THE PERFECT MAESTRO

                                          THE PERFECT MAESTRO

     "Strike up the orchestra," I can almost hear God say during certain situations. I can imagine Him tuning up certain species of angels, calling them to do their specific duties in order for a situation to be perfected as prayers are answered.
     My husband Steve and I experienced the divine orchestration by God as He arranged and rearranged a tense situation for us.
     We had an appointment at MD Anderson with Steve's oncologist at 2:30 on Wednesday after my husband had completed his blood test, his chest x-ray and his CT scan the night before.
     After the scheduled appointment with the oncology doctor, we had allotted almost five hours leeway before our scheduled airplane flight took off for our trip home. However, our appointment with the doctor was delayed and he didn't even enter the exam room until 3:30. Things seemed to be getting complicated. We knew we still had time for the scheduled flight, but it would be close.
     Then the oncologist gave us some shocking news, that my husband had a blood clot in his left lung caused by the tumors but that it would be easily taken care of with daily subcutaneous shots in his stomach.
     The next statement of the doctor dropped a bombshell into our plans to make the plane flight. He said that we should go to the pharmacy at the Main Building on the 10th floor, get the shots, then come back to his exam room where Angie, his primary oncology nurse, would show us how to administer the shots. We surmised there would be no problem, that we could still make the plane flight.
    Enter the problem. The technician at the pharmacy said it would be an hour before the shots would be ready, making it impossible to make the flight.
     We caught the elevator, ran from the elevator to the doctor's office, waited to see Angie, the primary nurse, where we told her our dilemma.
Angie, smiling at us like she had been doing during the long afternoon, disappeared for a few minutes, came back and said, "Go back to the pharmacy and the shots will be ready for you." This was impossible because of the backlog of prescriptions.
     Running back to the elevator, then running down the hall to the pharmacy, we began thanking God for his supernatural orchestration for us, using Angie to intervene with the pharmacy in getting Steve's prescription bumped up ahead of the many, many other patients waiting for their own meds. Some of the patients were in wheel chairs, others on gurneys, others pushing chemo poles, others waiting patiently for their meds that would relieve their pain, heal their cancers, etc.
     As was predicted by Angie, the shots were ready for us. Steve grabbed the sack of shots and signed the proper papers.
     We raced again to the elevator, then down the hall to meet Angie who ushered us into the exam room. I commented to Angie that if she would turn around I would like to see her wings, because she was doing supernatural angelic work for us. God tuned the proper angel for this feat, Angie, who was in a fantastic mood for late in the day for an oncology nurse who had seen all kinds of devastating effects of diseases during the day. However, she could speak with the necessary authority needed to influence the pharmacy tech, something we had not been able to do.
     Angie hurriedly demonstrated the steps to us for giving the subcutaneous shots. No problem, we could do it efficiently when we got home. We left Angie's presence praising her for being an angel to arrange the impossible feat for us.
     Running back down the hall to the elevator, still praising God for His orchestration, Steve called Sam, the hotel shuttle driver whom we call St. Samuel because of his loving and caring ministry to the hotel customers who are in cancer treatment. Steve told Sam about our situation, that we had to make the flight, but our luggage was still at the hotel.
     No problem. The orchestration had already been ordered by God. Sam asked what our luggage looked like. Steve told him and Sam went to the storage area, got our luggage, loaded it up in his van, came to the Main Building of MD Anderson Cancer Center and picked us up. We got to the airport in time to make the flight back home.
     When Sam unloaded our luggage from the van, Steve quickly told him the good report, that the tumors had shrunk to the place of being almost invisible. St. Samuel gave Steve a strong congratulatory hug.
     Sam drove off with a big smile on his face. He had previously told us that if he hears one good report a week that it keeps him dedicated to doing his ministry of transporting patients from the hotel to the treatment center. Steve gave Sam the boost he needed to continue for another week.
     Thank God for the eyes to see that He has performed orchestrations for us, using Angel Angie, the nurse at the treatment center, and Saint Samuel, the shuttle driver, to manage to get us to the airport on time.
     When we think about the published facts we have learned, that 100,000 patients a day are treated at MD Anderson, we are even more thankful that Angel Angie was able to do her part of the feat in pushing Steve's prescription to the top of the long, long list, and that Saint Samuel was able to do his part in finding our luggage and picking us up in time for the flight.
     Listen for God to tune up the orchestra in your behalf in answer to your prayers. It happens trillions and trillions of times a day, and we often call it a coincidence. They really are orchestrations by a Loving Father in our behalf.
     Aren't we lucky children to have such a wonderful Maestro for a Father!

