True life story of Suwimon Panyangarm

True
life story of Suwimon Panyangarm

A living
testimony

by Vachiravan Vanlaeiad

Suwimon (nicknamed Keng) was born in
1945 in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand. Her father, Dr. So, was a
medical doctor and her mother, Hong-yu, a midwife. They had migrated
from China to Thailand long before her birth. She had 2 older
brothers, 3 elder sisters, and 2 younger brothers (unfortunately one
of her little brothers was dead when he was small). Her ancestors
were devout Christians. Her grandfather was one of the first veteran
Christians of Maitrichit Church, which is the world’s first
Overseas Chinese Baptist Church (established in 1837) located in
Chinatown. Her parents were highly competent and hard-working,
resulting in owning a gigantic mansion in the nation’s largest
Chinese community. They had divided their residence into two parts:
a clinic with full facilities and living quarters. They were highly
loved and respected both in their community and at church. Her
father was a highly-effective and extremely-active member of
Maitrichit Church, thus having been elected, on various occasions,
the church’s deacon chairman.

Suwimon had perfectly copied her
father, not only features and characteristics, but also his fervency
and zealousness in God’s services. She was the only daughter whom
Dr. So had always taken to church with him, especially during weekly
prayer sessions on Thursday evenings. As a result, all of her young
adult life had only revolved around her church, schools, and
residence.

She was not beautiful. Yet her always
cheerful temper plus genial disposition and leadership personality,
had made her an attractive girl. She had served God since her young
age, from interpreting for Chinese missionaries and visiting speakers
to leading the church’s youth group. Her love for God has been her
first and foremost for all of her life.

However, when she was a young teen
(approx. 15-16 years old), her father, only 53, had died of gullet
cancer. She was extremely distressed since her loss had deprived her
not only of her most beloved dad, but her education. She had to
finish school to render help in the family’s clinic. However,
never once she blamed God, because for her God has never, ever done
anything wrong.

During her youth, Suwimon had been
plagued by various kinds of sicknesses and diseases. For
example: her whole body was so red and swollen (urticated), causing
an ugly sight. Anyhow, this could not prevent her from going to
church and participating in prayer meetings. She has always believed
that when you pray for God’s healing, you have to entrust
everything to Him and go on serving or doing your normal activities.
This also includes receiving modern medicine’s treatments. After
many months had passed, God finally healed her. Then, shortly after
being healed of urticaria, she had experienced with rheumatic
fevers. She practiced her same old system: incessant prayers for
healing (this time took long years), receiving modern treatments, and
leaving the results to her Almighty Physician (Jesus Christ). Thank
God that she was again completely healed of rheumatism without any
lasting effects or damages.

After assisting in her family’s
clinic for a few years, Suwimon, with the help and encouragement of a
son of one of Maitrichit Church’s ministers, had furthered her
study in a school of commerce. After graduation, her knowledge plus
proficiency in English had equipped her with competency to work with
various US Embassy agencies in Bangkok. Her workplaces ranged
firstly from the Consular Section (in 1971) to USOM (United States
Overseas Mission), US Trade Center (Information Section), Commercial
Section, respectively, and finally back to the Consular Section.

After working for one of the US
agencies, she had married (in 1972) with A pastor’s son who had
encouraged and supported her to further her study. Even though her
marriage was first rejected by most of her brothers and sisters
including her church friends, her firm belief that this man was the
right one (sent from God) had broken through all the obstacles. She
and her one and only boyfriend (named Vichien) had been going steady
for nearly 9 years. During those years, many rich guys had tried to
make advances at her, but Suwimon had her eyes set on Vichien only.
Being the firstborn son of the church’s poor pastor, Vichien was
his dad’s most dedicated assistant, always accompanying and
assisting his father in various ministries. He had also excelled in
academic abilities, being granted an AFS (American Field Service)
scholarship to further his study for one year in a high school in the
US, and later graduating in Laws from one of Thailand’s outstanding
universities. These were enough to convince Suwimon to choose him as
her life partner.

Following her marriage, Suwimon had 5
children (the first son was stillborn): Ann, Candy, Emmie, and First.
As usual, she never reproved God for the death of her first son
because, for her, God has never done anything wrong (if there’s
something wrong, it must be hers.) Losing her firstborn son was a
tragedy, especially for the Chinese who had placed high value on
sons.

While working with the US Trade Center,
she had also plagued by mumps, causing extremely pains on her
both cheeks. She had been praying for healing and being treated
medically by many experts both at the Embassy’s and other
hospitals. This time she had followed her usual formula: praying,
receiving full treatment, and leaving the results to God. Praise the
Lord that she again was permanently healed.

