Amanda’s Testimony

In 2019 I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which means that I have periods of time where there is inflammation in my colon, also known as my large intestines. People with ulcerative colitis experience symptoms such as diarrhoea, bleeding, weight loss, fatigue, stomach pain, etc.

Over the years I have managed my UC mostly through lifestyle changes. This approach kept my symptoms under control, with only minor flare-ups that typically lasted about a week.

In the beginning of December 2024, I started experiencing symptoms of my ulcerative colitis. I wasn’t aware at the time that this would be a very severe flare-up. I took some medication, which I had to stop taking due to it making me very nauseous. As I waited to see the GP, my symptoms progressively worsened. I felt weak. I was also losing a lot of blood. I wasn’t able to eat and I ended up losing a lot of weight. I wasn’t able to go to work. I wasn’t even able to participate in Corbyn’s birthday on 14 December. During this time, I was prayerfully reflecting on whether or not I had unknowingly opened a door to be attacked or if I still held unforgiveness. The holy spirit did not reveal anything to me. I still kept praying – specifically for healing and for revelation if anything was there that I wasn’t aware of it. I was quite anxious though during this time and my mind was filled with worry. However, I wasn’t consciously aware of this at the time. An appointment finally opened up to see the GP, which I booked immediately. However, the severity of my condition was unfortunately dismissed, and I was advised to wait until February 2025 for my annual gastro consultation at the hospital. The GP prescribed me medication, but I had an adverse reaction to it where I was vomiting in the night.

The evening on the following day after my appointment with the GP, Jeff took me to the hospital. When Jeff was talking to the administrating nurses in the emergency room, the nurses were shocked that I hadn't been referred sooner and admitted me in less than 15 minutes. By God's grace, I was admitted so quickly. About an hour after I was admitted, Jeff went out to the emergency room and saw it was completely full. If I had come to the hospital an hour later, I would have been in a long queue. This experience reminds me of Psalm 31:15, which says, "My times are in your hands”. Truly, God's timing is perfect.

Upon being admitted, an x-ray of my colon and bloods were ordered immediately. The x-ray revealed that my colon was about to rupture. My inflammation marker in my blood, known as the C-reactive protein (CRP), was alarmingly high, over 200. A normal CRP level is less than 5. A sigmoidoscopy was ordered too, which revealed extreme inflammation, with a Mayo score of 3. [show Mayo scores???]

The Mayo score is an index used to assess the severity of ulcerative colitis, ranging from 0 to 3. A score of 3 indicates severe disease with spontaneous bleeding and ulceration.

Here are the photos of my colon while I was in the hospital. You can see that there is widespread inflammation in a continuous pattern throughout, black spots, deep ulcerations, and widespread mucosal loss. My colon looks like it is dying.

While in the hospital, the doctor created a plan. Step 1: Start with intravenous steroids given every 6 hours. This had 3 days to reduce my inflammation. If that hadn’t happened, then step 2 was to give me a drug intravenously called infliximab. Infliximab would have 2 days to work. If that didn’t work, then we would enter step 3, and my colon would be removed.

By day 3, my inflammation marker in my blood wasn’t low enough and I was still experiencing too many symptoms of my UC. Consequently, Jeff and I had many conversations with the surgeons in the event that my colon needed to be removed. The doctor made the decision to enter step 2, but it was delayed. Before step 2 was enacted, several people from the 2pm service came and we prayed together. I was then given the infliximab drug. By God's grace, my colon began to show signs of healing, and I did not need surgery. 1 Peter 5:10 reminds me of God’s grace in suffering: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast”. The bleeding stopped after a few days in the hospital. Step 3 never came to be and after being in the hospital for a week I was able to leave the hospital in the afternoon on Christmas Day.

During this challenging time, several people from the 2pm service and some folks from the 10am service visited me in the hospital. They provided support, prayer, and comfort, and members of the 2pm service even made dinners for Jeff and the kids. This act of kindness and community is beautifully reflected in Matthew 25:35-40, which says, “for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…I was sick and you looked after me”. Thank you so much for looking after us. I am very grateful to all of you.