AND SO GOD SENT THE PLUMBER

                             AND SO GOD SENT THE PLUMBER

     As the day began, it wasn’t the best of days. In fact, it was one of the not-so-good days during my husband Steve’s chemotherapy regimen. He had gotten a fall cold with the possibility of it going into pneumonia, the oncologist said, so he was sent to the hospital for chest x-rays.
     Colds just seem so easy for chemo patients to experience when their immune systems are compromised, but allergies that develop into colds are pretty common in the spring and fall for Steve, anyway. The cold germ had made its way into my body, also, but I was trying to slough it off as best I could. We were both successful at trudging along, staying on top physically as well as emotionally.
     My most prized kitchen appliance, a hot water Insinkerator, had started leaking under the cabinet. That appliance had come in particularly handy during the chemotherapy because of the necessity of sterilizing all eating and drinking utensils. It was perfect for those tasks. It was still under warranty so it would be replaced free of charge.
     Steve called the plumber who had installed it. His name is Robert, and he’s a dear man we have trusted for several years to handle plumbing problems.
     Robert is dependable, prompt and efficient. In relation to the current problem, Robert told Steve to call the manufacturer and give them the information on the warranty and the prior purchase ticket, etc., and they would send a replacement. He mentioned that he would be at our house late in the evening to check on it. Easily taken care of, we thought.
     The call to the manufacturer was more involved than we anticipated because of the red tape which was required to get a replacement under the warranty, but Steve was able to do that chore on the telephone and fax machine.
     The day’s events had quickly grown into more trying activities than we had anticipated, but Steve was feeling up to the challenge, feeling good enough to handle the problem with the Insinkerator. He knew I was eager for it to be back into working order to make the tasks of sterilizing utensils easier for me. He took care of the task of dealing with the manufacturer easily; not speedily but easily. Task accomplished.
     At 4:30 our doorbell rang. When I went to the door it was Robert, the plumber. We had forgotten to call him and tell him that the manufacturer had not sent the Insinkerator yet. We both apologized to him for forgetting to call and let him know that the appliance would be shipped later, therefore saving him a trip to our house. He was gracious about it, letting us know that it wasn‘t a big deal. We discussed the fact that the appliance should last longer than the leaking one did, less than a year and a half.
     Robert left our house and started down the front walk, having gone down several steps. Suddenly Steve opened the door and said, “Just a minute, Robert. I have cancer. Will you remember to pray for me?”
     Suddenly Steve started crying, hearing himself say that he has cancer. Usually he only says that he is in chemotherapy, never claiming to have cancer. Starting to cry was certainly not Steve’s intention. He had not cried about the situation in the seven months since discovering the cancer, the two operations that ensured, and then the two cycles of chemotherapy.
     Immediately Robert turned around, bounded up the few steps, rushed up the walk to the front porch, grabbed Steve’s hand and started to pray for him. He asked God to heal and comfort Steve during illness. He prayed with anointed power, confidence, authority and love. After the prayer was over, Steve told his Christian brother Robert that he knew he was not going to die of cancer and thanked him.
     When Steve came inside the house, he was still crying, anointed with the power of God, still weeping tears of joy and awe that God had sent the plumber to pray for him. It was catching, I guess, because I started weeping uncontrollably, also. We sat in our recliners weak from the anointing of God, continuing to weep with gratitude that Our Loving Father had sent the plumber with His healing touch.
     Steve related to me that when the thought came to him, “Ask Robert to pray for you,” that he had refused to act on that command. Then it came again to his mind. He didn’t obey again. The third time it came, “Ask Robert to pray for you,” is when Steve opened the door and gave the request to Robert, who was God’s servant sent here to pray.
     Thank God Steve obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit. God knew that Robert would do what was needed, pray immediately for him.
     God sent Jesus to bring healing to the world. Jesus sent fishermen and a tax collector to take healing to people. He sent the plumber to deliver healing to Steve.
     Yes, God knows just who to send.

