Deacon keeps faith despite losing his arms and legs

Deacon Luis Hernandez, 71, visited his church first thing after getting out of the hospital. (Photo courtesy of the Hernandez family)

A retired deacon with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is thanking God for the diaconate brotherhood and Church family who helped save his life with prayers along with miraculous medical work. 

Deacon Luis Hernandez, 71, remembers his ordination warmly.  

As part of the Class of 2011, he was among the first deacons ordained in the then-newly built Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston. He and his wife, Lina, now credit the diaconate community prayers and miraculous medical intervention for keeping him alive despite eventually having his arms and legs amputated this past November. 

The best advice that he shares is, “Never, ever give up. God is always with us. Never lose your faith even in the worst of times.” 

Such were the hardships he and his family survived and are still dealing with. Fighting prostate cancer since 2010, his battle escalated when a large kidney stone clogged the workings of his organs, shutting down the kidneys and leading to possibly fatal sepsis. 

He was life-flighted from an Angleton hospital, the area where he served as a deacon, taught Baptism and Bible classes and assisted the priest celebrating Mass at Most Holy Trinity Church. He landed in the Texas Medical Center, where his frantic family met him at St. Luke’s Hospital ICU with a poor medical prognosis of whether Deacon Hernandez would make it through the night. 

But he made it through that night and the next seven nights in a medically sedated state. On Oct. 29, 2024, the parishioners of Most Holy Trinity prayed a Rosary, and the family called in via FaceTime and prayed around his bedside. That is when he opened his eyes.   

“I was told after the prayers finished that I opened my eyes for the first time since being unconscious. Before that, I was not being responsive.” 

With multiple life-saving measures, Deacon Hernandez made it all the way through Thanksgiving, with family celebrating dinner together in his hospital room. Then they opened Christmas gifts and rang in the new year at Memorial TIRR, where Hernandez was moved to for rehabilitation before finally returning home on Jan. 18. 

Hernandez’s first stop was to visit his church, where he gave thanks to God.   

Gabriel Hernandez, son of Deacon Hernandez, said, “Time stopped for us. He was on 24-hour dialysis because his kidneys shut down.” 

But there was a major trade-off to the life support for his heart. Boosting his blood pressure into vital organs to revive their workings lessened blood circulating into his father’s limbs, Gabriel Hernandez said. 

“We saw his fingernails and toenails turn blue, then purple and black. My mom and sisters were always massaging his hands and feet with lotion to try and help with circulation, but then the tissue began decaying, becoming gangrenous.” 

The family discussed and decided to go forward with the amputations to remove the dead tissue. “That was very hard for all of us,” his son said. 

“I have no regrets,” said wife Lina Hernandez. “I am most happy because I still have my husband. God gave us another chance together.” 

During the interview with Deacon Luis Hernandez, he blurted excitedly, “We love each other so much! That’s why I told Deacon Phillip (Jackson, director of the Office of the Diaconate) my prayer when he was visiting. I was asking God please don’t let me leave Lina alone for our 50th wedding anniversary.” 

The couple recently spent their Valentine’s Day together, going from doctor appointment to doctor appointment. 

Lina said, “I have no complaints. I just thank God, thank God, thank God! We walk beside each other, him in an electric wheelchair and me reaching out to him like we’re holding hands even though we can’t.” 
Son Gabriel Hernandez described his father’s survival and their family’s road to healing as “a multitude of little miracles occurring along this whole process.”