Before being visited by people from the 2pm service, I realised that I had slipped into old thinking habits of being consumed by worry, anxiety, and fear. I remember while in the hospital being confused because I just got into the clinical psychology programme at UC. Something I had been patiently waiting for quite some time. I was worried about how this experience I just shared was going to impact on that – the potential of losing my colon, recovery from major surgery, and the massive lack of energy that I was facing. It also didn’t make sense to me for God to allow me to get into this programme and then me not be able to do it. Then, I came to the realisation “crap, I’ve done it again! I’m worrying and focused on the situation and took my eyes off of God.” So I prayed for forgiveness about my worry and taking my eyes off God. I also remember praying about forgiving a particular person who hurt me, to forgive my parents who were very much absent during this time, and my doctor who dismissed me because God’s word says that if I forgive others, he will forgive me. I rebuked the anxiety, fear, and worry. I also prayed for peace about the situation. Before step 2 happened, I got the sense that I wasn’t going to lose my colon and that everything would be fine with the clinical psychology programme. I felt like peace had returned to me and let me tell ya, it’s a beautiful feeling. I was reminded of God’s promises of healing from Exodus 15:26. “He said, If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you”. Psalms 103:2-3 also states, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases”. Y’all God is very much alive and active, and he heard everyone’s prayers, including my own prayers of forgiveness. My colon still being in my body is a testament to the power of God’s healing powers and that He is in control. One thing I did remember from last time when my chronic pain came back was to not be so hard on myself afterwards and to forgive myself in the process. So refinement and growth has occurred, which is encouraging for me to continue with my faith and constantly remind myself to rely on God and to check in on my thoughts and feelings before they get away from me, especially those related to worry, anxiety, and fear. It’s also a good reminder to acknowledge that without abiding in God, I can’t bear any fruit.

Over the last few months, I have been diligently working on completing my Clinical Psychology program at the University of Canterbury. Despite the challenges I faced, my energy levels have almost returned to normal, allowing me to engage in my studies. This journey has been a testament to God's healing power and faithfulness. I am grateful for the strength and resilience He has given me to persevere and to pursue becoming a clinical psychologist, so I can help God’s people. Being in this programme hasn’t been without anxiety. Also, during this time, I’ve received infusions of medicine at the hospital. Again, this hasn’t been without anxiety as I have a fear of needles. Regularly while praying, I have to bring my anxieties and stresses to God because his word says to not be anxious but to come to him with everything and thanksgiving. I am learning to lean into God, and surrender my anxiety, fear, and worry to him, and trust him particularly when I am weak because he is strong; He is the vine and I am the branch and I can’t do anything without him. The bible also says for all who are weary and burdened to come to him and he will give us rest.

Recently, I had a colonoscopy, and it showed no inflammation in my colon:

Here are the photos from my recent colonoscopy. As you can see, there is a massive difference from the images taken in December. Here my mayo score is 0, which indicates no active diseases! There’s zero inflammation. The ulcers are gone! The black spots are gone! My colon looks healthy. Isn’t God amazing! Praise God for His healing power, as Jeremiah 30:17 says, "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD".

Often times I wonder why God doesn’t just heal us or answer some prayers immediately. I’m convinced there is so much growth that happens during the waiting period. Without the waiting period, we wouldn’t likely change any of our habits or thought processes. There would be no need to rely on God. There’s would also be no refinement. God is the potter and I am the clay. He is refining me and making me who he wants me to be. As for why God doesn’t just heal everything all at once, it’s because God wants life-long change and he is teaching me the importance of relying on him in everything – which I have been hearing this and then enacting this a bit slowly because surrendering control can be scary. He is also trying to teach me the importance of not worrying and that when I start down that path, I lose his peace. As you can see and hear, the change in my condition is remarkable. In fact, it’s a miracle that only God could deliver. Maybe the storms or challenges we face are actually a divine step to render us speechless at God’s almighty power, acknowledgment that God is in control, and reminders that somewhere along the journey you’ve fallen short where forgiveness needs to occur, leading us to his promise of restoration and transformation. I don’t know exactly which prayer God used to heal me, or whether it was through the medicine that he brought healing. But one thing I do know, we need to keep walking in his way. Even if we stumble or fail, when we bounce back, confess, repent, and turn to his truth in how we think and act, he shows us boundless mercy and restores us.