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

                                    OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

     There are several meanings for the word "babe". We know it's a slang term to describe beautiful girls. It's also a short term for the word "baby". We know a young girl who is a "babe" because she's beautiful, but she also fits the spiritual description of the word "babe" because she fulfilled a scriptural activity that is attributed to "babes" in the Bible.
     Lydia is our great niece, a beautiful ten year old girl. She is very special, as you will see from this story.
     My husband Steve was in his third cycle of chemotherapy for a rare form of cancer. It had been a real adventure for both of us, as you can imagine. We had received the depressing news from the oncologist that Steve would have to have six cycles of strong chemotherapy even if the cancer goes onto remission.
     God had encouraged us in this adventure, sending miracles our way through many exciting situations. We didn't expect him to use a "babe" to deliver the latest one.
     My cell phone rang one day as I was fixing lunch and I asked Steve to answer my phone which was sitting on the counter. That is the first time in the ten years I've have had my personal cell phone that Steve has answered it. My sister Lou was calling on the cell phone and exclaimed that she was so glad that Steve had answered my phone because she needed to tell him a testimony that would encourage him.
     Lou related that she had received a phone call from Lydia, her ten year old granddaughter, in which Lydia told of two dreams she had had, one in which she dreamed that the family home was being broken into by intruders at 3:30 in the morning. She woke with the realization that their home was safe, no invasion there. She told her mom about the dream.
     When Lydia's mom took her little sister to preschool that morning, she heard that the shed on the property of one of the teachers had been broken into at 3:30 that morning. Lydia and her mom were amazed at the realization that someone they knew had actually experienced the same activity that she had dreamed about.
     Then Lydia told her grandmother Lou that she had another dream, one in which she dreamed that Uncle Steve was free of cancer, after which she asked Lou a question,"Does Uncle Steve have cancer?"
     Lou assured Lydia that yes, Uncle Steve has had cancer. Lydia was astounded at the dream since she didn't remember knowing about Steve's condition, yet she had dreamed that he is free of cancer.
     God again fulfilled the scripture in Psalm 8:2 that says, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings has thou ordained strength."
     Lydia's dream certainly boosted Steve's spiritual strength, making him even more certain that he is cancer free and will remain cancer free.
     God used a "babe" in this instance, a beautiful babe but still a young child at the same time, to send His message of faith to Steve, confirming to him that he is healed and will remain healed, cancer free like in Lydia's dream.
     Can you see why Lydia is so special? She relays messages that strengthen people so lovingly. Steve is even stronger in his faith now, since God confirmed through Lydia that he is free of cancer.

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

               BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

     While gazing at the beautiful skyline of Houston in the distance, my husband Steve and I felt relaxed, rested and serene. How we got to the setting is a thrilling story, one you must hear.

     The previous day on the airplane flight to Houston I was musing with God, reiterating to Him how much I was anticipating the next brilliant composition He had arranged for us to enjoy, possibly on this trip. The words to a song came to mind, "His mercies are fresh every morning." I began to think how his blessings are also new every morning, his promises are firm every morning and on and on.

     We have experienced many magnificent miracles in our lives and we are sometimes overwhelmed by the genius of His mind in originating the events and planning the orchestration of them so that we are struck with awe every time when we see them unfold.

     On the plane trip my husband was a little nervous about taking another blood test, a chest x-ray and another CT scan in order to chart the progress of the chemotherapy cocktails he has been receiving for the past six weeks. However, he was excited, too, to see Our Heavenly Father's hand prints displayed in such a way that we could not miss them. We are forever in awe of His acts of love shown toward His children. When this event unfolded it went beyond our wildest expectations.

     When making the reservations at the suite hotel in Houston, Steve had requested a particular configuration of the suite we had enjoyed on the last trip which was only six weeks in the recent past. That room was what I would call a studio suite because it was a huge room with two queen sized beds, a TV viewing seating arrangement with a love seat and coffee table. It had a full kitchen and a huge bathroom. The room had served us perfectly and we requested the same type of room for this particular stay.   The reservation clerk had told him that there were other requests for that type of room, also, but that she would do her best to accommodate us.

     After the flight we were picked up by the hotel shuttle service and transported to the suite hotel. At the check-in counter we were told by the young lady in charge that there were no more rooms like we had requested, but that we were getting two connecting suites for only ten dollars more than the price of the studio suite.

