June 15, 2010
As told to Janice Greenfield, serving at Lion of Judah (Alliance) Church in Guadalajara, Mexico
Rodrigo Perez, a 24-year-old recent graduate from Monterrey Technical School, arrived in Guadalajara looking for work. A believer, Rodrigo visited the Lion of Judah (Alliance) Church, not knowing that he would find old family friends worshipping there as well. A short time later, he found a good job and rented an apartment. A few days after that, April 10, Rodrigo was downtown buying a few things for his apartment, when he was assaulted by three men who stole his cell phone and tried to take his backpack, beating him severely.
Rodrigo arrived at the hospital with a broken nose and deep cuts on his face. His shoulder had been dislocated and, although no bones were broken, all the tendons and ligaments were torn. He could not move his arm. The cuts on his face were stitched, and surgery was scheduled for his other injuries.
Hovering Between Life and Death
In the following days, Rodrigo underwent surgery on his nose and shoulder, but he did not wake up after the shoulder surgery. The doctors gave him something to awaken him, but instead Rodrigo lapsed into a coma. He was taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and his condition worsened. After several tests, the doctors discovered that he had tetanus. Rodrigo became deathly ill. The tetanus bacteria had seriously affected his brain, and he did not talk or show any response.
The doctors performed a tracheotomy because Rodrigo had difficulty breathing, and he also had pneumonia. After six weeks of treatment, Rodrigo became more stable. He was moved from ICU and has shown signs of life; the encephalogram disclosed that there is now brain activity, and he has squeezed the hands of people when they talk to him. Rodrigo has survived many life and death moments; he still is unconscious, and the doctors say the recuperation will be long and hard.
In the Midst of the Storm
During these two months, Rodrigo’s family and fiancé have been in Guadalajara, staying in the home of their good friends Polo and Lety, who are members of Lion of Judah. They have attended the Sunday services and participated in a prayer vigil that, in part, was for Rodrigo. His fiancé, Angela, came to know Christ as her Savior four months before this incident. Recently, she was baptized along with a group of believers from Lion of Judah and has given testimony of her faith in Christ.
God is at work and is being glorified through this difficult time. Two doctors, a neurosurgeon and a trauma specialist, have received Jesus as their Savior. Family members of other patients also have trusted in Christ through the witness of Rodrigo’s family members. Their faith and joy in the midst of such a serious crisis has been a source of amazement and comfort to many in the hospital, including the lead doctor, who was a silent Christian and is now openly sharing his faith in Christ.
Many people have been impacted with what they have seen and heard. God is being glorified! Our prayer is that more people will come to Christ, Rodrigo will recover fully from this brutal attack, and God will be honored and glorified through it all.