EVEN IN MY DARKEST HOUR.. | KAIROS GLOBAL | JANUARY 2026

Author: Abigail Vincent

Intro: Abigail Vincent recollects a day filled with pain and obstacles, and how Mother Mary brought her courage.

After a long, high-risk labour and a demanding C-section, my most anticipated moment finally arrived. I gave birth to my beautiful son Ezra on the 4th June 2025. Yet, the challenges didn’t end in the delivery room. My body, exhausted and fragile from the ordeal, struggled to recover. The very next day, as I was asked to take my first steps, I lost consciousness, which left a cold shadow of fear in my heart. On the second day, a sudden, terrifying surge in my pulse set off alarms. The hospital was not equipped to handle critical complications like these. A sense of dread gnawed at me, knowing I needed to be transferred to see a cardiologist. Mere mention of being moved filled me with anxiety: the thought of navigating the hospital’s unforgiving stairs, braving the bumpy ambulance ride with my stitches still raw and burning, each detail etched with apprehension and pain.

I clung to courage, whispering the name of Jesus beneath my breath, begging for strength – each silent prayer a plea for mercy. The ambulance’s jolting over potholes was agony, yet something deeper kept me going. Finally, we reached the cardiologist’s hospital, but a new ordeal awaited. My heart sank. I had to climb a staircase to the first floor, endure the awkward transfers for the ECG and 2D echo, every movement a test of willpower. As my husband gently guided my wheelchair toward those daunting steps, terror threatened to overtake my faith. For a split second, my prayers fell silent; I was too shaken even to summon words. But as I reached the bottom of the staircase, steeling myself for the climb, something extraordinary occurred. I lifted my eyes and saw, gently illuminated on the wall ahead, an image of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Her arms were stretched out wide – not just a painting, but an embrace, as if inviting me to lean on her, to trust that I did not walk this path alone. 

Tears flooded my eyes, relief washing over my anxious heart. I quickly nudged my husband to look at the image. In that instant, comfort and courage welled up. A sudden, radiant assurance that Jesus had been with us through every moment of darkness and fear, not just in this room but always filled us. He sent His mother to us. Empowered by that divine encounter, my heart found a peace beyond understanding. 

The journey ahead remained steep and painful, each step another triumph over adversity, but my spirit soared. There was joy now – a deep, abiding certainty that God was with me guiding and sustaining me through it all. When my husband and I later recalled that fateful day, we realised we had passed the image several times on visits before, never noticing its presence. But in my hour of greatest need, it became the signpost of mercy I desperately sought – reminding me that I was never, ever alone.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home (John 19: 26-27).

Abigail lives with her husband, Vincent, their baby boy, Ezra, and her loving in-laws in Mumbai, India. She cherishes motherhood and teaches music, seeking to weave faith, family, and melody into everything she does