Recovering against the odds

We’ve just created a new page – see right menu – describing examples of recovering against the odds. Examples of people recovering from doomladen medical opinions will help strengthen Elaine’s resolve.

4 thoughts on “Recovering against the odds

  1. Jo

    Elaine, I belong to a web support group for my cancer; Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. A couple of years ago, one of the group, a young woman called Eleanor was given a terminal prognosis. On the site, she discussed her funeral arrangements – we all chipped in with ideas, in real life, she planned a big farewell party. Although she lived not too far away, I wasn’t able to go, but one of the other posters did and sadly related to us all the details; Eleanor had been too ill to really enjoy it but had attended lying on a bed, so friends could say goodbye to her.

    We heard nothing for a few weeks (usually a family member posts notice of a death) then suddenly, a post from Eleanor, saying she was still around and starting to feel better. Eleanor continued posting – including details of going back to the hospital were they refused her a scan because ‘there was no point as the disease was terminal’. She continued to improve and to ask for confirmation that the disease was spontaneously regressing. Eventually, well past her sell-by date, they relented and scanned her; she was declared to be in full remission. Eleanor continued to post on the site for a while, but understandably drifted away to get on with her real life.

    Now, I admit, I was a tad sceptical; it just seemed to good to be true, but last year, waiting for a scan myself, I was flicking through the waiting room magazines and saw an article on Eleanor dated a year after these events, alive and well. On the NHL site, she is our beacon.

  2. Godfrey

    Jean

    Jean was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Like you, she bled and bled; doctors gave her 5-6 weeks to live. She was advised to put her affairs in order, but she went to see a Christian with a healing ministry.

    “You don’t want to die yet, do you?” he said. “You’ve got four children.” He prayed for her. A lot of people prayed for her.

    That was in 1970-71. I’d heard about Jean for years – she lives in the next town – but I met her for the first time three weeks ago, still healthy at 78.

    Tony

    This one is not so spectacular, but I was there and saw it myself.

    Tony and Doreen were members of our church. Tony was near retirement age, and had diabetes for which he had to take medication every day. Doreen believed she had a promise from the Lord that he would be healed, but that they would know the right moment.

    I was on his left and Doreen on his right when a visiting speaker, talking generally about being healed of diabetes, flung out a finger pointing directly at Tony. I could sense Doreen starting to vibrate. Tony went forward for prayer and, next day, threw away his medication for good. His GP went ballistic, but Tony had been healed and lived for years before dying a natural death.

    Diagnosis belongs to doctors; but prognosis belongs to the Lord.

    God bless, and I hope all goes well this week.

  3. Elaine

    She is a lovely person Julie, very good at her job. BUT and it’s a big one she was very positive last time about the ease of using an ileostomy bag. She was also quite convinced when I had trouble that they would get it functioning and none of them could. It was seeing how hard they tried that’s got me so down and fearful about the prospects of a permanent colostomy. I had some bad experiences at Calderdale Hospital but it wasn’t with this sector of the medical staff who were extremely caring and did their utmost and then some to get me sorted with the ileostomy bag.

  4. Julie Cockburn

    Hiya Elaine, Chris and Morgan,
    The blog’s a great idea, makes it possible to keep up with things in detail without having to bend your ears about it all. Glad things are moving along a bit. Stoma nurse sounds fantastic, just what you need someone with a positive attitude. See you/speak to you soon, big hugs for Wednesday. xxx Julie

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