Testimony of Faith - Alex Diaz

BROTHER ALEX DIAZ’S DELIVERANCE FROM DEATH

EDITOR’S NOTE: One year ago, Brother Alex Diaz was involved in a near fatal car accident that astonished the first responders by how he was still alive when they came on the scene. Alex was driving west on Highway 120 to Kimball High School in Tracy, CA, where he teaches chemistry. The morning of April 4 was clear and sunny, however, there was traffic congestion ahead on the four lane highway, and Alex stopped in the left lane. Behind him was a fast moving truck in the right lane hauling a one ton barrel of irrigation water. The driver was not licensed to haul this much of a load, he already had numerous citations for non-compliance, and this morning he had ineptly hitched the trailer for such a heavy load. He saw the stopped traffic ahead and slammed on his brakes, but as he passed Alex on his right, the trailer jackknifed into the left lane, slamming into Alex’s vehicle from behind. The truck driver tried to overcorrect, causing his truck to detach from the trailer. The impact and detachment of the trailer from the truck took Alex’s vehicle into the medium with it. Alex’s car and the trailer rolled three times into a twisted mess of metal. The sunroof of Alex’s vehicle shattered and Alex’s body was pushed through it. Now read on to see the power of Christ’s protection for His saints.

SUJEY - A DREADED PHONE CALL

Sister Sujey was asleep when her middle child, Natalie, woke her up holding the phone. “Mom,” she said, “a man is on the phone and said Dad’s been in an accident.” As Sujey listened carefully to each detail. Her husband, Alex, who had been on the way to work, had been in a severe car accident on Highway 120. The ambulance was on the scene, and they were taking Alex to General Hospital in Stockton. “OK, Faith,” she thought, I need you to show up right now.” She gathered her daughters in the living room, and they knelt

and prayed.

When they got to the hospital, they had to wait anxiously for a long time until three nurses came out and explained Alex’s injuries. “Not much of what they said was coming through to me after I heard the words brain surgery,” said Sujey. “My head started to spin, and I felt faint.” She was told the doctors had to remove a part of Alex’s skull in order to release pressure from his brain and allow for drainage. The surgeon who operated on him was just finishing up on another patient. Miraculously, this surgeon was available as he resides in Sacramento, and is only at that hospital a few days a month. “He did an outstanding job,” said Sujey, and I thank God he was there and God used him to help my husband.”

During the surgery, Pastor Johnson called and asked how she was doing. “I wanted to say I am OK, but I told him I am absolutely terrified,.” As she cried, Pastor Johnson began to pray and quote scriptures. “I literally felt fear leave my body,” she recalled.

The Johnsons arrived as quickly as they could, and the doctor spoke to Sister Kim Johnson who asked the pertinent questions on behalf of Sister Sujey. Afterwards, Sister Sujey was so grateful. Sujey was told that since the trauma was in the left side of the brain, it would possibly affect Alex’s speech, his speech comprehension, and he would have difficulty swallowing and much more. She rebuked this prediction, and prayed against it. She was determined to believe that God was going to do a complete healing.

When she and Pastor Johnson finally saw her husband after his surgery, she was shocked to see his head and his whole body swollen about four times his size. “I told God and myself,” she said, “that no matter what happens, he is in Your hands, and I am ready to accept whatever comes our way.”

Sujey found out later from a police officer that when the first responder who arrived at the scene walked over to the center divider where the car had landed, he was taken aback as he saw a bleeding head talking, but he couldn’t figure out where the rest of the body was in the smashed vehicle. Alex’s head was sticking out through the sunroof. Most of the damage was on the driver’s side of the car, but somehow God protected Alex. They had to use the Jaws of Life to cut the car open to pull him out. The whole time, Alex was conscious and talking. One of the ICU nurses later told Sujey, she was impressed at how calm Alex was in the middle of this traumatic experience.

ALEX - A MIRACULOUS RECOVERY!

I don’t remember that day. I remember planning on getting to work earlier that day. The accident or anything that happened is absent from my memory. The only thing I can remember is hearing the men outside my car saying “We’re going to get you out.” After that, I was in the hospital. I saw my wife, Sujey, and sister-in-law, Jeannette. I have other memories of people visiting and coming in and out. Co-workers, friends, and family all came to support and pray for me. Ray and Jen Espinosa were some of the first people to come to

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the hospital.

It was hard to sleep in the hospital with nurses and doctors coming in and out. My room felt so small and I would hallucinate during the night. My wife was there all the time. One time in particular, I remember her washing my body with wipes as a way to bathe me. She was always there. Once, my brother and sister-in-law came to visit me at the hospital. Sujey and her cousin went out to eat so it was just me and my brother in-law, who didn’t speak English. I needed something and he had no idea what I was saying, so he just ran out and brought the nurses like it was an emergency. I just had to go to the bathroom.

While I was in the hospital I never felt upset or surprised. I never thought “why me” or asked God why I was in this situation. I never felt like I was going to die. God kept that from my mind. I knew I had to take it one day at a time.

I have faint memories of family and people of the church coming to see me. My dad and Uncle Pete came to see me. My in-laws, Jeannette and Josh Aguilera, were always there with me.

During this time I was barely aware of everything around me, but I heard someone speaking in tongues. Even though I couldn’t process too much information, my brain was able to process what I was hearing. I knew that I needed more of that.

