From Postpartum Complications to a Transplant: The Power of Prayer in a Musician's Family

After eating a snack during a trip in 2019, musician Geraldo Bispo felt a strong unease. Although not constant, this same annoyance occurred on occasion. He thought it was a simple, not-so-serious stomach problem. However, in December 2021, after not feeling well, he looked for a hospital in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, the city where he lives with his wife, Vivian Sartorti Bispo, and their six-year-old twin daughters, Ester and Rebeca.

During Geraldo’s medical care, some tests were requested. To his surprise, serious thrombosis was diagnosed in two important veins in the abdominal region. "When you have thrombosis of this level, normally 95% of the cases lead to death. It is very rare for a person to escape this type of disease because it is very silent. It clogs the veins, and the person dies," details Geraldo. Due to the severity of the illness, he was quickly referred to the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU). After improvement in his clinical condition, he was discharged from the hospital.

According to the medical team that attended the musician, the discomfort and thrombosis in his veins were the result of a liver problem, so during the period of hospitalization in the ICU, Geraldo had to quickly enter the liver transplant queue. "I received the news that my life span was very short. Dr. Daniel, who is my doctor, came to me and said that I had 60 to 90 days to live at the most," he recalls.

Due to the complexity of his problem and the possible delay in receiving the transplant, Geraldo even imagined he would die—that he would not have time to receive the new organ. However, all these dramatic circumstances in his life did not make him lose faith and hope for a miracle. And even if the worst would happen, he remained calm and confident in God's plans.

The Expected Connection

Nine days after having his name included on the liver transplant list, Geraldo received the long-awaited call from the hospital informing him he would receive a transplant. "When the phone rang, there was [sic] butterflies in my stomach. Soon after, they said that I should be at the hospital the [next] day in the morning to prepare for the surgery," says the musician.

Geraldo received the transplant at an unfavorable time, since, according to data from the Ministry of Health, released in September 2021, there were more than 50,000 people in search of organs or tissues in Brazil. To make matters worse, there was a reduction in the number of optimal-health donors and effective transplants due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as shown in surveys by the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplants (ABTO).

Answer to Prayer

The transplant took place on December 18, 2021. After more than seven hours of successful surgery, Geraldo finally had his health problem resolved. He says before the surgery, already in the hospital bed, he prayed to God and asked for His protection. Seven days after the surgery, he was discharged from the medical unit and able to spend Christmas and the birthday of his two daughters at his home with family.

The musician attributes his recovery to God's care and the prayers of the church, friends, and family. "I don't know how many people prayed for me, but I know there was a lot of prayer, not only in our church, but like several other congregations, such as the Lutheran of Pomerode (SC), Evangelicals, Baptists, Methodists, and the staff of the Assembly of God. Our God is phenomenal. He moves hearts because of an insignificant being like me," says Geraldo thankfully.

Currently, still in the recovery period, Geraldo feels well and maintains his daily routine of work and attention to his family. He teaches at Colégio Adventista de Blumenau (CAB) and is a volunteer pianist for the Central Adventist Church in Blumenau. Prior to his health problem, he was in some leadership positions in his local church.

Prayer has always been present in Geraldo's family. Before facing the serious problems that almost culminated in his death, they were already in the habit of trusting fully in the power of God. There were other difficult circumstances in the family's trajectory, but they continued to be confident in God's plans. Some of these moments are portrayed in the sequence of this report.

Dream of Being Parents and Postpartum Complications

For about 14 years, Geraldo and Vivian had hoped and dreamed of becoming parents. However, she had a comorbidity in the reproductive system that made it impossible for her to become pregnant. "My wife's eggs would crack and break," explains Geraldo. After the couple sought help at a clinic outside Brazil, Vivian became pregnant with twins. Their daughters, Ester and Rebeca, were born on December 26, 2015.

As soon as she was born, Rebeca went to the nursery because she was in good health, but Ester needed more medical attention. "Unfortunately, Ester had postpartum complications. It is suspected that it is a hospital infection that caused cerebral palsy and profound deafness. From then on, my life began to change," says Geraldo.

The musician even considered learning alternative methods to communicate with his little Ester, but it wouldn't be possible because of her motor limitation due to cerebral palsy. He began to make several trips to São Paulo and Brasília due to Ester's medical treatments. He says during these trips, God provided many opportunities for them to testify of their faith.

As an example, Geraldo was once changing his daughter's diaper at Congonhas Airport, in São Paulo, and noticed a man was looking at them a lot until he approached them to ask for help. He said he couldn't read and therefore needed help identifying which boarding gate was on his ticket.

Upon reading the boarding ticket, Geraldo saw the man's flight was to Navegantes, Santa Catarina, the same destination as him and his daughter. Already in line to go to the plane, Geraldo noticed the gentleman was holding in his hands a bag with the book In Search of Hope, by Ellen White.

Impressed by what he saw, the musician asked if the man was a Seventh-day Adventist. He said no; he was from another church, yet he got the book from a girl who was on the same flight as he was between Ceará and São Paulo. "I talked a lot with him. I asked him to read the book [later]. He said he couldn't read, but he would ask his son to do it for him," testifies Geraldo.

Listening for the First Time

Four years ago, little Ester had a bilateral cochlear implant. With that, she had 100% recovery of her hearing. The cochlear implant or “bionic ear” is a digital electronic device of high technological complexity that has been used to restore hearing function in patients with severe to profound deafness who do not benefit from the use of conventional hearing aids. You can visit the official website, Cochlear Implant Group of the Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (FMUSP).

Geraldo and his family are grateful to God for protection in times of adversity. In December, he told his story to hundreds of worshipers at the church where he attends. The video is available on YouTube and can be accessed here.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s news site