The Man Who Returned to Life After 35 Minutes Brings a Message of Hope to the Algarve
Recently, Algarve locals may have encountered an extraordinary couple sharing a profound story of impossible survival. António Araújo and his wife, Gina, have spent the early months of 2026 spreading the word of a miraculous healing among our community.
The couple live in the US, but António is of Portuguese descent, so it was important to him to bring his testimony directly to the people of the Algarve. They met with the Loulé’s mall ministry on 10 February, and later joined the International Evangelical Church of the Algarve, IECA, on February 27, 2026, at a prayer meeting on the boardwalk opposite the Dom José Hotel. There, they spoke openly to the congregation about their journey of salvation and how it had confirmed their religious faith.
The Araújos’ harrowing journey began on 27 March, 2018, just hours after they had booked a summer trip to Portugal for a family wedding. António suddenly fell ill with a dangerously rapid heartbeat. Gina quickly administered baby aspirin and called emergency services, but his condition rapidly deteriorated. Upon arriving at the hospital, his blood pressure plummeted to 50/30, and his heart rate spiked to 260 beats per minute before his heart completely stopped. As alarms sounded and medical staff initiated CPR and multiple defibrillations, the heart monitor showed a devastating flat line.
For 35 agonising minutes, António lay lifeless. When the medical team briefly paused their efforts, shaking their heads at the lack of response, Gina pleaded with them, “Please do not give up. I don’t know if his children can handle this.” Gina recalls begging the doctors. She dropped to her knees in prayer, and, miraculously, António’s heartbeat returned – though his lungs, liver, kidneys, and brain began to shut down.
The days that followed were filled with bleak prognoses. Despite an Impella pump helping his weakened heart, António’s oxygen saturation remained dangerously low at 40%, leading a doctor to deliver the dreaded words: “There’s nothing more we can do.” Refusing to accept this, Gina pushed for options, resulting in a two-hour transfer to the University of Pennsylvania Presbyterian Hospital. There, Dr Jacob Gutsche placed António on an ECMO machine to act as his heart and lungs. The doctor warned that even in a “perfect fairy dust situation”, António would be hospitalised for at least a month, and they might soon have to consider removing life support. Gina spent the night terrified of her options. “I was either going home a widow or going home with a man on life support.” Yet, as the sun rose, Gina’s faith galvanised. Remembering the words, “may it be done exactly as you believe”, she realised she had to overcome her fear. She decided to encourage her family to “believe cell by cell, moment by moment, organ by organ and neuron by neuron”.
Astonishingly, their prayers were answered. António’s lungs strengthened, his kidney function improved, and the dreaded diagnosis of brain damage was reversed. Within just five days, his body was strong enough to come off all life support, leading Dr Gutsche to call him “Lazarus”, after the biblical figure Jesus raised from the dead. Just nine days after the ordeal, António returned home.
The Araújos came to Portugal with a purpose that transcends their medical marvel. António explains, “We have come to the Algarve to share the story of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the salvation of our souls and the hope of eternal life spent with Him.”
For speaking engagements, António and Gina can be contacted at Thesecretplace@myyahoo.com
Main photo: Gina and António in 2018 at the family wedding in Spain, five months after his heart stopped