     Steve and I looked at each other and laughed in a kind of a Hallelujah laugh, sharing the realization that this was one of God's kisses to us, another one of his surprises that He sneaks in when we least expect them.

We expected something thrilling but we didn't anticipate anything of this magnitude.

     When we entered the connecting suites we were delighted, thrilled and in awe. Steve had his own bedroom and full bath, plus an apartment sized kitchen. I had my own bedroom and full bath. The connecting living room and kitchen area was perfect for us with the large couch and flat screen TV, office desk with Wi Fi connection and a fully equipped kitchen. A shuttered door led outside to an 8 by 16 covered balcony which contained a patio table and chairs and two lawn chair recliners.

     Steve confessed to me that having two bathrooms met the desires of his heart because he was concerned about my ability to get enough sleep in a studio suite because of his frequent trips to the bathroom after consuming the huge amounts of water he is instructed to drink after the tests. Sure enough, the desires of his heart were met without his asking for them. He had his own bedroom and bathroom. I was not disturbed at all.

     I remembered that on our previous stay at the hotel I was intrigued by the huge balcony that I could see from our studio suite, and I wondered what the rooms are like that led to the balcony. Here we were, finding out first hand what they are like, and we were enjoying their luxury for three nights.    
     Previously, Our Heavenly Father must have made note of my curiosity about the rooms and in His generosity arranged for us to nestle down during this trip in the connecting suites. The scriptures say that He knows what we need and desire before we even ask. This blessing was evidence of the truth of that particular scripture.

     We reveled in the evidence of the abundance of God's love and power.
During our stay we spent every morning drinking coffee and reading the morning paper seated at the table on the balcony, also gazing at the beautiful skyline of Houston.

     We both felt completely rested when the three days were over, even though we had to meet several appointments on those days. The layout of the connecting suites was perfectly suited to our needs.

     Yes, His mercies are new every morning toward His children. We are so fortunate to experience His mercies and His blessings, all part of our privileges that come from being His children.

     I know that the joy we had from being on the receiving end were reflections of the joy that Our Heavenly Father experienced in being able to provide such a wonderful surprise for two of his children. Just think, he did the same type of blessing for a multitudes of His other children at the same time.

     It just blows your mind; doesn't it!

CHEMOTHERAPY HAPPINESS

                                 CHEMOTHERAPY HAPPINESS

      Finishing the first round of chemotherapy was a momentous day for my husband. He hadn’t sailed right through it, but he has made it through with some good days and some bad days.

     Many friends and relatives had contacted us to find out how it went, if he got sick, if he lacked energy and if he had experienced all of the usual maladies that afflict chemotherapy patients. In order to answer their queries but so as neither to bore them with minute details nor to speak negatively about the experience, I sat down and decided to write a short silly song describing the events of the past three weeks. When a dear friend expressed sympathy for us, I had quickly commented, “Some days are crappy and some days are happy,” and left it at that. When I began to tap into the creative part of my brain for words to rhyme with crappy and happy, they began to flow readily. This is the song that came together that day:

Chemotherapy Lamentations

Some days are crappy,

Some days are happy,

We have to be snappy

To turn crappy days to happy.

We learned that a nappy

Changes crappy to happy.

We wake from the nappy

A happy Mom and Pappy.

     I sent emails and letters to the inquisitive friends and relatives quoting the newly written silly song, hoping to show the caring ones that it wasn’t a bed of roses, but that we had finished the first course of chemo in a good mood and with some humor.

     The weekly Bible Study that I attend met the day before the beginning of the second course of chemo, and I felt that I needed to meet with my friends for encouragement and prayers. I needed an emotional boost as well as needing a few hours away from the cancer scene at home, though it had not been as depressing as I had anticipated it would be.

    When we all gathered together, my friend Marcia commented on the song I had written and proceeded to tell us about an experience she had had that would blow our minds. The tale involved the fact that she had read to her husband the song I had written to fill him in on what was going on at the Allen household during the chemo adventure. Marcia told us that immediately after reading the song to her husband their phone rang and a friend related something that required Marcia to find a certain book. Marcia knew that she had the book but didn’t know exactly where she had put it. She looked in obvious places to no avail. For some reason the thought came to her mind to look in the drawers in the bureau in the dining room. She did and could not find the book in any of the logical places in the drawers.

