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The Face of Jesus

Anthony “Bo” DeCarbo Sr.

Pennsylvania

The day started out like any other. I lived a very hectic, active lifestyle in September 2000. In addition to my job as a full-time dispatcher with the Pennsylvania State Police, I was also a crematorium manager for my cousin's funeral home and kept busy volunteering at my church. There were never enough hours in the day.

But my life would soon come to an unexpected halt. When I was leaving my job as a dispatcher on September 25, a co-worker remarked, “I'll see you tonight.” To this I replied, “If God wants us to.” To this day, I don't know why I said this. But looking back, it is obvious that this was a premonition of sorts. The next day I woke up feeling as if I had acid reflux. Only it wasn't acid reflux, and surprisingly, I went on to suffer a major heart attack and was rushed by ambulance to the local hospital.

Doctors detected a heartbeat, but no brain stem activity which means there is no reaction to a stimulus. As a result, I was given less than a 1 percent chance of survival. I then needed to be transferred to a hospital that specialized in cardiac care. Several hospitals declined to take me because of the lack of brain stem activity, but I was eventually transferred to a hospital in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile a priest was called to give me my last rites. All the while my family and friends prayed feverishly for me, and a steady stream of visitors came to my bedside showing their support.

Through it all my wife Sandy refused to accept that I might not make it and continued to keep the faith. I was then taken to yet another hospital and another team of heart specialists. This time the doctor informed my wife that they had found brain stem activity. There was hope at this point, and my wife told everyone to keep praying for me.

Tests revealed that 99 percent of one of my secondary arteries was blocked. Doctors needed to insert a stent which works to open up the artery. I spent several days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). One morning, while still in ICU, I managed to get up out of bed, and I made my way over to the window. My room was on the eighth floor, and I happened to notice a helicopter lifting off in the distance. As I stood there curiously watching the helicopter, the face of a man suddenly appeared in the window.

Wearing a veil over his head and a beard, he had piercing dark eyes. Both astonished and shocked, I realized that I was looking at the face of Jesus. My whole body felt weak, and my heart began to race like crazy. I was wearing a heart monitor and knew someone would be coming in at any moment to check on me.

At this point, I looked at him and asked, “Are you here for me?” Jesus gave me a warm smile from the right side of his face and replied, “I am here for you but not in the way that you think. I'm here to let you know I am always with you.” He then disappeared.

I sat back down on the bed, sweating with my heart still pounding. Mere words cannot describe both the amazement and the gratitude that I felt at that moment. I honestly didn't know what to think. Even though I knew it had happened, I kept questioning myself. I mean why would Jesus come to visit me? Who am I to deserve this?

Afterwards a priest came to see me, and I told him what had happened. He replied, “What makes you think that it didn't happen?” I realized then that I needed to trust what I knew in my heart. God was with me the whole time. His visit helped me to see firsthand the power of faith and prayer.

There are still times when I wonder, Why me? My only answer is that God has more work for me to do. I have no doubt that I'm still here because of him. Until we meet again, I will carry on and continue to do his will.