The annoying sound of alarm clock woke me up from a fitful sleep. It was Friday, the last day of my duty for the week, and I need to drag myself to get up and shake my lazy bones to face another day of torment in ICU. Fifteen minutes before our call time, a nurse and I were given the endorsements of our patient assignment and I breathe in relief after knowing that I will handle a "toxic-free" patient, which means that I will only render routine care. Somehow, the pre-weekend blues was placed at bay.
It wasn't until we receive a call from the other station, informing us that one of their patients will be transferred in the ICU for strict monitoring purposes. At first, we were not alarmed since we only need to keep track of her blood pressure and breathing pattern. "Di ko kayo ito-toxic", my fellow nurse kindly said, and I smiled at her as I raised the head part of the bed. She was entrusted to one of my fellow nurses but I helped in assisting her needs so that I can do personal evangelism later to her and to the significant others. A few minutes later, the patient started complaining that she has difficulty in breathing and that the artificial oxygen must be increased. Moments later, her upper and lower extremities started to constrict, her lips turned bluish, signaling oxygen loss. The pupils of her eyes dilated, no longer responsive to light. The CPR and heart-pumping medications failed to rescue her. Right then and there, she died. Browsing the clinical history, I found out that her coronary heart disease worsened through the years. I was dumbfounded when the doctors declared the time of death. It was followed by a succession of deafening cries coming from relatives and friends, who neglected the doctor's explanations. "Di man lang ako nakapag-PE (Personal Evangelism)", I silently uttered. I terribly felt sorry for their loss, but what was more disconcerting in my part was my failure to share a verse or two which could have at least kept her calm before she began chasing her breath.
Man's life is so unpredictable and fragile, as the old cliché goes. We may be physically stable now, but tomorrow is still another day. That death encounter brought me a myriad of thoughts. It dawned on me that there are tons of reasons for me to be thankful to God about. One of which is that the Lord has made me physically fit, free from any malady or vices, making me more inclined to honor Christ with my body because I was bought for a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20). But beyond the steadfast physique, I am more grateful that I obtained salvation; I am assured that Jesus, the lover of my soul made it possible for a sinner like me to be reconciled with God, the Father, through Christ's death.
I went home right away after that dreadful circumstance, silent and speechless inside the car. Before I finally decided to retire to bed, I kneeled down and poured my heart out to God. That moment of quiet communion with Him brought a deep sense of peace in me. It is the peace of God that transcends all understanding which enabled me to ponder about my daily confrontations. He speaks not only in grandiose events but even in our most mundane activities, revealing to us His will, reminding us of our ultimate duty, and it is our task to faithfully respond according to the values and teachings being reiterated to us by the Sent Ones of God. I may not know exactly by now why it happened, or why it had a profound effect in me. But after that brief confession with the Lord, I was able to sleep soundly. Also, I vowed to come up with a more innovative and effective means of doing personal evangelism on my next duty schedule.
The next day, I received a box of PE (Personal Evangelism) tracks.
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