     She began to leaf through a plethora of greeting cards that she keeps on hand in one of the drawers to send to people, birthday cards, sympathy cards, friendship cards and others that fit many occasions.

     Toward the bottom of the drawer her eyes fell upon the front of a card that she had no memory of buying. The front of the card showed a dog in a bent over position straining to release excrement. Then in the lower part of the front of the card it showed the same dog with a grin on his face and saying, “Smile.“

She opened the card and the inside inscription read, ”Better to be happy than crappy.”

     Marcia knew immediately who should be the recipient of the card.

     As normally happens at our weekly meetings, we all ended up laughing hysterically, knowing that the card was a confirmation from God to my husband and me, alerting us to the fact that keeping a happy attitude relieves the crappy days of depression.

     We were all laughing at the anticipated reaction of my husband Steve, that he was going to think that the card added emphasis to the chemo song in a funny way. Were we ever wrong!

      I rushed home and gave the card to Steve. He read it and was struck with awe at the miracle of the card, that Marcia had a card in her drawer at home that said the same thing that I had written in a silly song. All he could say was, “I’m in awe.”

     I left home to go to the grocery store, anticipating the new and varied menu we would again have as his appetite came and went, ebbed and flowed for the next weeks. Driving in the car I was musing about his reaction to the card, which was not what we expected when the ladies sent it to him. Then the insight of God came to my mind. He said, “You didn’t know I was sending a message to him; did you?”

     That insight deserved a big, “Wow,” from me, which is often an unusual exclamation of praise to God that I find coming from my lips. Then I gave God another contemporary act of praise by asking Him, “How do you do that? How do you do these marvelous things for us?” I didn’t expect an answer because I know it already. It’s because he loves us so much.

     A miracle? Yes. Almost too astounding to believe.

     A message? Yes. Steve told me that the next morning at the doctor’s office he told a lady who was receiving chemotherapy infusions at the same time, “You can either be crappy or you can be happy.’ I believe God got his message across.

I’m still thinking, “How did you do that, Father?” I’m not really asking to see the working behind the scenes of how it happened, I’m merely exclaiming my amazement that He is able to keep us in awe of His miraculous ways.

     He never ceases to thrill us with the way He works. I just never expected Him to use a pooping dog, but He did and it got the message across.

