Ed Madrid had big dreams for his family. He and his wife Buen had four children. Ed was a government employee, and Buen worked in a bank. They were able to buy a house and lot in a subdivision; they owned other property, businesses and cars. Their children went to private schools. Life was great! But, all Ed’s dreams were crushed when, in November 2001, Buen was diagnosed with breast cancer, stage 2. She was only 41 years old.
The news was harder on Ed than his wife. He said, “I was shocked and I couldn’t accept it. I was in denial. I was mad at the world but angrier with myself. I was thinking I was working so hard to have a better life and look, my wife got sick! I blamed a lot of people. I projected there would be lots of expenses and we would face hardship in the future. The doctor said they needed to operate on Buen immediately to remove the lump from her breast and it would cost a lot of money. Then she had to undergo 6 sessions of chemotherapy.”
Besides those problems, Ed didn’t know how to tell his children about their mom’s sickness. He didn’t want them to worry but he needed to tell them the truth and how it would affect their future. Ed had to be strong for his family so no matter how hard it was, he gathered his children and told them about their mom’s illness. Ed felt relieved after that. He said, “Di ko akalain na madali nilang matatanggap ‘yung balita. But deep inside me, I was frantic. I lost my appetite. I couldn’t sleep. I became moody, depressed. I worried about where to get money for my wife’s treatment and how to meet my family’s everyday needs. My wife had to quit her job. We had to sell some of our property to cover the cost of my wife’s treatment.”
Ed didn’t know that in this dark phase of his life, the Lord would speak to him. Ed had been a Christian for many years but he was not active in church. He was busy with his career and business but after this happened, he began attending worship services and prayer meetings regularly. He said, “For me, it was a wakeup call. I became more prayerful and His Word became alive to me.
“During those days, the Lord made me realize that He alone could comfort me. By His grace, He gave me the strength to face this trial. I eventually accepted the truth and I’ve learned to entrust everything to God. Naging regular ‘yung family devotion namin. My kids tried to do things to make their mother happy. They spent more time with her. We became closer to each other. “I’m so thankful for the people God inspired to help us financially and emotionally. They helped establish my faith in God. I felt the love of the Lord. I learned to appreciate my loved ones more, and to hold on to the promises of the Lord.
“Unfortunately, in April 2004, my wife’s cancer turned from bad to worse. By that time, we were already prepared to accept whatever was God’s will for my wife. She passed away peacefully on November 2004. Without God’s grace, I think hindi ko kakayanin ‘yung pagkawala niya.”
Ed continues, “Definitely, that was the most difficult day of my life and I learned lessons to last a lifetime. I realized life is short and I just wanted to spend the rest of my life serving and worshiping God. It’s only now na nakita ko yung purpose ni Lord. He equipped me for service. I minister to people now who are experiencing the same thing I experienced.
“I learned Jesus is the only one I can depend on at all times. Sometimes people forget the Lord when everything is going good for them. They forget that everything comes from the Lord, that everything we have is borrowed from God. That’s why we should never put our hopes in our position and possessions. The Bible says, ‘Do not pursue earthly things.’ Don’t wait for God to get your attention. Our goal should be to glorify the Lord in everything that we do.”
