CHUMMY
On December 20, 2017 at 1:00 pm, I gave birth to what I thought was healthy baby girl. The nurses placed her on my chest after birth so we could get the full benefits of skin-to-skin care. We had her first picture with Mike and me not long after that.
However, 30 minutes later, while I was being wheeled out of the labor room, our doctor whispered to me: Maxine was brought to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) because she had turned blue (cynaosis).
I did not know the gravity of the situation. All I knew was that something was wrong. Anxious, I wanted to get out of the recovery room to see her.
MIKE
As I waited for Chummy to be discharged from the recovery room, our doctor told me about Maxine’s condition and to consider getting a room near the NICU. I was very concerned.
Around 5 pm, they brought Chummy to our room. We cried as if knowing what Maxine would go through. Around 6:00 pm, I got a call. They needed me urgently at the NICU. Meanwhile, Chummy’s blood pressure was elevated.
It was a sight I will never forget: around six doctors and nurses, hovering worriedly around one baby. When I got a glimpse of baby Maxine, I knew she was fighting for her life. I was speechless. I wanted to hug her. The doctor said she was not doing well and her heart seemed to be the problem. It was the peak of Christmas rush, and they could not find a pediatric heart specialist who could attend to her in the next 30 crucial minutes. Worse, their preferred specialist was just on his way back from out of town.
While waiting for the heart specialist, I started praying. I made calls for family to come before I told Chummy about Maxine’s condition, as well as to several people to pray for Maxine.
Then, the first miracle happened. A pedia heart specialist, who happened to be doing last-minute errands in nearby Tiendesitas, was available and on her way! Praise God!
The doctors were able to stabilize Maxine. Though in critical condition, she had a better fighting chance as more doctors arrived and as our prayer warriors stormed heaven with prayer.
I clung on to God’s Word during this difficult time, He led me to a familiar story in the Bible about the very first miracle Jesus performed, turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. God impressed upon my heart a message of covenant: He would be there every step of the way until we see Maxine’s miraculous healing. It was a clear message from God; our second miracle.
CHUMMY
When Mike came back from NICU, I asked about Maxine. He said that she was given oxygen, was currently under observation, and that everything was fine. In truth, she was already fighting for her life. As our family members arrived one by one, I immediately sensed their anxiety. Mike was protecting me because of my elevated blood pressure.
That night, our head doctor, Dr. Cheng, arrived together with our OB, Dr. Castelo, to explain the rarity of Maxine’s condition. It was very hard to hear all this. Nevertheless, I felt God’s presence in the room. Dr. Cheng told us to have her baptized and dedicated because they were not sure she was going to make it through the night. We were heartbroken. “This can’t be happening,” we thought. But God had His own plans, and we were to submit.
Words escaped us. Was she in pain from all the needles? Was someone looking after her? Was she feeling cold inside the NICU? All these questions. But I remembered: If we love Maxine, what more our Father in Heaven? He loves her so much. Whatever happens, she is His. He is looking after her. We realized the importance of surrendering to the lordship of Christ. Despite the painful news, I felt a warm hug, like Jesus was telling me, “Chummy, I am in control and you are not alone in this.” Mike and I had an inexplicable peace in our hearts – our third miracle.
That night was by far the hardest. When all the visitors had left, it was just the two of us in the room. After a physically and emotionally draining day, we needed rest and energy to face the next day. We prayed, “Lord, Ikaw na ang bahala kay Maxine. Please help us understand that You really do love us.” Because even with peace, questions remained. “Why Maxine? She is too tiny. Sana ako na lang.” We could not have survived that night if not for Jesus.
MIKE
The following day, December 21, our fourth miracle arrived. After a sleepless night, God sent Pastor Sam Evangelista and his wife Tita Emer, through the help of Pastor Manny Manansala, to help us dedicate Maxine to the Lord. We did not know Pastor Sam and Tita Emer personally before then, but God sent them to encourage us since they experienced a similar situation as a family. They encouraged and assured us that God was looking after us. Praise God!
Still hurting from her C-section, Chummy asked to go to the NICU to see Maxine dedicated to the Lord. Of course, I obliged. God gave Chummy extraordinary strength to be able to stand a day after her C-section – our fifth miracle. Praise God!