However, when her children was very
small: Ann (6 years old), Candy (4), Emmie (3), and First (only 13
months), she had rapidly developed cancer symptoms! During working
for the Consular Section (for the second and last time), she had
suffered various kinds of sicknesses for almost a year, especially
being inflicted with anguish pains all over her body, which so
extreme that she could not walk or do anything except lying and
groaning incessantly. Because of her clinical history of rheumatism,
various doctors and experts had unanimously diagnosed that she had
Polymyositis. This was probably, back in 1980, due to lack of
technology advancement in detecting any malignant lumps (ex:
mammography, etc.). Anyhow, she had finally been diagnosed with
breast cancer since a lump of 5-centimeter diameter was found
on her left breast; and following immediate biopsy, the lump was
confirmed malignant: breast cancer at the end of 3^rd
stage! Mastectomy was then urgently made (by one of the nation’s
most outstanding breast surgeons of the time: Dr. Prapan Kitisin of
Chulalongkorn University, thank Jesus!) on her left breast in
November 1981. After the operation all her pains and sufferings had
also immediately and miraculously gone. Nevertheless, she had to
confront further with another new series of sufferings and pains for
a long period of time: Chemotherapy (12 times) and Radiotherapy (25
times with Dr. Lakana Pote-nukul of Ramathibodi Hospital).

This sickness had rendered acute pains
to her much more than all anguish resulting from her previous five
deliveries combined. Because not only extreme pains were inflicted
on her body, but in her heart and mind also. While lying in torments
at her family’s clinic, she had to endure the sight of her four
little kids, especially Ann and Candy, who were constantly crying and
worrying about their mother’s predicament. This was the hardest
test and trial she has ever experienced in her whole life. Still,
she held tightly to her practices: pray unceasingly, being medically
treated with the fullest extent, and leaving the rest to God. She
had never been afraid of death or dying, but she was worried over her
kids since they were very young. Who would take care of them if she
was dead? Who would love them as much as she did after she died?

She told God that His will was
ultimate, whether she was dead or alive. However, if He was willing,
could He please spare her life for the sake of her small children.
And if it was God’s will, would he please grant her another 25
years of living in order for her to be able to see her youngest son
graduate from a university and have a steady job. Not her will, but
His will be done. Amen.

During her convalescence, one day there
was a call from the US Embassy (at that time she had resigned from
the embassy after her sick leave entitlements were used up, and after
her long leave without pay was due). The caller was one of her
colleagues. She had asked Suwimon how she was and then immediately
informed her about how fortunate she was that the US Government in
Washington D. C., had granted her not only a lump sum, but also
pensions: $US200 monthly for the rest of her life. And if she was
dead (of this cancer), a lump sum would also be granted to her
children and the US government would take care of the kids’
education until their university graduation. Suwimon was also
informed by the caller that this was a very rare case since she had
worked with the embassy for only 10 years.

After her colleague hung up, Suwimon
was stunned for a whole minute. Then she began tearfully praising
God for His mercy and abundant provisions.

While being treated with modern
medicines and recuperating at her family’s clinic, she was, all the
time, thinking about going to church. After receiving chemotherapy
for a while, she started to feel better and wanted to attend church.
However, since that first attendance, she had never once missed the
church. She remembered one Sunday morning, that she had to climb
nearly 20 flights of stairs (with the help of her assistant, pushing
Suwimon’s back and bottom up the staircases) in order to enter the
Lord’s congregation. Once inside the church, she was too tired to
sing, only sitting still while praising God silently from her heart.
She had known that God was spirit, so He knew everything.

During her recuperation, her
father-in-law, Rev. Dr. Chao Panyangarm, had sent her name and
predicament to the “Silence Unity” which was then a 24-hour
prayer meetings based in the US. Not only she was prayed for by Thai
Christians throughout the country, but Christians from all over the
world had also interceded with God for her healing.

As days went by, she felt stronger.
One day, she felt that her strength was fully restored. She could
walk and do all the chores as normal people did. She had then never
stopped serving God by visiting patients (especially the cancer ones)
and praying for their healing. She has been fervently and actively
served in God’s ministries since then until now (more than 28 years
after being struck by first symptoms of breast cancer). God had
completely healed her. Even though some symptoms have since raised
their ugly heads at times, she would pray and cast out the symptoms
in the name of Jesus. She always claims the well-known bible verse:
“…by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Praise
the Lord that He has granted Suwimon more than she had asked for: 25
years of living. She has not only seen her youngest son graduate
from a university in Bangkok, and now further his study in the US;
she has also seen her first grandson growing up and helped raised him
until he is at present one year and nine months old (August 2010).

Even though she had been absolutely
healed of breast cancer; during the long journey of life since then,
she was also plagued with another diseases and sicknesses, and was
completely healed (by God) of them all. First, hemorrhagic
fevers; second, losing of the iris on her left eye; and
finally, gallstone. And although she would not know what the
future holds; she has convincingly believed that she will never die
of cancer because the Bible says, “…He who began a good work
in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 1:6). Praises be to God forever and ever.