In the Bible, you read about women like Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth, whose wombs seemed barren until God listened to their prayers, opened their wombs, and restored the lost years to them with miracle babies. The fact is that these are not just stories but testaments passed down through the generations about a faithful and caring God. And the amazing thing is that God still performs such miracles until today and is blessing couples who are close to Him in the same way.
Anussyia and her husband Sattya Seelan have been married for 10 years. During that decade, they have gone through many challenges. One of these challenges is Anussyia’s struggles as a Crohn’s patient. God brought her through a series of breakthroughs, a testimony that she shared last year.
Another ramification of being a Crohn’s patient is the difficulty of conceiving. Just like the women in the Bible, Anussyia had to face discrimination and words of discouragement that shattered her for being married but not being able to have children. Through all this, her husband, Seelan, had been a pillar of support.
Anussyia shared, “We never decided to have any form of treatment. As a couple, we just chose to stand firm in the Lord, knowing that He will definitely bless us in His own perfect time.” However, as the years went by, at one time they even stopped talking or thinking about having their own children.
In September 2023, Anussyia went for a usual gastro appointment. The doctor was worried that her blood test results were not as good as they used to be and told her to do a pregnancy test first before administering iron infusion on her.
Anussyia shared that she initially refused to do so because she did not want to face a repeat of her disappointments over the last 10 years, and she told her doctor that such results could be due to her workload of marking exam papers as a lecturer.
The doctor insisted that she has to do the test and to inform her about the results by the weekend. At the same time, her doctor who had always encouraged her to try for a baby was very negative this time, saying that the fertility rate for a Crohn’s patient was usually very low.
“I could easily be disturbed by matters like these,” Anussyia expressed the emotional turmoil she had upon hearing the doctor’s words. “I was very reluctant to do the test as it had always been a disappointment for the past 9-10 years. I asked my husband Seelan what I should do. Seelan being a “cool” guy told me to take things easy and carry on with the test because my health was more important. With much reluctance, I carried out the test. In my heart 90% I was expecting something negative and the 10% I was hoping a little.”
Little did she know that this seemingly ordinary and vexing request by the doctor would be a silver lining into God’s great blessing in her life. To her surprise, upon doing the pregnancy test, Anussyia found that the result was positive and she informed Seelan. Seelan did not take her seriously, and just treated her casually, merely telling her, “Ok, dear, I am going to bed.” His reaction caused her to be sceptical about the results since it was so out of the norm. In all her countless tests after her first miscarriage in 2015, she had never received a positive result. She continued doing the test at different times of the day over the next two days just to be sure.
All the tests showed positive, but Seelan did not react. That was how benumbed and accepting he had become over the years about the prospect of parenthood. It took him a few days to digest the news, but it finally sank in. He called Anussyia during work and told her how happy he was with the news. He didn’t want to react too fast due to the many disappointments they had faced in the past but God is good and faithful.
As usual, they went to the gynaecologist at Pantai Medical Centre for a check-up and to do the first scan. Anussyia was then referred to Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya (PPUM) for further checkups and procedures. This was because she was classified under critical condition and needed special care treatment and assistance. She was told that her age (37 years old) is a factor and that her Crohn’s disease would contribute to a premature baby and/or possibly a Down Syndrome baby.
Whenever Anussyia visited the antenatal clinic at PPUM, these would be the words she would hear. She was always told to do a few genetic blood tests but to which she and her husband refused to. They both stood firm in the word of God and claimed James 1:17: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
The couple believed that the Lord who had brought them this far will surely never let them down. Anussyia was sent for several more scans than the usual ones, just to make sure that the baby was fine and also to clear the doctor’s doubts. But to her pleasant surprise, the results were always positive and her baby was doing great.
“I was in fact blessed with a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness,” she shared, “and the best part is that my inflammation rate was going down and was not triggered even in my third trimester. Everything went well, and the doctors told us they didn’t want to keep the baby too long until 40 weeks due to placental insufficiency, which meant in layman’s terms, that my placental was going to expire, something that was new to me as well.”
The doctors told her that they were going to do a caesarean section in 37 weeks. Anussyia was given 22nd April 2024 as her due date, but God had His own plans, and the baby gave them a surprise. On 19th April 2024, the miracle baby, Anussyia and Seelan’s little bundle of joy, Shiloh Abinusha, was born.
“Words couldn’t express how Seelan and I were overwhelmed with joy to see her. Our baby was born as a normal, healthy child with God’s protection and abundance of blessings. We gave her the name Shiloh which means ‘gift from God and abundance’ and Abinusha which means ‘happiness’.”
Shiloh Abinusha was the best gift God has blessed them with in their lives and in the 10th year of their marriage. All the challenges and heartbreaks from the past years just faded away as they held their precious baby in their arms. “What more could we ask for? She was definitely worth the wait,” Anussyia expressed.
In her last testimony, Anussyia had said that when everything around her was shaken during her crisis with Crohn’s, she had been very glad that she had put her faith in Jesus because He had – and still has – never let her down. “Christ is my firm foundation, the Rock on which I stand. He has been faithful throughout the generations so why would He fail now? I knew He won’t.”
“The reason we are sharing this testimony is to encourage people not to give up hope,” Anussyia conveyed. “I hope this serves as a living testimony of how much God loves His people and especially of His faithfulness – to encourage all of us to never give up in any situation, especially married couples who are still trying for a baby.
“Sometimes you may feel that God is silent and is doing nothing about your problems; however, remember that He is working behind the scenes to give the best to you at the right time, just like how he has blessed me and Seelan. He will surely never fail you too.”
As it says in Jeremiah 29: 11:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Christianity Malaysia would like to thank Anussyia and Seelan for their hospitality and their generosity in sharing their story. As with the first article, Anussyia lent valuable assistance and vetting of the article throughout its production. May her and Seelan’s story go on to bless and encourage many others! All photos in the article were kindly contributed by Anussyia.
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