CHUMMY
This was the first time I saw Maxine after our very short bonding inside the labor room. It was heartbreaking to see her with all the tubes and monitors attached to her – the only things keeping her alive. It was one of the worst things a mother can ever experience and see her child go through.
We were also torn whether or not to introduce Clawie to her baby sister in her critical condition. We wanted to protect her from heartache should anything happen to Maxine.
During this painful time, we dedicated Maxine to God. Our children are ultimately His, and we surrender to His will. With total surrender to Jesus comes hope. God is merciful and gracious. He is Jehovah Rapha.
That day, more people came to pray for and encourage us: relatives, friends, Dgroup leaders (Joy and Edric drove all the way from Baguio), as well as our head doctor. In the midst of uncertainty, we were assured that aside from having the best medical team, hundreds of people were praying for our family.
MIKE
The days that followed tested our faith. Maxine had two crucial episodes that night. We almost lost her. They had to use an ambo bag to keep her breathing. Despite Maxine’s weak body and poorly functioning heart and lungs, God sustained her. It was truly a miracle to have her now after that night – our sixth miracle.
Maxine being in the NICU was hard to bear. Every day, I saw mommies wheeled out of the hospital, carrying their babies, bidding goodbye to the medical personnel to spend Christmas with their new baby at home. While we were happy for them, we couldn’t help but feel disheartened as Maxine’s condition got worse and the doctors remained uncertain of what was causing her heart and lungs to fail. Worst part was being faced with the thought that we may never be able to bring her home.
CHUMMY
Waking up each morning to go to the hospital, not knowing what happened the night before (if she had a life-threatening episode again), was difficult. Leaving her again at night was even harder – like leaving your heart at the hospital every single day. Without a concrete diagnosis of her condition, there were lots of uncertainties. What was causing her heart and lung failure? Will there be another episode tonight? What if traffic keeps us from getting there on time in an emergency? Will I still see her alive tomorrow? Questions only God could answer.
This experience humbled Mike and me; we were not in control. There was no way we could plan a good outcome for this situation; no assurances, medical or technical. We were helpless and powerless. Despite everything, we felt Jesus’ mighty hands carrying us through. Any peace, security, and strength we had then came from Him.
On December 23, when we felt that things could not get any worse, we learned that Nanay Dory was hospitalized.
MIKE
Nanay Dory, my grandmother, was like a mother to me. She took care of my two siblings and me when my mom died when I was six. She meant the world to me.
Everything became harder as we shuttled from one hospital to another: I was with Maxine in the morning and ended my day visiting my ailing lola in another hospital. While Maxine’s condition remianed uncertain, Nanay’s condition was not getting any better. To complicate things, we came home to our daughter Clawie who then had high fever and was vomiting the whole night.
The day after was Christmas Eve. Without enough sleep, and with loved ones in the hospital, we still had to celebrate Christmas. We spent the morning with Maxine in the NICU, afternoon with my lola, and the evening with Clawie. We made sure she opened her gift and still felt the Christmas spirit amidst all the heartache.
CHUMMY
The day before Christmas, we met with our head doctor. With almost all the laboratory results out, diagnosis for Maxine’s condition was still uncertain. He managed our expectations and told us that they were merely addressing the symptoms but not the cause. She wasn’t looking good. She was still in critical condition. We prayed with our doctors once again for wisdom and understanding.
We knew God was teaching us patience. We were reminded to cast all our fears and anxieties on Him, the God who heals and restores. Even if science could not explain her condition, God is capable of everything. My devotion that day clearly showed me that there are some questions to which we do not know the answer. But there are other questions to which the best answer we can give is “I do not know.” “The secret things belong to the Lord our God…” (Deuteronomy 29:29)
MIKE
Christmas Day was one for the books. Nobody wants to celebrate Christmas at the hospital. With doctors telling us that Maxine’s condition did not improve, we nevertheless stayed positive. As long as she was not getting worse, we would take it. On this day when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we were hopeful. Although the doctors managed our expectations, we felt that God was telling us something.
