From Burden to Blessing: A Testimony of Healing and Faith

by Nathan Guanzing

Growing up I was always the big kid. Because of my size I was teased a lot. Kids called me Taba, Tabz, Batchoy, Baboy and Dambuhala. I learned to live with those names because that’s how people saw me.

In my freshman year I was playing basketball in the school gym. I drove to the basket, planted my right foot, and heard a snap. I fell to the floor and grabbed my knee — I couldn’t stand or straighten it. I was carried into an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. My parents had to leave work; my mom was terrified and my dad was heartbroken to see me in a hospital bed with a cast. The doctors said I had fractured my tibia and recommended surgery. They drew blood and ran tests, and because no surgeon in Saipan could perform the operation, we flew to San Diego, CA.

We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House near Rady Children’s Hospital while the doctors ran more tests and waited for the swelling to go down. After about a month of exams and waiting, the doctors told us it was a miracle: my bone had healed enough that surgery was no longer necessary. I only needed medication and rest. What began as a frightening emergency turned into an unexpected blessing — we had come to San Diego for treatment, and God provided a healing I didn’t expect.

During the COVID lockdown I discovered BLACKPINK, and that sparked a change in me. I wanted to look more like the idols I admired, and their energy motivated me to start a weight-loss journey. Over the next year I lost 100 pounds.

A verse that carried me through was Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That promise reminded me that with Jesus, nothing is impossible. God guides us toward the path He wants, but He doesn’t hand everything to us without effort. He carried the cross for us, died for our sins and gave us eternal life through Christ Jesus. With faith and work, I found strength I didn’t know I had. This is my testimony of God’s healing and weight loss journey. To God be the glory!