At the CFC Conference in Montreal 4 years ago, several of you heard of my sharing. “You raise me up so I can stand on mountain, you raise me up so I can walk on stormy seas, I am strong when I am on your shoulder, you raise me up to more than I can be.” These words from a popular song helped me bring across my message of trust in the Lord. At that time I was facing the possibility of a double lung and heart transplant surgery.

It was thirty years ago when my family and I arrived in Canada. Shortly after our arrival, I was diagnosed to have pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary Fibrosis involves scarring of the lung. Gradually, the air sacs of the lungs become replaced by fibrotic tissue. When the scar forms, the tissue becomes thicker causing an irreversible loss of the tissue’s ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream. There are currently no effective treatments or a cure for Pulmonary Fibrosis. The pharmacological agents designed to treat lung scarring are still in the experimental phase while the treatments intended to suppress inflammation have only limited success in reducing the fibrotic progress. Life went ordinarily on in spite of the pulmonary fibrosis.

In 1994, Couples for Christ started in Canada. Chit and I were fortunate to have been part of the pioneering group. Touched by the mission and vision of CFC, Chit and I made ourselves available for more than the usual household meetings and assemblies. Service became our way of life,with Chit serving in the Music Ministry and myself taking on coordinatorship of the logistics for the CFC community. Weekends were either for MERs music workshops, talks, evangelization rallies across the GTA, within and outside Ontario. Life was busy and fulfilling.

CFC Canada grew and later took on Africa for its mission, we volunteered to join the mission trip to Ghana and Nigeria. Going on mission, as you know takes one out of his comfort zone, his home, security and peace.

Remember the pulmonary fibrosis? It caught up with me and my work. First I had to avail of the short term then later the long term disability, from FEDEX where I worked as a courier. More frequent coughing, shortness of breath and just plain exhaustion reunited me with the doctor, now one of the directors of the lung transplant department of Toronto Gen who saw me 30 years ago. This time I was told I lost 80 per cent of my lung volume putting a lot of stress on my heart, complicating the health situation.

After much thought, prayer and prodding from a lot of our brothers and sisters, I had a pre-assessment consultation with my respirologist and was booked for pre-transplant assessment.

If at one time you saw me attached to an oxygen tank that was how I lived through the last 4 years since 2003. At the height of preparations for the WYD 2002, I volunteeredto drive the Bishop of Toronto promoting WYD in the various parishes under the Archdiocese of Toronto. I was on a short term disability then and my health was beginning to decline and so I believe that the energy and strength was given by our Lord God. My health was pontifically blessed by the late Pope John Paul II.

I could have already declined from doing any further work in CFC but by God’s grace, Chit and I were relentless in continuing to serve --conferences, ANCOP/GK fundraisings,even spearheading a major creative event via the first CFC songwriting contest in 2003. We even went to New Brunswick, driving for 22 hours, to give thefirst CLP there. I wenton serving as the Logistics coordinator for GTA. God’s sense of humour is obvious here because the assignment requires physical strength to ensure that major assemblies inthe GTA were equipped technically with good sound equipment. God’s loving providence is even more evident because I was always blessed with generous help from 4 of our CFC brothers.

As many as are the different circumstances in our lives so are the many ways God speaks to us. For my own question then which is whether to go for the transplant or not, brothers and sisters continued to coax me to go for it. They even brought me a news item from the Toronto Star about a man who went through it and how he was enjoying his second lease at life after the surgery. “There’s nothing to lose,’ they said, “you can always change your mind when the time comes.” I thought little about it but one day I just decided to enlist myself.

I would say the longest period of my life was between 2002 and December 3, 2006. This was a period of waiting. Waiting and praying for news that a lung and heart donor was already found. It was a period though of leaving everything to God, of praying and believing that our God, yours and mine, will make everything happen according to His time, according to His circumstance, according to His will.

And so on that fateful day of December 3rd, 2006, while driving on the 401 to take our daughter Jessica to work, the phone rang to inform me of the news that we were all waiting for. It's strange how even while I have been waiting for such wonderful news, I did not know what to think of first.

My mind was all of a sudden filled with thoughts like leaving instructions with Chit about the house, the children in case I don't come out of the surgery--something I could not bring myself to do-I was speechless. It must have been God's way of telling me, "speak not, I am in charge. Everything will be alright." Things happened so swiftly. I remember the pre-op where several gadgets were hooked to my body, the present concern that my antibodies were high that may cause rejection of the new lung and heart, the decision to go ahead despite that, the sedation....

The surgeons worked swiftly and separately on both the lungs and the heart for a good 5 hours. After the surgery however, I experienced a 7-hour bleeding in one of my heartarteries that required blood transfusion. God’s loving providence and wonderful presence was again evident. I say that because just a few weeks before my surgery, CFC-Toronto sponsored a blood letting program. Maybe, just maybe the blood that was given me could have come from one of you who donated blood at that event.

Needless to say, recovering from the surgery was an ordeal. I was fed intravenously for the first few weeks. A tracheal tube inserted below my Adam’s apple prevented me from speaking.

Anyone who has been in the hospital for a long time, knowing no other sight but the four walls of your ward or your room, immobilized, on dietary restrictions, alone most of the time, in pain and taking all kinds of doctors’ orders knows how difficult life is after surgery. And anyone who has gone to visit sick friends and family would know of the concept of empathic reaction. One visit from Lilet Raffinan and Jette Ocampo illustrates this.

Because I could not speak, I would write down what I wanted to say. During that particular visit I was talking; by writing, Lilet in turn responded by writing. She did not realize she was doing it until Jette asked her, why are you writing what you are saying when you can talk naman? And Kuya Manny could hear you anyway.

According to the medical practitioners who worked with me during my stay in TGH, anyone who went through the same experience as I did took 4 to 6 months to recover. I left the hospital on Feb 19, few days after Valentine's day with a new heart, new lungs, double at that, renewed strength, a deeper spiritual bond with our brothers and sisters in CFC.

I am deeply grateful to our brothers who would drive and accompany me to the hospital for my therapy and rehabilitation:

• to brothers and sisters who cooked for our family during my hospitalization...
• to my wife Chit (slide 12)for all her love and patience—to my children who put up with my changing moods and seeing through my needs...
• to all of you who have been praying and continue to pray for this miracle...
• to my God, described in Lamentation 3:23 whose faithfulness is so great...

I know that some of you have attached your personal prayers to my situation which in human perspective is a truly impossible case. But you and I have witnessed the faithfulness of our God who in spite of our faithlessness gives everyone more than a second chance.

God has given me a second chance at life(slide 13), and this life-- wounded, broken and healed by His same love-- I offer to Him.

Thank you all, my brothers and sisters, and thank God with me too.

God bless you all. May God be praised forever.