By the time my husband’s siblings knew about his health problem, they were not surprised. High blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks and stroke have been their family history.

When my husband was six years old, his dad died of heart attack. Few years ago, his oldest brother died of stroke. Last year, another brother died of heart attack.

Before his passing, he wasn’t well for a few months. Just a month before he collapsed in his house, my husband advised him to see the cardiologist. He told his brother he would accompany him to the hospital but his brother refused.

On the day he collapsed, he was eating an orange when he keeled over. His eldest son, who sat the nearest to him, managed to catch hold of him.

When he was rushed to the hospital, his heart was given cardioversion which is an electric shock to the heart to stop ventricular fibrillation but he died without regaining consciousness.

Two other brothers died of diabetes-related diseases. His cousins on both his father’s and mother’s side are having the same medical problems. Some had even passed on, either of stroke or heart attack.

The only thing was that none of these people had undergone coronary surgery at the time my husband was supposed to undergo his in the very near future.

It was a hard decision to make as coronary bypass surgery isn’t risk-free, during the coronary bypass surgery; segments of healthy blood vessels are transplanted to the heart to carry blood around the areas of blockage. Some grafts are made with veins, usually taken from the legs or portions of the mammary artery in the chest wall. Up to 7 or even 8 bypass grafts may be done in a single operation.

My husband’s coronary angiography showed marked blockages in three arteries. His coronary disease was severe enough to have the operation in a month’s time.

My husband’s sister suggested that my husband should try alternative treatment. Her idea was to ask her brother to give bomoh (witch doctor) a try. We decided to give it a try. This was the first time we went to the bomoh so we had no expectation.

This bomoh lived in a big and comfortable house. During the small talk, my sister-in-law, my husband and I learned that his children and their spouses were highly educated. There were photographs of graduates that hung on the wall.

Finally, it was time for the bomoh to do his stuff. I can’t remember much except that the bomoh was reading some verses, two bottles of water, limes...

The bomoh told us that my husband must put his full trust in him. During the treatment my husband must not seek medical treatment from any doctor. He assured and reassured us that he would be able to cure my husband.

That was a tall order especially when my husband was a walking time-bomb who would have exploded anytime. My husband and I weren’t brave enough to play Russian roulette with his heart disease. We dared not risk a heart attack, it could be fatal.

So we took home the two bottles of water, one was for drinking and the other together with the limes was for bathing. My husband was told to recite some verses before he drank and bathed. We saw no harm in administering his instruction. But we didn’t go back to see him.