“This is the First and Last Day of My Life”: A Testimony of Faith, Pain and Total Surrender to Jesus

Losing prestige, health and vision wasn’t the end, but the beginning for Carlos, who shows us that true success lies in letting God lead.

Carlos Escobedo's journey of faith has been a storied one, complete with an incurable but treatable disease that once claimed his mobility and sight. Now largely healed, he and his family (pictured) share the goodness of God with those they meet. (Photo provided)

From a young age, Carlos Escobedo was shaped by his Catholic faith, which planted in him a profound love for God.

Now a father of four and proud grandfather of three, he has come to understand that life with God is not always easy — but it is always transformative.

That journey of transformation began years ago in Catholic high school, where Escobedo had his first personal encounter with God. Like many young people, however, he gradually drifted from his relationship with the Lord to focus on his professional education.

After graduating from high school, Escobedo went on to earn a law degree and seemed poised for a successful and lasting legal career. But God had other plans.

From Professional Success to Divine Calling

In 1999, just as Escobedo appeared to reach the peak of his career, he planned a three-month trip to the United States, hoping to work temporarily and then return to Mexico to continue practicing law. But a beautiful coincidence changed everything — he met his future wife, Gaby, with whom he would build a life in the U.S.

Since his diagnosis, Escobedo brings the Word of God and the hope that Christ gives wherever God calls him. (Photo provided)

But the transition wasn’t easy. Escobedo faced major challenges, including stepping away from office work and taking on manual labor for the first time in his life.

“My first big challenge was the drastic change in what I did. From sitting behind a desk to doing physical work,” he told El Pueblo Católico.

He began working as a baker — a job that not only brought stability but also taught him valuable life lessons.

“I loved that work. It was something that strengthened my faith,” he recalled. “God was taking things away from me but giving me others. He was taking away my pride, removing the blindness from my eyes and opening them to a life with him.”

As a lawyer in Mexico, his goal was always to win every case. In the U.S., he had to learn a different lesson.

“One of God’s greatest teachings was learning to lose. To lose with love, to take up my daily cross and to deny myself in many ways. … God was shaping me and giving me the new form he wanted — and still wants — for me,” he said.

Escobedo remembers that, despite his career, he lived in desperation in Mexico because he had placed his hope in money and social status. But starting from scratch in a new country, without any material possessions, he discovered something extraordinary: “I had to set my sail to the wind of Christ. And I began to see life in a beautiful way.”

Over time, Escobedo and Gaby became involved in prayer groups, the Charismatic Renewal and, most recently, the Movimiento Familiar Cristiano (Christian Family Movement), where they served for nearly 11 years.

When Suffering Becomes a Path

In 2012, after months of uncertainty and medical testing, Escobedo was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare autoimmune condition that affects the central nervous system — especially the optic nerves and spinal cord.

Escobedo fought long and hard throughout his treatment, even facing mobility difficulties and losing much of his vision. (Photo provided)

At first, he tried to endure the symptoms quietly so as not to worry his family. Eventually, the intense pain in his arms and legs landed him in the emergency room. Amid his suffering, Escobedo remembers offering his pain to God for the sake of his family.

“The attacks would come, and I’d be writhing in my wheelchair. Crying from the pain, I’d look up at the ceiling, smile and say, ‘Jesus, this smile is for you,’” he recalled, choking up with emotion.

Months passed, filled with hospital stays, medical tests and diagnostic uncertainty. Despite the physical toll, Escobedo never stopped praying and placing his trust in God's loving plan. During his hospital stay, a priest friend began sending parishioners to visit him — people Escobedo could evangelize. Though initially hesitant, he once again surrendered to God and offered him his service, even from his weakness.

“From that moment on, I started to evangelize the people who came to the hospital. I began to tell them who God is and what he does for us. And it seems God wants me to continue doing so,” he said.

With an incurable but treatable disease, doctors gave Escobedo just six months to live due to the severe physical deterioration he had suffered. He lost the ability to walk, became completely blind in his right eye and retained only 20% vision in his left.

But God’s plans go beyond science and human understanding. Not only is Escobedo still alive, but about a year and a half after the diagnosis, he began to recover mobility. Gradually, he moved from a wheelchair to a walker, and later, to walking with a cane — a cane he used for nearly 10 years.

A Miracle of Renewed Faith

In September 2023, Escobedo clearly remembers praying the Rosary with his wife when he began to feel sensations in his body he hadn’t felt in a long time. They both fell asleep after praying, and, in his sleep, he had a powerful experience: he dreamed the Virgin Mary was healing him.

Weeks later, while attending a weekend formation at the seminary, and fully trusting that he had been healed through Mary’s intercession, he courageously decided to walk without his cane to receive the Eucharist at Mass.

“That moment also helped my faith grow tremendously,” he said.

Now in formation for the diaconate, Escobedo spends a number of weekends at St. John Vianney Seminary preparing for his potential future ministry. In this photo, he, his wife Gaby and Bishop Jorge Rodríguez smile during one of those formation weekends. (Photo provided)

Despite being reminded by his neurologist at every visit that the disease is still present and that another episode could impair his lungs or heart, Escobedo sees each sunrise as “a love letter God sends me every day.”

Since his diagnosis, Escobedo has dedicated his life to bringing the Word of God to various ministries, offering hope and encouragement to prayer groups, faith communities and anyone God places in his path.

Three years ago, after attending a vocational discernment retreat, Escobedo began formation to become a deacon.

“I am very clear that my vocation is to love, to serve and to give my life for others. If God allows me to be ordained, I will be very happy — but I am even happier with what I have today: I am a simple deacon candidate in formation, able to help people with whatever needs they have. … That gives my life a profound sense of meaning,” he said.

A Life of Faith and Surrender

Today, Escobedo looks back with certainty that every experience has served a divine purpose —the glory of God. Without a doubt, his wife, Gaby, and his children have been a vital part of his journey.

“She has shown me what total surrender looks like. There are so many times I have to be away from home, helping others or attending formation on weekends. In the great love she has for me, there is joy and patience. How could I not give my life when I have the best example of love in my wife?” he said, full of gratitude.

For Escobedo, service is more than a duty.

“For me, service means giving your life for others — giving even your last drop of blood, no matter who it is. All of this has helped me prepare and be formed as a servant. It’s not just about the mission; it’s about the attitude,” he shared.

“This is the first day of my life. This is the last day of my life. This is the most important day of my life. God urges me, pushes me and tells me that I have to live it well — with love, by loving others and by doing what love requires: giving my life for others,” he concluded, sharing the phrase that has become his life motto.