Back from goodbye
Seafarer shares near-death experience on foreign shores
MOST of us have heard of near-death experiences, stories of people on the edge of death and had a glimpse of the afterlife.
Willy Abesamis Madulid, an able bodied (AB) seaman, had such an experience. Just like the rest of his contemporaries, he spent half of his life at sea.
Madulid is the archetypal Filipino seaman. He came from a clan of seafarers but dreamt of a different life as a child. When reality and poverty hit him in the late ‘80s, he decided to go to sea.
He loved traveling the world and enjoyed wardroom gatherings with his mates. He labored day and night and, when it was time for bed, dreamed of his family. Some 25 years later, in 2020, he got so sick that he thought he would never see them again.
He already saw the tunnel of light.
Madulid thought it was just part of aging, getting weak in the bones. He had just turned 50.
When he lost his senses one by one, he knew that he had caught Covid-19, which was at its peak then. He burned with fever, and his blood oxygen level dropped to alarming levels. Of the initial seven crew who were hit with the virus, his was the worst that he had to be medically evacuated twice by the Swedish medical authorities.
“Lumala na nang lumala hanggang sumuko na ‘ko. Ang naisip ko lang, hindi ko na sila makikita (It got worse and worse until I gave up. I thought I would never see them again),” Madulid said, referring to his wife and three children.
At the time, Madulid was given a 5050 chance of survival by his doctors.
Beyond the scurrying of nurses and doctors around him, past the mechanical beeping of medical machines, Madulid stepped through the veil of life and death.
“I saw my parents. Tapos may napakaliwanag na nagsalita: ‘Anak, hindi ka pa dito. Bumalik ka’. Hindi ko masabi kung ano o sino ‘yung nagsalita, pero alam ko kung nasaan ako. Napakaliwanag (I saw my parents. Then someone spoke clearly: ‘Son, it’s not your time yet. Go back.’ I could not say what or who spoke, but I knew where I was. It was very bright),” he recounted with awe.
Days later, Madulid woke up with a renewed sense of life and purpose. His first thought was to give thanks and praise.
“Unang-una talaga ay nagpasalamat ako sa Kanya. Madami pa Siyang plano para sa akin (First, I am thankful to Him. He has many plans for me),” he recalled.
Upon his release from the hospital, he was taken by the Swedish ship owner to their house to heal and fully recover. This left Madulid in disbelief and wonder, “Imagine a shipowner taking a sick AB into his house even with the pandemic!”
His battle for life and the subsequent miracle, kindness, and generosity he experienced on foreign shores remain at the core of Madulid’s current state — living a life dedicated to his family and, whenever blessings abound, sharing it with others.
Since his return, he has shared his near-death experience to his church, family, and friends, letting them know of the grace and glory that comes with faith.
Today, Madulid is set for another shipboard deployment, so he happily spends his time with his wife and three children, now all professionals. A little piece of heaven was sent their way when their first grandson was born last year.
“His name is Xyril, and he is only seven months old. He is the son of my second child, who is also a seafarer,” he said, bursting with pride.