GOD TOUCHED STEVEN YONG IN ST ANDREW, SINGAPORE

God Changed My Life 
by Steven Yong 

Read a powerful testimony of how Steven Yong found God in the midst of his personal crises. God healed him from emotional hurts, tailbone injury and a stroke. 


Beginning in April 2010, I was dealt a really raw deal of four blows in my life and it all came within a space of three months. Because of my job, I had to be stationed in China and had been there for 5 years since 2005.

In 2010, just a few days before the Chinese Lunar New Year, I slipped and fell in the toilet. Thinking that it was just a harmless fall, I carried on with my daily life. On the second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, I experienced a very excruciating pain throughout my whole back. As such I could not stand, sit, lie down or squat. I was practically not comfortable in almost any posture. I quickly went to a Chinese physician and he advised me to go to the hospital as he was not sure what had happened to my back.

Upon the physician’s advice, I took a taxi and went to the hospital. Although I had stayed in China for almost 5years, this was my first visit to a hospital. After examining me, the doctor quickly ordered an MRI and X-ray. When the results of the MRI and X-ray were out, the Chinese doctor stated that I was lucky that the tailbone was only bulging out slightly and there were no signs of dislocation or slipped disc. In a worst case scenario, I could have been paralysed.

Immediately, the Chinese doctor gave me injections on both the left and right side of my tailbone. As there was no prescription for any painkillers, I had to start breathing through my mouth because the back pain made it difficult for me to breathe normally. I was given two months of medical leave and was told to lie on a hard bed. On top of all this, it was the winter season and as the air was very dry, I also contracted a cough.

A few days after the injection, I felt that something had gone very wrong as I felt very unwell. Firstly, I was breathless just climbing a flight of stairs. Secondly, my systolic blood pressure was above 230. I was also experiencing sleepless nights due to the continued back pain. However, I did not have any signs of giddiness. I was unable to procure effective painkillers and cough medicines in China to control the back pain and stop the cough respectively. Another blow hit me when my boss decided to terminate my contract as I was going to be “out of action” for two months. However, I was not totally against the termination as I wanted to come back to Singapore to seek medical treatment for my cough and back pain.

Upon arriving in Singapore, I went to consult a doctor for my cough and back pain. After taking the prescribed cough medication for four days, I noticed that my right ankle had swelled. Thinking it might be Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), I went back to consult the doctor. The doctor touched my ankle and asked if there was any pain. I replied in the negative. He suggested that I go to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) or Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for further check-ups. He wrote me a referral letter and asked me to give it to the A & E Department upon arrival.

Upon arrival at TTSH, I gave the referral letter to the doctor in TTSH’s A & E Department. They diagnosed me with heart failure! Upon hearing it, I was in total shock. The test they did on me showed that my heart was then only functioning at about 20% of the maximum levels and I had a systolic blood pressure of above 230! For a normal person, the heart functions at about 90% and the systolic blood pressure is between 120 - 130. My mind was in a turmoil and I was constantly asking myself, “What has happened to cause my heart to fail and for me to have such high blood pressure?”

I stayed in TTSH for five days. Each day, the cardiac specialists would advise me to agree to an angiogram. They wanted to check whether my arteries were blocked. If so, they could then proceed to insert stents into the blocked arteries. I told the heart doctor that I have decided not to proceed with an angiogram and would prefer to have oral medication only. I shared with my doctor that I felt that my heart failure could have been due to the injection that was given to me in China and the high blood pressure could have been a result of not being able to sleep well at night for the last two months. The doctor dismissed my suggestions and said that my spine issues and my heart and high blood pressure were different issues. Upon discharge, I was given aspirins to control my blood pressure along with some other medicines for my heart and cholesterol.

Three days after my discharge from hospital, I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in the morning. It was a real disaster for me as the whole right side of my body was affected. I was not able to feel anything and had become a disabled person! My whole world came crumbling down. I was completely bedridden and had to depend on others, especially my wife, to help me with simple chores. Thoughts of suicide soon came flooding into my mind even though I was making good progress with my physiotherapy. Dreams of achieving success and living a comfortable life were completely shattered.

Two weeks before the St Andrew’s Cathedral Miracle Healing Rally in August 2012, Harry Low, a long-time friend of mine whom I have known since I started my sales career in 1994, invited me to attend the Rally. Harry told me that the church he attends, St Andrew’s Cathedral, was going to organize a Miracle Healing Rally and that he would pray to God and ask Him to heal me from the stroke that I had been suffering for more than two and a half years. Being an atheist, I did not believe that there was such a thing called miracles. I had always told my friends to respect my decision. I did not like to be forced into believing something that I simply did not have any faith in at all. Once, in the past, I had said to Harry, “Do you remember the year 2000? I had a freak accident in Malaysia. On the way back to Singapore, I completely lost control of the car. I released the steering wheel and said to God, ‘Tonight is the night you decide whether I live or die, as I’m no longer in control of the car and my own destiny.’” “Miraculously,” I told Harry, “God saved me and gave me a second life.” After that, I went the church in Yishun which Harry used to attend, but after 2 sessions, I left, and carried on to lead an atheist’s life. This time when Harry asked me to attend the Rally I reluctantly agreed to go along. This was because I had attended many church gatherings before and there was never any impact on me spiritually, emotionally or physically.

However, on 17th Aug 2012, I decided to come to the St Andrew’s Cathedral Miracle Healing Rally with a very open mind. Just when I was outside the St Andrew’s Cathedral Welcome Centre, I could feel the presence of a very strange power. It was a power beyond description and I had never ever felt this kind of force in my life. I had to tell my wife about this strange power because I could not control myself and tears were simply rolling down my cheeks.

Inside the Cathedral New Sanctuary (CNS), my wife and I were looking for a place to sit. As we were early, we decided to sit in the centre of the hall by one of the aisles. Harry told me that when the Rally starts, Pastor Peter Truong would ask for those who wanted to be healed to go forward and that I could go forward as and when I had the urge to seek God’s help. During the Rally, I decided to sit and watch. In the middle of the Rally, Pastor Peter Truong walked up the flight of stairs and randomly approached those who did not go forward to seek healing.

Suddenly, Pastor Truong stopped at my side and placed his left hand on my heart. He was praying for the healing of my emotions instead of my stroke! God knew everything I felt! Immediately, tears just flowed freely from my eyes as I could feel God’s power for the first time. God knew where I was really hurting! I had never even told Harry that I had emotional problems. I had suffered depression and had suicidal ideas many times as I was very deeply hurt.

The wonderful thing is that God’s healing power can still be felt in me even today! God is very kind and gracious for giving me a third life. For the record, my tailbone injury has fully recovered. My heart function has recovered to more than 70% from about 20%. My systolic blood pressure is now within 120 and my cholesterol level is at the best it has ever been. I have also had great test readings in other areas. As for my stroke, I have had about a 90% recovery and am able to walk and write this testimony of God’s great love that has been showered upon me. I feel very blessed and I now attend Sunday church Services. I want to be a strong Christian and to remain faithfully committed to His calling.