dreamed that you scheduled a mass at our parish out of gratitude for my husband's recovery. I woke up and realized that I had not once thanked God for this healing. Karl dreamed again that he met a priest who asked him: "What are you doing here?" (on earth) and added: “I met you in the Kingdom of Heaven. "
When a priest entered the room the next day, during the retreat, my husband froze in shock. This is the priest I saw in my dream yesterday, he said, shaken. During the presentation, Karl received the grace of God, understood and openly confessed that he was truly healed by God.
Intercessory prayer took place at the last meeting of the retreat. Karl was called to the chapel, in front of the image of the Immaculate Virgin, where a priest and two lay people prayed for him. While praying, one person saw a rope full of knots, and the other told Karl that he still had some unsettled affairs. The priest quoted from the Scriptures: "If anyone wants to follow me, but does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters, and even himself, he cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14, 26) and he also said, that Karl should think about his profession. My husband didn't understand what it was about at first, but in the evening it dawned on him what a messy case it was. He did not pray the thanksgiving part of the Pompeian ninth. He thought the knotted rope was the rosary. So we decided to start praying the Pompeian Rosary right away.
Carl:
As my wife has already mentioned, my healing began with an intercessory prayer, in which I myself did not participate at all. Even then, many people were praying for me; now I know the power behind it.
The chemotherapy lasted for about a year, but it was clear at the very beginning that the growth of the glioblastoma had stopped. During further control examinations, the neurosurgeon studied the image of the MR examination for a long time, and then determined that the cancer cells had disappeared. During this period, I began to draw closer to God, attended the sacraments more often, and allowed the Holy Spirit to work in me. We saw and felt God's active presence in our lives. I was able to experience peace and love both physically and mentally. I devoted myself completely to Jesus, including my illness, because I thought that He had a plan for me and He knew what was best for me.
During a prayer of personal repentance for all my sins, I felt someone physically hug me, put his right hand on my shoulder and tell me, "I am with you, I love you."
I felt a great love, a love that cannot be described in words and that cannot be experienced in our relationship with our fellow human beings. I felt like I was filled with great love, and for a while I asked God to take me with him, because I could taste a piece of heaven... But God had other plans for me. Everything suggests that Jesus healed me spiritually through Mary, in order to heal me physically. Saint Louis of Montforti's meditation on the veneration of the Virgin Mary prompted me to offer myself to the Mother of God.
Today, our children also participate in the charismatic meetings of renewal in the Holy Spirit. Together with a friend, we founded a men's rosary group, and Monika was one of the initiators of the community in which mothers pray for the children of the community. We strive to walk the path of life together with Mária and let her work in all areas of our lives.
I thank God every day for giving me such a wonderful wife who has stood by me even in difficult times and blessed me with wonderful children. Above all, I thank God for choosing this path for me, because it was the only way I could be reborn to live in the truth.
Translated by Oberst Olga
Source: Bleibt in Liebe / zarandok.ma
Featured image: Himsan / Pixabay
