In January 2022, I woke up one morning to find the world a blur. When I could not read the small print on my smartphone, I thought my presbyopia must have deteriorated. Then I could not make out any of the labels and price tags at the supermarket. Frustration truly set in when I could not read any of my documents at work clearly until I enlarged their fonts.
I was already seeing an ophthalmologist for my eye issues on a regular basis before that day, but nothing had been detected that warranted immediate intervention.
Our family doctor, a GP, attributed my sudden condition to some stresses I was undergoing at the time, and the fact that I had not been sleeping well.
Still apprehensive, I also consulted my ophthalmologist. After running some diagnostic tests, he said the back of my right eye was pale but that was unlikely to impact my vision. Nevertheless, to make sure it was not a neurological issue, he ordered a brain scan (MRI).
I underwent the first MRI on 14 January 2022. As I am claustrophobic, the experience was traumatic and I had to be sedated during the process. I was told that the MRI revealed a small growth, a meningioma, pressing on my right optical nerve.
Back in the hospital ward, the neurosurgeon to whom I was immediately referred advised me that the radiologist’s MRI report implied there would be a complete loss of vision in my right eye unless the growth was removed. Furthermore, a delay in removing the growth might result in vision loss of possibly 50 per cent.
I made an appointment with him to discuss a plan for brain surgery and also to see another neurosurgeon for a second opinion if I needed it.
Throughout this bewildering time, my KKMC LifeGroup members, my Pastor-in-Charge, Rev Tay Kay Leong and some close friends in whom I confided were very supportive and praying with me. My wife was also very worried and honestly, we had many sleep-deprived nights trying to come to terms with the diagnosis and impending major surgery.
Unexpectedly, the first words the neurosurgeon said at our second meeting were, “I have good news for you!” He explained that he had felt the need to see the actual scan films for himself, rather than just relying on the radiologist’s report. After viewing them, he was not entirely convinced there was a growth; he thought the MRI was inconclusive. However, as my vision was still blurred, he suggested I undergo a 3T magnified scan, which is more accurate and would provide greater clarity. The scan was scheduled for two weeks later.
The night before the scan, after tossing sleeplessly for a while, I had a dream in which I saw myself waking up with a bandage on the right side of my head as if the surgery was already done.
After the scan the next day, the neurosurgeon came into my ward beaming cheerfully. “Good news! Nothing found!” He had to repeat himself as I could not believe it at first. After he left, I quickly took out my phone and texted the good news to my wife and my LifeGroup. It was not until one of them, Karen, asked about my eyesight that I suddenly realised I was reading my phone texts clearly. Incredulous, I walked around the ward to search for signs and labels, and found I could read them too! My heart was joyful as I praised God for his miracle.
My wife told me that listening to the song, “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” the day before my scan encouraged her to trust in Jesus for my healing. As I listened to the same song on my way to work the next day, I was overwhelmed by the thought that I was blind but now I could see. But what about the people who are spiritually blind, shouldn’t I help them to see by pointing them to Jesus?
Since my conversion to Christianity as a teenager, I have been praying for family and loved ones who are not yet believers. But I never had the courage to speak about Jesus to them. With the encouragement of Steven, another of my LifeGroup members, I wrote a detailed testimony of my healing and posted it to my family’s chat group. My sister, a non-believer, responded, texting me that she strongly believed a miracle had happened and I was indeed a child of God. Praise God that the miracle I saw became an opportunity to witness to my family. I believe he will open more doors for me to reach out to them.