THE ADVENTURE GOES ON

                                      THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

      The first day of my husband's chemo ended up being a perfect day. I wish you could have seen us before we left to go to the doctor's office for the appointment which was set for 8:00. Even though I had made a chart, a list, and set all the meds out in order on the cabinet, we were like two ants scurrying around wondering exactly what came next. But he got the right meds taken at the right time.
      His appointment with the oncologist involved the doctor's wife, a pediatric oncology doctor, putting the first two meds into the port and inserting the line into the port which was eventually connected to the 72 hour infusion. The doctor's wife told my husband that she had to quit as a pediatric oncology doctor, couldn't handle the emotional hurts from losing patients.
     An infusion pump kit and med pack were supposed to be delivered within an hour after we got home from the doctor's office where he had received the first two chemo injections. Then we were supposed to call the oncology home health nurse who was supposed to hook the med pack and the pump up to the line in the port. That all worked out, the calls to the right person.
     Everything looked like it was going smoothly until the home health nurse noticed that there was no fanny pack sent to carry the infusion pump and med pack around my husband's waist so that he could be mobile during the 72 hour chemo infusion process. She called the oncology pharmacy supply in Tulsa and told them, and they said one would be sent out immediately.
     After signing all the papers, volumes of them, Michelle, the nurse, started working to hook up the pump and meds to the port. She couldn't get the pump to work properly. She and my husband both worked on it, locking and unlocking both locks over and over again, taking the batteries out over and over again, trying multiple ways to get the pump to work. The same error message kept coming up on the contraption. Michelle called the pharmacy supply in Tulsa again about the pump and the person on the phone coached her on how to get it started, which she already knew.
    They went over and over it as she did what the person told her, with my husband helping as an observer/patient. No luck. So the pharmacy supply in Tulsa said they were locating another pump and bringing it here in 45 minutes. At this point I was glad that I obeyed that inner voice that told me to have lunch for us early. Michelle had already been here approaching an hour.
     While waiting for the pump to be delivered, I mowed the front lawn and left my husband and Michelle to get better acquainted, talking about Weight Watchers and kids, etc. The 45 minutes turned into an hour and a half, but finally two ladies from the pharmacy supply came, apologized over and over again for what we all perceived was a faulty pump. One of the ladies began experimenting with it and found that it had the same error message. She took the batteries out, reprogrammed it, locked and unlocked it and, voila, success. The problem was not the pump. It was very hard, taking a lot of muscle, to turn the lock button all the way around to lock it.
     The ladies apologized over and over for the problem. I kept reiterating that the pump needed some alert written on it saying that it is hard to lock completely and the nurse must really use strength to lock it so she could get it started pumping. They agreed to put a note on the pump for nurses and patients in the future.
     My husband was getting a little tired by this time, but the ladies wanted to ask him about the cancer, his operation, etc. Ah, ha, now I was beginning to perceive the reason for the delay. My husband told them highlights, then he told about the surgeon saving his life. I jumped in the conversation (smelly as I was and still in my lawn mowing clothes) and told them about the miracle of the surgeon ordering the CT scan which showed the areas of cancer, about the surgeries, etc., thus saving my husband's life. We told them all about the surgeon telling me about the remembrance of his professor in med school who was athletic like my husband but found out in a CT scan he had liver cancer. So we told them how that memory crossed the surgeon's mind when he palpated my husband's hernia and the nodule in the groin area, and that that was what led him to order the CT scan.
     One lady quickly said, "I know who gave him that thought." I told her that I do, too. They both were thrilled by the story, saying it was a true miracle over and over again.
      I followed the two pharmacy ladies to their car while Michelle successfully hooked Steve up.
      Both ladies raved about the miracle, so I filled them in about the surgeon sending the path report back for a second testing after the path doctor said no malignancy was found. They gasped when I told them that the surgeon instructed the lab on the second testing to test for the most rare cancers because the tumors looked too funky to be benign. I told them the path report came back saying that the cancer, in fact, is a rare kind that only 200 people a year have. I then told them that MD Anderson confirmed it in their path report.         
       The ladies were thrilled again.  Both women asked if we minded if they tell that testimony. They needed our permission because of the nurse/patient confidentiality. I gave my permission, telling them that my husband had told a Tulsa lawyer the same story the day before when the lawyer called to see how my husband was doing. The lawyer had also asked my husband if he could tell the miracle story, to which my husband gave his wholehearted permission.
     One of the ladies said it sounds like they are all going to cover Tulsa with the miracle story. They left blabbering and jabbering about the miracle.
So, all things work together for good.
     After telling some of the miracle story, my husband was rejuvenated when the pharmacy ladies and Michelle left.
     It seems to me that the pump problem was an act of God so that the women could hear the story of the miracles. The two pharmacy ladies left walking on a cloud after hearing about God's miracles in this adventure.
     The wait was worth it! The patient certainly was not injured by it, although he told me that first day of chemo seemed like it was a week long with so many things going on.
     God doesn't toot His own horn, but we can certainly toot our horns for Him. It's called praise. When we tell others about God's miracles, it's like tooting a horn. It's kind of like having a parade for Him because He is so good.
     I'll join a parade for him every time.

GOD WHISPERS IN OUR THOUGHTS

GOD WHISPERS IN OUR THOUGHTS

     Major surgery was scheduled to be performed on my husband on July 12th, 2010. In fact, it was the second one in a two month period. Events leading up to that particular surgery were filled with God-incidences, not the coincidences that strange events are often called.

     A hernia in his left abdominal area was noticed by my husband in February, many months before the first surgery of June 9th. Also a strange hard nodule had appeared in his left groin area. His urologist in a large city advised not to have anything done about them unless they started being a bother to him because they were not serious. That seemed like good news. Little did we know what was going on inside my husband's body.

     The area around the nodule did become bothersome, so my husband asked his primary care doctor at his yearly checkup if he should have it checked further. That doctor set up an appointment with a surgeon for a consult, just in case the hernia needed to be repaired immediately.
     I went to the appointment with my husband at the surgeon's office. After my husband told the surgeon about the history of the two bothersome areas, the surgeon said he needed to palpate the two areas, which he did. It took all of two minutes.

     The surgeon commented, "I'm setting you up for an appointment for a CT scan in the morning. Is that convenient?"

     That was shocking news since we had been led to believe that the two areas were not any problem unless they became painful.

