I am Juliana Kyung-Rim Chung and belong to the Suknam-dong Parish in the Inchon Diocese in Korea. I have one daughter and one son. I would like to give testimony to a miraculous restoration of health to my son, who had been given up on by his doctors. While he was drinking milk during lunch time at school, some of the milk went down his bronchial tube, making him unable to breathe for a long time. Doctors had given up hope on him, but he recovered after drinking the water from Naju.

On December 14, 1999, I was told on the phone by one of my son’s teachers that my son, Sehyun, a second grader, had collapsed. He gave me the name of the hospital where my son was. I was out of my mind, but managed to arrive at the hospital. My son was being carried into an ambulance to be moved to a larger hospital. He had some hoses in his nostrils. His eyes were open, but were not moving at all.

I became aware of the possibility of losing my son. When I called my husband and told him, he did not believe it, saying, "Don’t play a joke like that on me!" The ambulance arrived at the largest hospital in Inchon. The doctor and nurse who came with my son in the ambulance told the doctors at the larger hospital that my son had been "dead" even before his arrival at their hospital. Overhearing this, I felt as if the sky were falling down on me and as if I were walking toward hell. In the emergency room, they treated my son with electric shocks repeatedly, but there was no response. There were no readings on the computer screen, either. He was medically dead. However, I did not give up and, together with my husband and my son’s teacher, was anxiously awaiting the result of further examinations.

At about 6 p.m., the doctor came out and asked me if I had other children. He said that I had better give up. Hearing this, everything became dark. I could not see anything. I began crying loudly. I pleaded with the doctors to keep my son alive. The doctors had already given up on my son, but, because of my insistence, they connected some life-sustaining equipment to my son, inserting two hoses into my son’s nostrils and three hoses into his mouth. At about 7 p.m., they moved him to an intensive care unit next to the morgue. This unit, however, was a special kind of intensive care unit where patients who had no hope for recovery were placed. There, patients were kept alive only by artificial means. It was only a waiting room before going to the morgue. Some of the patients were making rattling noises in their throats. Hospital workers repeatedly moved dead patients to the morgue. I had never seen so many dead people. I was not scared, because the only thought that occupied my mind was my son’s recovery. At first I had been overwhelmed by sadness and despair, but it was gradually turning into more resolve and hope for my son’s recovery. It was a bitter fight with death. I could not eat anything.

Two days later, on December 16, a lay leader in my parish who had been to Naju several times brought holy water and a 1.8 liter bottle containing the miraculous water from Naju. He sprayed the holy water on and around my son and poured a small quantity of the miraculous water into his mouth while he was still unconscious. He drank the water, however, without spilling any. It was a miracle! It was truly a miracle! I saw him drink the water without spilling any of it. My husband came and held Sehyun’s hand and said, "If you know it is Daddy, hold my hand tightly." Then, Sehyun did hold his father’s hand with some grip for a while. "Oh, my son is alive again!" I thanked the Lord and the Blessed Mother of Naju.

The next day, I went to the intensive care unit together with my husband, and we were told by the nurse that our son’s condition had improved somewhat. We frequently gave him the water from Naju and prayed. In the afternoon, I was overjoyed when I heard Sehyun say he was hungry. It was like a dream! The nurse brought some porridge. Who can understand the joy in the heart of a mother who feeds porridge to her son who had been "dead"? The doctors were also amazed not only by the restoration of my son’s vital signs but also by his fast recovery. They said that they had no medical explanation.

On December 20, Sehyun was out of danger and out of the intensive care unit. He was now given ordinary food instead of porridge. After meals and when taking medicine, he was given the miraculous water from Naju.

On December 25, Christmas Day, he was discharged from the hospital. Immediately, we went to the church. In the church, children were having a Christmas carol concert. Our daughter played the violin and sang in the choir. Sehyun was happy to see all this, smiling all the time. Many of the parishioners came and congratulated Sehyun.

The Pastor also came and said, "It is significant that you were dead for three days and, then, were discharged from the hospital on Christmas." The doctor and nurse at the smaller hospital, where Sehyun had been treated first, were also amazed and congratulated Sehyun.

After Sehyun’s recovery, he developed an allergy as an aftereffect of the incident. He scratched himself a lot at night. So, I took Sehyun to Naju on the First Saturday in April. On the way back, after attending the overnight prayer meeting, Sehyun said that he had never prayed that much. I was happy about the way he was thinking. He also said, "People go to Naju for surgery in their hearts. Through this surgery they can get rid of all the bad things in their hearts and have only the good things in their hearts." After the trip, his condition improved much, and he has been sleeping well at night.

After my son’s recovery, I myself have also changed. Before, I had been reluctant to do any work in the parish, but now I have a more positive attitude, saying, "Lord, if it is Your Will, use me as your instrument." My husband had been missing Sunday Masses when he was busy with his work. Now, he not only does not miss Sunday Masses but also goes to early-morning Masses on weekdays. He also prays before driving.

Juliana Kyung-Rim Chung
Inchon, Korea
April 10, 2000

—From Mary's Touch, May 2000 Newsletter