Another new hero

The testimony of faith of a member of the Secular Missionary Carmel of Bethim in Brazil who has overcome Covid-19 is impressive.

Thank you very much Rondineles, you bring us closer to your experience and with it to the God of life, who manifests himself through the people around us and we feel him close to us in the family. From here we send you all the strength to go on and to be a witness of the Lord's presence in your life.

Hello, my name is Rondineles Pereira Garcia, I was born on a Saturday at 10 pm on October 4, 1986 in the city of Dionisio Minas Gerais, where I spent two years and came to live in Betim. I have 31 years living here so I had a great childhood; good with humble people of prayer and who taught me to go to church and to participate. I prepared for 2 years to go to the seminary, but God's call was different, I saw that I could help in another way too and so I did. At the moment I am divorced, I have a 4 year old daughter, Maria Eduarda Garcia da Silva, my pride, my life.

In the light of the gospel of Mark ch.5,41-43 I share with you how my story has restarted, today I have a new life.

On 27 July 2020 I was at home with a cough; I had already been to the doctor on Wednesday of this week and the doctor had told me that I should isolate myself because it could be Covid or sinusitis. On Sunday a dry cough started and I was feeling worse and worse, so at 23:00 I went to my room. Here at home there are stairs, when I went to bed I had a non-stop cough and at that moment I thought that if I went to bed it would not come back. This feeling came back and then I confirmed that I had with covid-19, because there was no air to breathe, I went back downstairs, but crying a lot and with little air. I called my sister Rayane, she didn't listen to me until I managed in a sigh to call her in a louder voice and she listened to me. I went to the hospital, I arrived at 00:00 hours, I couldn't speak because I lacked oxygen. There in the emergency room they attended me and in only 30 minutes they detected that I had Covid; they saw that my lung was compromised in a 60%. I was here until 11 am in the morning when the ambulance arrived and transferred me to the Veracruz Hospital, arriving there I observed that many people were using oxygen, I also had oxygen and my saturation was not good. I went from 27 to 28 at maximum oxygen; behold, at 20 hours on 28 July 2020 I began to see a strange movement of machines and a tube in the hands of the nurse, I was very anxious, until I called the doctor and asked him, did something happen, he said: "yes they confirmed the covid-19, you have 60% of the lung affected, asthma, pneumonia and very high glucose, that is, diabetes, we will intubate you from now on".

At that moment I identified myself too much with the passage from Mark 5, 41-43, because on the other side of the room there was a doctor who came to me and took me by the hand, so I asked the doctor: I just want to go back to my daughter, and he said to me: "Don't worry, you will come back, stay calm, we will help you". I had the rosary in my hand, I took a breath and they anaesthetised me, I was in an induced coma. I remember a few things from that time, but it was worth it, because I dreamt of my daughter and her best friend Carol playing in the room where I was, I saw the doctor and a brunette nurse for two or three days and then I didn't see her anymore.

But these 10 days were not easy for my family because the first three or four days the doctors did not give much hope, because my condition was very serious, until one day one of them spoke to the nurse, Carol's mother, who is my daughter's best friend, and he told her: "pray for Rondi, we will try everything here, but I think that unfortunately it will not go beyond today".

However, she did not want to tell this to my family because she treats me as her brother. This day this nurse also cried out to God that she did not want to lose another brother because she had lost her older brother a fortnight ago. So the doctors talked and decided that the next day I would have haemodialysis and a tracheotomy in my neck. Lo and behold, things started to change; my kidneys, out of nowhere, started working again and my saturation normalised and my pressure which was 5, back to normal, but it was not like that and out of nowhere, it was God who worked his miracle by virtue of the great faith and prayer of my family and friends.

Just the day the doctor told this news to the nurse, my daughter Duda dreamt that she came to my sister and said: aunt, daddy is in heaven, then my sister explained to her and that God was talking to her. Then Carol demanded her mother to take the girl to church because she had to pray for me, because I was the father of her best friend. Another day my daughter dreamt that I was fine and that I would come back to play with her on the carpet, i.e. all the time God was talking to Duda and comforting her, while I was dying and coming back to life.

On 7 August I woke up without remembering anything, I didn't know the date or anything. At that very moment they turned on the TV and said to me: "covid-19 has just happened to him", he suffered too much, but hey, nothing happened. The doctor brought me a tablet and told me that he was talking to my family. When I saw my family, my friends and the Carmelite Missionary Sisters, I cried because I couldn't speak and I didn't have much motor coordination, my daughter sings Frei Gilson's music.

"I will raise you up, I will raise you up, I will raise you up beloved son, beloved son. I will restore your strength, and I will draw you to me and give you new clothes, beloved child". It was touching to see my daughter, a 3 year old girl, sing this song and say: "I am 3 days short of my 4th birthday, I learned the song to sing to daddy, as I wanted him to be here with me on the 4th of October".

Well, after 10 days of tubes, I was also in the ICU for 5 days until I was discharged to the room. Before that, a chief doctor came to the front of the room, took a glass and started jumping up and down and shouting at me: "you triumphant and winner", it was very gratifying for me.

The medical team called my family and told them that I needed a companion. Nobody could go, because my father, my mother and Duda's mother were with the covid-19 and there was still one day to go before the end of the quarantine; then in a brilliant idea, sister Elisángela decides to ask one of the young people from Jucami (Young Carmelite Missionary), in which I love to say that I am part of CMS (Carmelo Misionero Seglar). At this Samuel says yes to the sister and my family.

I could not walk, I depended on everything, but everything to ask for help and this young man was God's blessing, as he helped me and advised me. I was too worried about my sisters Rayane, and Rilza they received the bad news, they had to sign documents at the hospital and more than that, they had to take care of my daughter, my dad, my mum and Duda's mum Cristina because they were all inside the quarantine room.

God was so good that Rayane, Duda and Rilza had no covid-19 but they had a great responsibility. Then, thank God, on 15 August 2020, the day I was discharged from the hospital and went home very weak, but with all the affection and love of my family and friends ...

I tell you, before all this happened, I was a little bit depressed, I didn't have a very good relationship with my family, I was a little bit depressed, I didn't have a very good relationship with my friends.n with my family, but God showed me how important our family is and with covid-19 we will be grateful, we will take care of our family because it is the greatest asset we have here on earth; God is strengthening us today, in this year to be strong in any situation.

Well, I leave you with a testimony of a person very dear to me, who told me: "Rondi, at a moment when I was talking with God, I felt his presence very strongly and I asked him to heal your body and your soul" (Sister María Nieves Fonseca).

God bless you all, Peace and Good.

Rondineles Pereira García

Betim/Brazil, 30 September 2020