A Johannesburg wife, Honey King, is giving God the glory for the dramatic and speedy recovery of her husband, Dennis, 66. who underwent head surgery on Thursday March 27 and was back home on Saturday, March 29.
She said the 2-hour operation to remove blood that had collected between Dennis’s skull and brain was a complete success. His rapid recovery from a drastic decline in physical and mental health over recent weeks was “like night and day”, she said.
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“We stand amazed at the speed our Heavenly Father moved to orchestrate this miracle. We give Him honour, praise and glory for His goodness, grace and mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ! We are also grateful to the great family of God, including our respective families who stood with us [in prayer], encouraged and supported us throughout this ordeal. Our God is indeed an awesome God!” she said.
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Pressure on head
Describing the events leading up to her husband’s health ordeal, Honey said he had for some time been aware of pressure on his head which began lightly and increased gradually. Dennis, who is a leader in Grace Family Chinese Church, wasn’t too concerned as he had experienced the same symptoms 18 months before. At that time scans did not show anything amiss and the symptoms disappeared.
“Then in mid February we were involved in a hit-and-run accident which resulted in Dennis’ car being written off. There were no apparent injuries since the airbags did the job.
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“In the days following, the pressure on Dennis’ head increased and he went to the doctor. When it still persisted the doctor prescribed medication to relieve it. I noticed he was driving poorly but he seemed unaware of it. Little did I know that that was the beginning of a drama that would rapidly unfold. One Saturday he forgot to pick me up and when he eventually got home he battled to park the car. I found him sitting, door open, looking like he was about to pass out. We thought the medication had something to do with it and we advised him not to take it anymore but my daughter thought he should finish the course.
“At our household meeting, when prayed for he received temporary relief. He became disoriented and suffered extreme drowsiness, loss of memory and was unable to judge (when driving) to the degree that we told him not to go to work and to stay home and rest. Meantime he’d booked an appointment with the neurologist who was only available in a couple of weeks’ time. His doctor managed to move the appointment earlier and we believe this was God’s divine intervention. We saw the neurologist that Wednesday, 21st March. She wanted to book him into the hospital for about three days to conduct further tests. Since that Friday was a holiday we decided to admit him the following Tuesday as the doctor would be back by then.
Unsteady
“The deterioration was evident from Friday when Dennis lost his appetite and even gagged on liquids. That Sunday at church he became unsteady on his feet, his speech was slow and he struggled to focus but his stubbornness prevailed. Finally when he took a tumble I drove him home. It was then that I discovered from my son that his doctor had given a further prescription of the same medication! Thankfully he’d stopped taking it the night before. I contacted his doctor to make him aware the side effects Dennis suffered and he advised that he stop taking them although he could not say for sure that that was the cause.
“By the time of his admission of Tuesday 25th March, Dennis suffered further bodily function loss. Time was of the essence. A couple of tests were done but the main one, the MRI scan, was delayed by the medical aid. Thank the Lord, the authorisation came through the following morning and the scans were completed. After I left, my husband called to say the doctor had been to see him and wanted to operate on his head. He was quite distressed and he was emphatic he was having none of that! I tried to be calm and said we’d discuss it when I returned later. That night the neurosurgeon met with my son and me. He explained in layman’s terms that there was bleeding between the skull and brain which had built up over some time causing the pressure. He enquired whether he had hit his head at some stage. The symptoms he displayed were characteristic of this condition and surgery was necessary to drain the blood. We were relieved when he mentioned that it was not high risk. Looking back, we think the accident may have exacerbated his condition.
“Dennis was wheeled into theatre the next afternoon,Thursday 27th. By this time prayer for him was mobilised by our church, families and others as far as Port Elizabeth. A close friend even contacted the God TV team.
Discharged
“The surgery which lasted two hours, was a complete success, God be praised! The change in Dennis was incredible, like night and day! His sister remarked the next day that one wouldn’t think he’d just had a head operation. He was in ICU for less than a day and transferred to a general ward. Less than 24 hours later on the 29th he was discharged from hospital! Our son was able to fly out overseas that evening with the assurance that his dad was alright.”
Eleen On Hing, a Port Elizabeth friend of the Kings, said doctors were amazed at Dennis’s quick recovery “but we know it was only the power of combined prayer and faith knowing that we serve an awesome God”.
She said Dennis came to Port Elizabeth many years ago as a young man to evangelise the Chinese community. “He was instrumental in leading many to Christ and he was also with a small team of two women and another brother whom the Lord sent to Port Elizabeth to work among us.They were truly sent from the Lord as they inspired us to have a fire and a passion for the Lord Jesus Christ. When the team left for home we carried on the work here in our Upper Room above my Christian Bookshop and God worked power miracles in that time.”
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