A Pietermaritzburg pastor was shocked this week when his mother, who had been pronounced dead at a local hospital, suddenly came alive, gasping for breath.
But her new lease on life was short-lived and she died three days later.
Pastor Bennie Adams, 55, of Northdale, believes that through his prayers, his mother, Ruth Adams, 83, was raised from the dead.
The doctor, whose name is known to the Sunday Tribune, said he had certified Ruth dead after she had stopped breathing, and had no pulse or heartbeat.
Ruth was admitted to hospital on Saturday after she had had a stroke at her Jupiter Road home in Northdale.
The pastor said he had received a frantic call from her neighbour, Romola Reddy, saying that his mother was gravely ill.
“When I rushed over to my mother’s home, I found my sister, Faye Rahaman, was already there.
“Looking at my mother I discovered that she had suffered a stroke. We summoned an ambulance and had her rushed to hospital.
“The doctors and nurses immediately attended to my mother. I quickly rushed home to get changed, as I had to attend the year-end banquet of my church.”
He said when he got back to the hospital he was told that the doctor who had attended to her wanted to see him.
“When I got to the doctor, he broke the news to me that my mother had just passed away. I refused to believe this and sought permission to see her, as I strongly believed she was not dead. Something inside me told me she was not dead.
“When I drew the screen around my mother my heart sank as I saw her body lying there without any movement. I removed the sheet from her face and placed my right hand on her head and my left hand on her chest and started praying in earnest for a few minutes.
“Lo and behold, my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, answered my prayer.
“I felt my mother breathing again and she was gasping for breath. I prayed and rebuked the spirit of death. I became excited and started screaming.
“Doctors and nurses thought I was becoming hysterical at the death of my mother, and advised me to calm down. But then a nurse who was standing beside me shouted to the three doctors on duty that my mother was breathing and was gasping for breath.
“All the doctors and nurses rushed to her bedside and administered the devices for heart and pressure and her pulse started up again. But as I moved away, the pulse rate dropped and I again placed my hands on my mother and prayed in earnest. As I did this the pulse rate shot up.
“My ‘dead’ mother was rushed into the Intensive Care Unit where she died on Tuesday morning,” said Adams.
He said he had prayed for her again, but this time, his mother had not been revived.
“This time she really left us for good, to be with the Lord. I hoped that she would come back, but it was not to be,” said Adams.
He said when his mother had been revived there had been great excitement in casualty as news got around that a woman had been raised from the dead.
Doctors and nurses confirmed the incident.