This day Chummy’s devotion was on Hebrews 10.
Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him… Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. (v. 22a-23)
Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (v.36)
God does not say that there won’t be any troubles, but He does promise to deliver us from all of them.
On December 27, Nanay died. The day that I dreaded my whole life finally happened. A few years back, losing my lola would probably have been the worst thing that could ever happen to me.
The pain was hard to process. I did not know if my tears were for Nanay or Maxine. It was one of the worst experiences, but God was faithfully with me. I had to stay faithful and put my full trust and complete surrender to His plans for us.
CHUMMY
While all this was happening, we still had to fulfill our obligations at work, home, homeschool, and our daily schedule at the hospital.
We held on to God’s promises.
The day after Nanay’s death, Maxine started to improve. No other medications were given. The same medicines to control the symptoms, not the cause, were given, but she was improving – our seventh miracle.
We couldn’t help but relate it to Nanay’s death. Job 1:21b says, “…The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” He took Nanay to heaven in the most peaceful and pain-free death, surrounded by her loved ones – exactly at the same time I was finally allowed to hold Maxine in my arms.
MIKE
When Nanay was laid to rest, our eighth miracle happened. My lola’s interment happened at exactly 10:00 in the morning. Right after the funeral service at 11:00 am, we received a message from our doctors that the ventilator tube that was helping Maxine breathe was finally removed. She could now breathe on her own. She was extubated exactly an hour earlier – at 10:00 am.
CHUMMY
We were in complete awe as we saw God’s work unfold before our eyes. God has been with us the whole time. He saw our pain. In His generosity and compassion, He replaced our sadness and grief with hope and healing. He made His presence known and assured us that He was on top of things. He carried us through to soar above this storm together. My devotion today was clear, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7) Right then, I felt closest to God. I knew He was talking to me. The Word is alive. Jesus is alive and present in our midst.
On January 6, the doctors finally determined that the cause of the heart and lung failure was a compound lacking in Maxine’s lungs. The team decided to intubate her again for a sensitive procedure. If this attempt failed, they would have to start all over again – and we might have to stay longer in the hospital.
However difficult this situation, God’s help always came at the sweetest time. He reassured us in Psalm 139:11-16 that as Creator, Maker and the Designer of our lives, He knows everything. Every day of our lives is recorded in His book. He was in control and we should not worry.
We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. God isn’t the light at the end of the tunnel, but the Light in the tunnel, guiding us every step of the way. That was enough assurance for us.
Besides, people never ceased to pray with us. Prayers are truly the most powerful weapon God has given.
MIKE
Maxine started to improve significantly after this procedure. On January 17, she was discharged from the NICU and transferred to a regular room. This day, Clawie was able to meet her sister for the first time. On January 22, we were finally discharged from the hospital. God ultimately completed His miraculous work.
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4)
If we didn’t go through this difficult time, I don’t think we would have known God as our trustworthy Deliverer.
CHUMMY
This was by far the hardest thing I had gone through in my life, but God provided everything we needed. Everyone who came to encourage us, every message we received, every beautiful prayer and every possible help came at the right time.
Indeed, God’s timing is always perfect. In fact, on January 22, 2017, even before I became pregnant with Maxine, I had the great privilege to be baptized into Christ Jesus. On January 22, 2018, exactly a year after my baptism, Maxine got discharged from Medical City after 33 days – our ninth miracle.
All nine miracles were proof of His covenant love and infinite kindness. To God be the glory!
Mike Aguilar is a businessman who specializes in marketing and events while Chummy Castillo-Aguilar is a Special Education Specialist and is now a full- time homeschooling mom. They are devoted parents to Clawie (4 years old) and Maxine (1 year old). Their goal as a family is to be Christ-centered and be able to share Christ’s love and faithfulness to as many people as they possibly can.
What a wonderful miracle Maxine is. God is faithfull always even when we are not. We usually fall weak and we need God to show us that He is always faithfull to us. How inspiring is the story. Your family is truly blessed. God bless your family and may it be a blessing to all those undegoing these momments where we can only rest and surrender ourselves, our problems and our concerns all to Him. To God be the Glory.