How God Miraculously Saved a Family of Twelve When the Unthinkable Happens
BY PHARMACEUTICAL FRONT-LINE WORKER (NIGERIA)
I am the least likely person to be infected by COVID-19. Why? Because I am strict and particular about hygiene, health matters and maintaining standards.
As the pandemic trended in Asia, Europe and the Americas, I stayed on top of authentic news & information, and swiftly put in place processes and procedures at home and at work. For example, I coordinated the return of my children from their schools back to Nigeria, ensuring proper decontamination on arrival and 14-day self-quarantine for each. We initiated working from home before the Lagos State lockdown. My home too was on lockdown before the Lagos State lockdown. “No one in, no one out” was our mantra! All packages coming into the house were sanitized with bleach solution in a spray bottle, disinfecting wipes, hot ironing or washing with soap and water, depending on the item. All members of the household religiously took their nutritional supplements and had their stash of masks, gloves, hand sanitizers etc.
One weekend in April, a member of the family started coughing. It was a chesty cough and I did not initially pay attention, after all, dry cough was the symptom associated with COVID-19. After a few days of constant coughing, it was necessary for a visit to be made to the hospital and COVID-19 antibody test was carried out. The result came back positive. Antibody tests have about a 70% degree of accuracy. I was trembling like a leaf when I got the news. I was in total shock. How did this virus get into our fortress? I will never know for sure! I immediately reached out to a friend who facilitated swift PCR tests the very next morning. Every member of the household including the drivers were tested (nose & throat swabs and sputum tests). I asked the doctors about the timing of the results. I was told 48 hours.
A call came through in 24 hours and the doctor said ‘’Is this a good time? Well, there is never a good time for news like this. We have a lot of positives’’. I grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling. 11 out of 12 of us were positive. We had several vulnerable persons with underlying conditions in our family. From cardiovascular disease, asthma, allergies to the elderly. My life flashed before me!
Yes, I am aware that COVID-19 infection is not a death sentence but according to statistics, about 3% - 4% of infected persons will die. What are the odds that all of us will be spared? I was frightened. I was even more gutted by the fact that I had made a comment before the lockdown that if I get COVID-19 infection, I will die because of my underlying health conditions. Now my result was positive! My first action was to fall on my knees, join hands with one of my family members to pray and cancel my earlier confession. I learnt a lesson of a lifetime – never ever will I confess negatively again, as there is power in the tongue. I asked God to forgive my careless words.
I carefully broke the news of the positive test results to each person, managing emotions. My son researched information on what COVID survivors did and he shared the details with me. One of his findings is that they ate and drank alkaline foods and beverages and took a lot of hot fluids. We therefore shopped for alkaline foods such as lemon, watermelon, pawpaw, kiwi, pineapple, cucumber, kale and other green leafy vegetables. Other alkaline foods include broccoli, cauliflower, onion, garlic, root vegetables (sweet potatoes) and nuts. We avoided acidic foods such as sugar, dairy, processed foods, apples, grapefruit and drinks. We ordered a lot of juices from a popular local brand as some of their combinations ticked the alkaline box. We were determined to deal with this virus that was susceptible to heat and an alkaline environment.
A sense of humour was needed to stay positive and as happy as can be. I was grateful for some WhatsApp groups I belong to that were intentionally declared COVID-Free zones. I stopped my obsession for news on the pandemic. I cancelled my daily pilgrimage to worldometers.info for latest data. I only wanted to hear God’s promises and joyful news!
After several weeks of treatment and isolation, God healed all twelve members of the family from COVID-19 as their retest came back Negative for COVID-19. The lesson we learnt is that God Had mercy on us, not because of how careful we were or the medication or any recommended therapy. This is because we saw others who did much more and took more care than us, died. We believe God spared our lives for a purpose and pray that we don’t waste the second chance of “another chance” we have been given by God. All praise be given to God Almighty, Amen.
In conclusion, my advice to all is to:
Do not confess negative, but study and confess the word of God, which is the only reliable truth Media statistics are human predictions, not the final authority. The word of God always prevails (John 8:32, Isaiah 55:11).
Do your human part by following all safety rules but remember ultimately that you are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ and Psalm 91 covers you.
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. You must be led by the Holy Spirit in all that you do and wherever you have to go.
