It began with just forgetfulness.

On a drive in Malaysia, Raymond Wong would try to move off without releasing the car’s handbrakes.

When told to take the exit on the left while on the highway, he had to think hard about which way left was.

“I thought maybe it was due to age that he was starting to forget things,” said his wife, Jazemine.

Raymond and Jazemine (right) with friends in Kuala Lumpur.

That was two years ago when both were 63.

But when Raymond suddenly could not lift up his left leg to walk while they were at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the couple became concerned.

“It was like jelly legs. I had to hold him up and look for a doctor in the airport to confirm that he was fit to fly home,” said Jazemine.

They managed to get on the flight. The next day, they went to see a general practitioner who suspected that Raymond had had a mild stroke. The doctor referred Raymond to the hospital.

It took a whole day before they managed to get Raymond a slot for an MRI scan. Then came the bad news: There was a tumour in his brain, and white spots in his lungs.

The bad news   

The diagnosis was Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastasis.

The tumour in his brain, which measured about 5cm, was pressing on the area responsible for memories. To save Raymond’s memory, an immediate operation was required.

Said Jazemine: “It was going to be a complicated, high-risk surgery. Worse is if it touches a nerve near the part of the brain that takes care of memories. Then there would be loss of memory.”

When their children – a 32-year-old daughter living in Korea and a 22-year-old son studying in the United Kingdom – video-called Raymond, he could recognise them but could not remember their names.

Their daughter (centre with baby) could not come home to be with Raymond because she had just had a baby when Raymond needed surgery.

The Wongs told their son, who was studying abroad at the time, not to come home for the procedure.

While Jazemine is typically a self-described “kancheong spider” (an anxious person), she felt surprisingly calm about the news.

It was only the night before the operation that she finally broke down.

She recalled: “I really cried out to the Lord. I tussled with God, ‘Why did this happen?’”

Not alone

That was when Jazemine recalled God’s goodness to them over the years.

Back in 1998, she had been retrenched at the peak of her career. Though shaken, she and Raymond prayed in faith for God’s providence. She later received five job offers.

In March 2008, she was sent to work in Singapore. The family moved with her from their home in Malaysia, and Raymond gave up his job to care for their children.

Within months of their move, the Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy, sending the world into a financial tailspin. Jazemine, now the sole breadwinner, feared for their family’s livelihood. But her job remained secure.

Even in their current ordeal, God’s goodness was already evident.

With both her children abroad, Jazemine would have been alone at the time of the operation. But coincidentally, her niece was sent to Singapore for a week-long meeting. Her nephew also returned for a business meeting. She had family around her.

Christian friends who knew of Raymond’s condition also sent her verses to bring her comfort.

The Wongs’ friends from church, Covenant Evangelical Free Church (Woodlands), gathering to pray for Raymond’s surgery after the worship service.

“It is important when we are in crisis to learn to cling to Him. When you read the verses, you really, really feel your faith strengthened,” said Jazemine.

In fact, their prayer support extended well beyond Singapore.

Shortly before the discovery of Raymond’s cancer, the Wongs had traveled to Canada for a reunion to reconnect with friends Jazemine had made during her Christian Fellowship days there some 40 years earlier.

They came from all over the world – Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the United States and Malaysia. When Raymond was hospitalised, Jazemine asked all of them to pray for her husband. 

Raymond and Jazemine (right) at the meet-up in Canada. These friends from all over the world ended up being their prayer warriors.

When Raymond was in hospital, cell group friends also brought Jazemine food and ordered ride-sharing cars for her commutes.

Close friends visiting Raymond before the surgery.

A new friend from their cell group also happened to work at the hospital. Her office was in the same area as the operating theatre, and she and Jazemine managed to meet on the morning of Raymond’s operation to pray together.

The Wongs and their cell group friend met at 7.30am on the morning of the surgery to pray for Raymond.

Jazemine knew she was not alone.

“At the end of the night, I calmed down because I knew it is in God’s hands,” she said.

The Lord who heals  

The keyhole surgery took eight hours. Raymond regained consciousness just one hour after the procedure. Daily radiation therapy followed for the next five days.

Raymond was awake just one hour after the brain surgery.

“It was just five minutes each time. I didn’t feel anything,” said Raymond.

While the tumour in his brain was successfully removed, there was still cancer in his lungs. Raymond neither smoked nor drank. How did he end up with lung cancer? A PET scan revealed that it was simply the way his cells mutated – a phenomenon common among Asians.

Raymond was prescribed medication to inhibit the mutation. Within three months, the tumour in his lung shrank from 3cm to 2cm. Almost 10 months in, the tumour is now 1cm. No new growths have also been detected.

His memory also slowly returned. It is now almost what it used to be.

Strange dreams

Weeks after the operation, Jazemine found out that her husband had been rescued from more than his physical afflictions.

For a few nights before his brain operation, Raymond had experienced interrupted sleep and strange dreams, something that the couple think might be spiritual attacks.

“I dreamt of a religious person of another religion who always said, ‘Join me, join me.’ There was also another dream of a church and a pastor asking me to join them,” recalled Raymond.

“I didn’t tell my wife because I didn’t want to get her worried.”

The Wongs in Vancouver, Canada in 2023.

The day before the operation, Jazemine brought Raymond an audio Bible to listen to and also offered to play him some Christian music. He rejected both her offers.

Jazemine found it strange. That was uncharacteristic of Raymond, a long-time Christian and cell group leader.

Even after he came home from the hospital, Raymond remained resistant. When she tried to understand his reluctance, he finally told her about the recurrent dreams he had had in the hospital.

They decided to pray and renounce whatever influence the dreams may have had over Raymond. After the prayer, he returned to normal.

“When we are weak, things can happen. But you can see our God is stronger. He can help us to fight back,” said Jazemine.

A testimony to tell

Though the entire episode remains hazy for Raymond, one memory stands out.

“For many days in the hospital I would look out of the window and see a tree. One day before I was discharged, I was looking out of the window,” he said.

“That day, I saw a bird on the tree. It was colourful. It just sat in the tree looking at me. For many hours, it rested there. I believe God must have sent it there to give me comfort.”

The entire experience – physical and spiritual – has impacted the couple’s faith.

Jazemine and Raymond in South Korea in 2024.

“This has been a faith journey that the two of us have gone through,” said Jazemine.

“This is really a personal encounter. When nothing hits you, you just read the verse. When you are down in the valley, you really cling to His promises.”

Verses about God as a rock and refuge (Psalm 18:2-12), a restorer of health and a healer (Jeremiah 30:17, Jeremiah 17:14) and a protector (Psalm 91:1-4) have become all the more real to them.

Jazemine had also set up a WhatsApp chat group to update family and friends on Raymond’s condition. This channel has become a platform for the couple to share God’s Word with their pre-believing loved ones.

“Now when I update my relatives, I send a song, a verse and God is in the family chat whether they are Christian or not,” said Raymond.

“I always believe that God allows such things so that in the future I can share the experience with those who are going through the same situation as me.

“I’ve become more bold in sharing the gospel and God’s mercy. Now I have my own story to tell, my own testimony.”

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