“God’s Baby”

An Account of Julie Detalo’s Health Miracle by Joel Detalo Jr.

Everyone would probably agree with me with my description of my wife: She is a leader with strong principles, socially active and by all accounts healthy—physically and mentally. Short of being a type A personality, she is a take-charge and always on the go kind of gal. In recent months however, particularly in November 2010 I observed that her physical health was obviously not up to par. She started frequenting the toilet and with some remarkable blood spots in her urine, but she simply brushed it off as part of the menopausal process, to which I also accepted, after all, what do I know about these things? She went to the doctor right after New Year2011 and the doctor thought it was just a urinary tract infection and prescribed her with antibiotics. When the problem persisted, we were compelled to go to the hospital on January 12, 2011 for a more thorough check up, and that was when we sort of anticipated a bigger problem, but not as big as what it turned out to be.

She was diagnosed with a 9cm Myoma, a benign tumor in her ovary. Her doctor recommended an immediate surgery and the date was set for January 15. However, her hemoglobin count was only 4.8 when we were admitted, when it should be at the normal level of 10 before doctors can perform the surgery. Even after four bags of 500cc of blood transfusion, the normal level wasn’t reached, so it was rescheduled to January 18.

During the surgery, Dr. Asuncion Tremedal, the lead surgeon, was shocked to discover a malignant tumor which has spread all over and has affected other organs, specifically the bladder. She said that cases like this are so sensitive that very few survive the surgery. She admitted that had they known that it was a malignant tumor, they would not have opened her up; instead, they would have strongly recommended chemo therapy right away. I realized that somehow, someone made an almost fatal mistake on my wife through misdiagnosis, and the doctor agreed that it’s not possible to have two ultrasound readings and not catch signs of malignancy. Dealing with what they were faced with, they realized instantly that they were at a point of no return. As they struggled to stop the massive bleeding, as to be expected of a malignant tumor operation, for some supernatural intervention, Dr. Tremedal noted that they were able to control the bleeding and they completed what they needed to do for a successful surgery. They performed what medical people call TAHBSO or Hysterectomy and the biopsy revealed Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma by F.S. stage 3B with possible bladder invasion.

This was an enormous case, way beyond what we expected and prepared to face. When Dr.Tremedal informed me of the unexpected finding right after the operation, when my wife was still in the recovery room, I went home and cried, almost wailing, because I did not expect and wasn’t prepared for any of this, and most of all, I did not know how to tell my wife about the unexpected diagnosis. When she came out from the recovery room she was in high spirit, thinking that she had already overcome the biggest hurdle of her ordeal. The next day, January 19, Dr.Tremedal visited her and told her the reality of her situation –that the cyst was malignant and already in stage 4. I watched my wife’s demeanor as she received the news and I’d call it a miracle —because the doctor’s revelation did not in any way change her high spirit nor did she waver on her resolve. She reasoned that human power, through medical science can tackle stage 1 or 2 but stage 4 –which in layman’s term means, it’s the end of the game, it’s over, no more hope –is insurmountable by human intervention, therefore an opportunity for God to showcase His power. Watching her undefeated spirit, I was emboldened and I decided to face the battle with courage and win it by allowing God to intervene.

Since we were discharged from the hospital January 24, 2011 we were in high spirits and in full expectation of God’s miraculous intervention. We don’t know how long we will have to be in this fight and for sure we don’t know what the road to recovery looks like, but our Savior does and we vow to fight this battle with Him knowing that we’re assured winners already. We struggle every day, but we know that in the unseen realm God is at work on our behalf.

On February 3 I rushed my wife back to the hospital again, due to shortness of breath and continued bleeding in her urine. She was subjected to cystoscopy, a procedure to evaluate the bladder so further biopsy can be done. The biopsy result came back negative, meaning, the bladder though bleeding was spared from being affected by the cancer, another reason to thank God. We were discharged from the hospital February 10 and are now staying at Visayan Nazarene Bible College recovery room.

Last February 11, on VNBC’s 47th founding anniversary celebration she had an appearance on the opening service and spoke a little bit and said, “I’m doing ok except that I’m uncomfortable with wearing diapers.” All were cracking in laughter and the speaker of the day, Rev. Evelyn Angeles grabbed the microphone and told her, “You are God’s baby because you are wearing a diaper.” And we agree. Yes, she is God’s baby because she is tenderly cared for by God even in a humanly hopeless situation. God intervened and is intervening everyday of her life.

We consider everyday a miracle for her, a path towards her full recovery. This is our faith that goes up and will never go down. We continue to hope and believe that she is on her way to complete healing in God’s power. We plead to God for more vigorous life for her, more time for service for God and men and the world will know that the God of miracles in the past is the same God we are serving today. “Our heavenly, we do not insist on our will, but we plead from your mercy seat to restore my wife’s health and give her back the strength, double of what she had before. Let us win this battle and subdue the cancer cells that the enemy has planted in her. Restore her back to complete health and put her back to the work where you had anointed her to do, that all people who are fighting the same battle may find the answer in You, through her. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, AMEN.”