LAST Sunday’s stunning healing testimony of 43- year old Ifeyinwa Okafor who claimed to have been miraculously delivered from the scourge of breast cancer has re-enacted the debate over whether faith healing which is based on beliefs should be integrated into science-based medicine.
Despite loud allegations of some clerics financially inducing people to give fake testimonies, people still claim that they have been healed of cancer and other debilitating ailments and terminal diseases. Not too long ago, there were reports of a mini revival at Ketu Bus Stop in Lagos when an unidentified pastor allegedly delivered a mentally unstable man from the spirit of insanity.
On Sunday at a two-day crusade of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Church, there were several testimonies—the hallmark of its services. But by far the most intriguing of them all was the one given by an Anambra-born middle-aged woman who claimed to have been miraculously healed of a life-threatening breast cancer which she discovered in June 2013. It is yet to undergo any empirical examination though.
Ifeyinwa Okafor, a native of Onitsha in Anambra State and a mother of two—aged 12 and 9—is a trained nurse working at the Generl Hospital, Kubwa in Abuja and is aware that breast cancer is responsible for the death of one in every 25 Nigerian women yearly.
Her story: “I woke up around 9:30 a.m. one morning and noticed a lump on my left breast.”
After initial preliminary investigations she had to approach a consultant who began by asking several questions apparently bewildered by her story.
“I explained to him how it happened but because of the way he was talking, I left him and went to another consultant at the National Hospital, Abuja, who eventually diagnosed that it was breast cancer which has spread. He asked me to go and do a mammography and prepare for a surgery,” she narrated.
Armed with the 50-50 chance verdict by the consultant, Ms Okafor decided against surgery since there was no assurance of survival and opted for the alternative remedy.
After the payment of payment of N70,000 the alternative treatment commenced but when it became obvious that “my condition was getting worse I decided to seek spiritual help. Pastors started praying for me with some taking me to the different mountains.”
At a point, according to her narration, her condition deteriorated to the extent that awful odour was emanating from her body as her kidneys, liver and indeed, the whole organs had been damaged. Her legs were swollen and she was no longer passing urine.
To eat was difficult; it also came with excruciating pains “despite the pain relieving drugs.”
Several pastors conducted deliverance sessions, claiming the disease was demonic but instead of it getting better the pain was growing worse by the day. The National Hospital, Abuja then requested to take a tissue for further analysis. “The cancer was spreading very fast and has affected my system, I couldn’t hear nor talk and was very weak.
“My condition was very bad that I had to be admitted when the doctors felt I might die anytime. Before the admission, pastors from the Lord’s Chosen were coming to pray for me. The doctor requested that I be given two to three pints of blood because I looked pale, but a laboratory test revealed that I had much blood. That was when I knew the prayers were working and the doctor encouraged by that, suggested they start chemotherapy immediately.
“Every member of my family had given up on me, but God intervened. On April 5, I was watching a live programme on Chosen TV, when a similar case was healed and I claimed the healing for myself. I informed my sister to arrange to take me to Lagos. They wondered how I would be able to travel when I cannot seat up nor walk because of the fluid in my heart.
“Wondering what would happen to my children if I died; my sister started crying. But on April 8, my brother and sister booked a flight for me and my sister. While waiting for them to take me to the airport, I saw two men who claimed to have come from Lagos. As they introduced themselves, they began to clean my wounds and told me how to take care of the wounds. As soon as my twin sister entered, the two men left. I asked her if she saw the two men that were discussing with me and she replied ‘No’.
“That morning we boarded a flight from Abuja to Lagos to see the Chosen General Overseer, Pastor Lazarus Muoka. As soon as the airport taxi arrived the Chosen auditorium, urine started pouring from my body. I messed up myself because I couldn’t control it until people took me to the toilet to clean me up.
“A woman later informed me that Pastor Muoka would be passing by, and that there was no way he would see me without praying for me. I was crying until the G.O. asked the people to bring me to him. When I got to him, after asking me what was wrong with me, he just declared: ‘You cancer I curse you and you kidney be healed.’
“That was the beginning of my miracle. I never felt anything, but I noticed that my body was light and people around asked me to stand up. That was it! Immediately I stood up and shortly began to run. My sister was surprised at what happened, seeing me run—a person who could not lift up herself. But now I could walk, to her it was a mystery. The pain had disappeared instantly.
“After the miracle, I slept for nine good hours and my breathing was okay,” she narrated, saying that all the cancerous growths in her body had since dried up.
“I have gone back to work, since I received my healing. For me coming back to life was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me,” she joyfully stated.
When asked, if she had done medical check up to ascertain her current state of health, she replied that the National Hospital, Abuja has been on strike and she was yet to book an appointment, promising that as soon as she got back to Abuja, she would go for the test to confirm her healing.
Overjoyed Lady Okafor confirmed that there is no known treatment for cancer, adding that it is a slow killer.
Her brother, Mr. Thomas Ekele, who has been taking care of her throughout the trying period, confirmed that at a point they even wished that she died to relieve her of the excruciating pain.
According to him, as soon as they landed from the Lagos airport, she fainted. “It’s that bad that even when mosquitoes bite her she could not move a hand to kill them. But today she is alive.”
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