Somewhere along the line, I would use a whiteboard to communicate. The first thing I wrote was “pastor”. Being in that hospital bed I knew I needed my pastor to be there. He soon arrived to pray with me. I also remember telling Sujey to cancel my summer school job. She told me I was overly concerned, and I needed to focus on getting healthy.

Eventually, I tried to get out of bed for the first time. My brothers Rick, Carlos, and Phil, were trying to get me out of the bed to sit in a chair, but I had no strength in my legs. I told them to put me back in the bed because I didn’t have enough strength to sit. Another time, a physical therapist got me out of bed, and I was able to walk. I walked around my hospital room and the halls. My wife and nephew recorded me as I walked. They saw more of the miracle than I did. I was just focusing on each step.

I remember Sujey saying that it would be nice if we went to Easter service. At that time, Easter was three days away, and I wasn’t feeling well. I thought, there is no way I’ll be out of the hospital in time for that. But they checked us out. They put me in my wheelchair, and I knew I was going to go home. It was just Sujey and I driving from Sacramento. It was a long drive, and all I did was stare out of the window. I thought to myself, “I’m finally going home. What’s next?”

We made it to Easter service. It was Resurrection Sunday, and I wanted to be there. I woke up and Sujey dressed me, and my girls tied my shoes. I did not have my glasses, and I felt like I was looking through a fishbowl.

Entering into the church, the first person I saw was Elder Hunt. I also remember Brother Athol always being there. He would run to where I was every service to guide me to my seat.

When we arrived on Easter Sunday, I knew I wanted to go to the pulpit, to that sacred, holy place. I just wanted to be there for a moment. I wanted to pray and thank God for allowing me to be there. I wanted everyone to see my miracle. We always hear about it and read about it, but I wanted everyone to see what God had done.

In the hospital, you can’t worship and you can’t praise. It is taken away from you. So I didn’t want to sit. I wanted to worship and praise and be thankful. It took most of my energy, but I walked down from the balcony and made my way to the altar. I raised my hands and just began to worship. Any movement I was able to give to God, I gave to Him.

April was a really hard month. Not only due to the accident, but the recovery process as well. Any abrupt motion would cause dizziness and vertigo. Josh brought me a recliner chair which helped. My days would start late. Sujey would cook breakfast every day, and I would eat and then sit in the recliner and sleep for the rest of the day. I would wake up for doctor’s appointments and meetings. Therapists and nurses would come to my house and test me.

The worst part of my day was going to sleep in my bed. As soon as I tried to lay down, my head would pound, and I would become dizzy. Sometimes, I would just lay there, not being able to sleep. I couldn’t move by myself, so I would just lay there.

In the morning, Sujey would grab my body and move me into a sitting position because I couldn’t do it myself. Out of all the nurses I had, she was the best.

One nurse came to see me and, based on my records, assumed I would be in really bad shape. As she was talking to me, she could see that I still had function and ability. She was amazed. She had prepared tests for me to take but after seeing my status, she put the tests away. She never had to come back.

During this time I had so much support from everyone. Jeannette and Josh Aguilera would come and help my wife with cleaning and cooking. My sister, Cindy and her family also came to visit.

I didn’t have my glasses so I would just stare into space. When I was healing, I felt like I was in a different moment of time. It was like God was really close to me. I had no visual perception of the world around me. It was just God and I. Constantly, I would dwell on God and just ponder on His greatness. I would pray for Him to restore me.

Throughout the summer I healed. I knew I wanted to go back to work teaching high school chemistry in August. In July, I had my final surgery where the surgeon placed a plate in my head and added staples. I even attended a teacher in-service. Over the weekend, they removed the staples, and I was able to go back to school. In the beginning of the school year, I was on medication. It was tough and tiring, but I was glad to be back.

This was definitely an experience for me and my family. It showed me how God is always there. He protected me and healed me. I felt like we were prepared for this journey. My wife and I spent time praying and seeking God. We were not scared. I knew Sujey was a praying woman, and I could count on her. This period of time brought me back to our wedding vows. For better or for worse. Till death do us part. We were living these vows.

I see pictures of my car and there is no way someone should have survived that accident, but God had favor on me. They cut me out of the car, and I was able to go to the hospital and heal. He has allowed me to be here, go to work, to walk, and to talk, be here for my girls, and attend church. It is amazing how God has restored me. The devil wanted to take everything away from us, but not this time.

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More Photos of God’s Miraculous Deliverance and Healing for Alex Diaz

First responders working to free Alex from his car. They had to use the Jaws of Life to extract him from the wreckage. After flipping several times, his car landed upright with Alex’s pummeled and bloody head poking out through the smashed sunroof.

Alex’s mangled car.

Photos of Alex after the accident. A portion of his skull had to be removed to release the pressure on his swollen brain tissue. The doctors were concerned that he would have lasting cognitive as well as speech impairment.

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Brother and Sister Diaz rejoice for God’s great healing power at last year’s Easter service.

Left: Bishop Keyes, Josh Aguilera, and Sujey pray for Alex, along with the entire congregation. Right: Sister Keyes gives Sujey a hug as the church rallies around Alex, thanking God for his miraculous healing!

Above left: As Alex was unable to speak at first due to being on a respirator, he was provided a whiteboard to communicate. The first thing he wrote was “Pastor.” He said, “I knew I needed my pastor to be there.” Above right: Missed by his students, they created a get well poster with personal notes of encouragement.

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