     At the followup meeting with the surgeon after the CT scan we heard more shocking news, that being that my husband had a nonfunctioning kidney and he needed to have surgery to remove a tumor on his testicle, as well as the hernia repaired. The surgeon said my husband needed to see a urologist and suggested a particular one for whom he had great respect.

     After an informative meeting with the urologist, the first surgery was scheduled. That surgery resulted in repairing the hernia and removing the left testicle because of the presence of a carcinoma. More surgery was scheduled later to remove the left kidney, the ureter tube leading from the kidney to the bladder and any other suspicious looking lesions.

     During the second surgery on July 12th, which was anticipated to take an hour and a half, well into the third hour a nurse came to the surgery waiting room, called me into a conference room and said the urologist who was assisting the surgeon wanted to talk to me. They had discovered multiple cancers in the left abdominal area.

     I was expecting to hear that the surgery was over, but the urologist came into the room with perspiration pouring from his forehead and began our conversation by asking me if I knew why the surgeon ordered a CT scan at the initial exam. I was clueless. The urologist said he was just curious.

     Then he proceeded to tell me that he had removed the cancerous kidney, the ureter and its large tumor, also a small part of the bladder. He said he had also removed multiple tumors from the adrenal gland and multiple tumors from the abdominal area. He asked again if I had any idea why the surgeon had initially ordered the CT scan after just a routine palpation of the hernia and the nodule. I became curious also.
     Then the urologist told me that he had to return to surgery since the surgeon was probably finished with his exploratory exam of the affected area. He informed me that the surgeon would be out of surgery to consult with me in a few hours.

     I was shocked at the extent of the cancer, but the urologist assured me that he and the surgeon had done a thorough job of removing all of the cancer; that, in fact, the surgeon was also removing a portion of the bowel because of a tumor on it.

     After another few hours the surgeon came to the surgery waiting room, sat down beside me and told me in detail everything he had done in the extensive surgery, telling me that the "mother" of the cancer seemed to be in the spermatic cord, which he had removed.

     I took the bull by the horns and asked the surgeon the same question the urologist had asked me, why did he order a CT scan at the first office visit?

     The surgeon began telling me his reasoning. He said that when he palpated the two areas at the initial exam that a thought came to his mind about his favorite professor in medical school, one who taught oncology. The surgeon commented that the professor was a tall, athletic, robust man like my husband. He related that the professor began to feel listless and weak, so he ordered a CT scan which showed that he had multiple cancers in his liver. The quick remembrance of that professor is what led my husband's surgeon to order the CT scan rather than just passing off the two areas of concern as normal problems for a man the age of my husband.
     The act of ordering the CT scan saved my husband's life. It showed the areas of major concern, the nonfunctioning kidney, the blocked ureter and the tumor on the testicle.

     I know for a fact that God is the one who whispered the memory about the professor in the mind of the surgeon. Then the surgeon acted upon the suggestive thought that my husband's problems might be more extensive than it seemed. Indeed they were.

     If the CT scan had not been ordered, the cancers would have grown until it was too late for my husband to recover from any treatment.

     As it turned out, my husband recovered from the extensive surgery quickly. Both doctors referred to my husband as amazing, a marvel and the strongest man they've ever seen because of his rapid recovery.
     The pathology report identified the type of cancer as a rare sarcoma of which only two hundred people are diagnosed a year. The surgeon ordered a consult with MD Anderson doctors. The oncologist at that hospital recommended traditional strong chemotherapy, no radiation, and said that the chemo will cure any remaining small cancers. Then he told my husband that he will not die of cancer.

     We know that the conclusion would have been different and it would have been devastating if the CT scan had not been ordered by the surgeon. It was the first step toward saving my husband's life. The second step was the extensive surgery performed by the urologist and the surgeon, being cautious to remove all visible tumors. The third step is coming up, which will be chemotherapy. The chemo which will do the final sweep of killing any remaining microscopic tumors.

     My husband owes his life to God's divine intervention in the matter. God whispered the memory of the professor into the mind of the surgeon. The two doctors assisted in saving his life with their diligence.

     Thank you God for your wise whisperings in the mind of the surgeon.

     Thank you Dr. Robison and Dr. Daniels for taking the time to remove all the tumors, thus saving the life of my husband.

     We can even thank the chemotherapy for being the final gift of God in completing the life saving activities.