By RICHARD WEBBER
Eleven years ago, Donna Ferguson was close to death. Hours after giving birth to her fourth child, Jessica, she began haemorrhaging and fell unconscious. Her condition deteriorated rapidly until, suddenly, a voice urged her to summon help. Donna believes her guardian angel saved her life that night.
Now 40, Donna lives with her partner, Gary, and five children, Natasha, 23, Adam, 21, Rebecca, 15, Jessica, 11, and Kalen, five, in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. Jessica was born at 3pm on 15 June 1998 in a hospital in Lisburn, County Antrim. It had been a normal pregnancy with no complications, but after the birth I started feeling extremely tired and dizzy. Like all women who have just given birth, I was losing blood, although, in hindsight, I realise that it was more than I’d lost with my previous children. Although, I didn’t worry unduly, what I didn’t realise was that I was haemorrhaging.
That evening, my partner, Gary, and friend, Shirley, came to visit me in hospital. As I sat on the bed, unable to move because I was so tired, I started to feel as though I was going to pass out. ’I was haemorrhaging in my sleep. A voice kept telling me to wake up and alert the nurses. The doctor said if I’d lost any more blood, I wouldn’t have survived’ Shirley got a nurse to examine me, and she thought I looked peaky. Because I was so tired, she took Jessica to the nursery so that I could get a good night’s sleep before the doctor saw me the following day during his rounds.
By the time Gary and Shirley left, I could barely stay awake. I drifted into a deep sleep until around 2am, when I began hearing a voice. ’Wake up, wake up!’ it kept saying, softly. I didn’t want to and tried desperately to ignore it, telling myself, ‘I can’t wake up, I’m so tired. I need to sleep.’ But the voice – which remained at the same pitch and tone – was persistent, determined to shake me out of unconsciousness. It never got angry, remaining calm as it repeatedly told me to wake up. This time, though, it also told me to press the alarm. I didn’t even know there was an alarm. Still I couldn’t open my eyes, but managed to find enough strength to lift my arm. Feeling a wire hanging next to me, I pressed the button. Fortunately, it was the alarm, which alerted the nurses.
Next thing I remember was the light being switched on as a nurse rushed into my room. I was lying in a pool of blood and soon there were three nurses and a doctor crowded around my bed. There was a commotion as they tried desperately to keep me awake. I remember telling one of the nurses that I’d been woken by someone. As they wheeled me down to theatre, I was very weak but, again, mumbled that a voice had woken me up. That was all I remember, until arriving back in my ward room, by which time a very distraught Gary had arrived. I don’t know how much blood I’d lost, but I needed an urgent transfusion. I discovered later that a large part of the placenta had been left in the uterus, which was still contracting and pumping out blood to try to get rid of it. I didn’t know how close I was to death until the doctor saw me the following morning. He said I’d been very lucky, admitting that he’d never seen anyone looking so grey and unwell who was still alive. I told the doctor that someone had woken me, although I couldn’t tell if it was a woman’s or a man’s voice, and he said it must have been my guardian angel, because if I’d lost much more blood, I wouldn’t have survived.
Lying in my hospital bed, reflecting on the ordeal, it suddenly hit me that being so close to death, the voice must have been sent for a reason. I wasn’t meant to die that night. As the doctor had suggested, it must have been my guardian angel. That wasn’t my only experience with an angel. Three years after my hospital experience, I’d become very worried about a family member, for whom everything was going wrong in their life. I was lying in bed one night, tossing and turning; I wanted to help them out of their difficulty but couldn’t see how. Suddenly, a small golden ball of light appeared in front of me, floating in mid-air about two feet away. I couldn’t work out what it was, so looked out of the window to check if something was shining through the glass – perhaps the headlights of a passing car. But everything was peaceful outside. Slowly, I raised my hand to touch it but it dispersed into little bits and was gone. Although I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it made me feel so calm that I knew it must have been my guardian angel again. Putting me at ease, I knew from that moment on that everything was going to be OK for my relative – and it was.
I’d always been open-minded about things like angels, but since that awful night in hospital, I’m convinced they exist. Having gone through that ordeal, I determined to find out more. I’ve read many books about people who’ve been helped by angels. Now, if ever I’m worried about the children, such as when they’re taking exams, I’ve asked for an angel to give encouragement and make them feel relaxed. My close friends and family believe, too, because they know I’m not the type of person to make up such things. Coming so close to dying has made me value life much more. It has made me realise what I would have missed out on if that determined voice hadn’t woken me. I’ve re-evaluated my life, and materialistic things and career aspirations aren’t important anymore. What is important is being around for my family. Thinking of the kids growing up without me, which could easily have happened, brings tears to my eyes. So being here with them is the most important thing now. I’ve always been a stay-at-home mum, but I started doing voluntary work after coming out of hospital, which led to me completing two counselling courses. When my youngest is settled in school, perhaps I’ll work part-time in this field because I have a desire to help others.
We never know how long we’ve got left in this world, and I want to value each day with my family and friends, and help people live their lives in happiness, if possible.
Originally posted: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1233189/It-happened-My-guardian-angel-saved-life.html#ixzz0Yqe0LRPH
