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REAL LIFE MIRACLES
DECLARING FRUITFULNESS IN THE MIDST OF BARRENNESS B Y MA T T H E W C H E N
WHEN AN UNCOMMON MEDICAL CONDITION LEFT MATTHEW AND MIRANDA CHEN UNABLE TO EXPAND THEIR FAMILY, YEARS OF TRYING LEFT THEM ON THE VERGE OF HOPELESSNESS. IT WAS ONLY WHEN THEY SURRENDERED THEIR SITUATION TO GOD DID HE DO THE IMPOSSIBLE.
AN UNCOMMON CONDITION I lived most of my life with a hormone deficiency, which was diagnosed when I was 15. It was not a commonly seen medical condition, occurring in between 1/4,000 and 1/10,000 males. Nobody knew why – it just was. The treatment sounded simple enough – just replace the hormone that I was lacking.
PAINFUL INJECTIONS What followed, however, were years of painful injections (given monthly) with needles so long that I could feel them scraping against my bone. At one point, I got fed up and stopped treatment completely. This left me perpetually tired, pale, and unable to
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keep up with my daily activities. Unable to keep up with my peers, I was even chastised by a teacher for being “lazy.” I was embarrassed by my condition and kept it a secret from almost everyone, apart from my immediate family. I knew the treatment was supposed to be helpful but emotionally, I could not carry on.
A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS My outlook changed when God sent Miranda my way in 2009. She was the first person who made me feel normal – someone I could be completely honest with. I grew to be more accepting of my condition, able to come out of my shell and share with some close friends about what was going on. I also decided to go back to those painful injections.
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2019