I woke up at 3 a.m. and realized the doctor said I had cancer. I flew home the next day and asked him, "Are you saying I have cancer?" He said, "Yes", I asked, "When were you going to tell me? ". He went on to explain that the doctors found cancer cells in what they had removed. "So, you have cancer, but there is no treatment. Therefore, you are going to Stage 4. We can try to slow it down by removing the testicle, but you have about 4 years."
I went to my doctor and told him. He opened the letter from the specialist and said, "That's what he is saying here." I left and went home and started praying and fasting. I called his name asking him to deliver me. Eventually, I was praying, "Lord, what can I do? Guide me. Lead me. Deliver me!"
I prayed day and night, calling on His name. People rallied around me and loved me. But at 3 a.m., I would realize I was in this alone. I had cancer. I was facing death. No one else. They were beside me, concerned and caring - yes… but I was alone.
One night I was reminded of a time I had tried to push through healing and failed. Now I prayed and said, "Lord, please tell me what to do and what You will do?". I realized that in the end, He would do what He would do, and I could not force him.
My doctor came back to me and told me to see another specialist. I went to the second one, who at first said, "You are too young". He did tests and called me in. "Simon, he said," you are cursed, you have two tumours."
He then explained there was a “new" surgery that could help. However, he described the risks. First, a blood clot could break away from the wound, and if it did it could kill me or disable me. If the knife slipped a fraction, nerve damage could render me impotent and cause total loss of bladder control.
This operation carried great risk and several serious potential side effects. What should I do? The Lord says we can ask him for wisdom, and I was earnestly asking him to show me what to do.
A few nights later, I was awake in the middle of the night and was reading from Daniel. I was reading about Shadrach Meshack and Abednego. Next, I felt the Spirit draw near. As I read, I saw that they went into the furnace, which should have killed them. They were thrown in, bound up. Then instead of dying they were walking in the fire with Jesus. The bondage burned off. They did not die but exited the fire. Once out they had no bondage. They were not singed and had no smell of burning.
The Spirit spoke in my spirit, Take the surgery, I will be with you, and you will. Live. The cancer will be gone forever, there will be no singeing side effects and not even a smell of it." Peace and joy replaced the anxiety and tension. Faith assured me. Now I knew He would do it and the cancer would not kill me.
The next day I called the surgeon and said, "Let's do it". Now God moved again. He had been studying under Pat Walsh at Baltimore John Hopkins Hospital. A colleague of his had been trained by Walsh and Walsh had perfected the surgical procedure.
He submitted my file to these doctors. They said the prognosis was good. The colleague agreed to come to Port Elizabeth from Johannesburg to do the surgery on a Saturday morning. It is unheard of that surgeons to do "regular" surgery on Saturdays. He could not come Monday to Friday as he had a practice in Johannesburg.
I now had two urologists going to do the operation. Then Walsh agreed to be available for consultation during the surgery if they hit problems. The night before my surgery as I lay in bed my surgeon visited me. Before he left, he said "Someone is looking after you. You will not only have me and my colleague in the theatre and Walsh standing by. Another urologist heard we are doing the op and asked to join us as he has heard about this procedure. You will have 3 urologists in there."
That gave me confirmation the Lord was going to deliver me. I asked." How will I know it was successful when I wake up?"
He said," We will open you up and do biopsies on the glands nearest the tumours. If the cancer has spread, we will close you up and you will wake up in this ward. However, if you wake up with a mask on and lights flashing on monitors you can know it was successful.
I woke up and felt a plastic mask and dimly saw flashing lights from the monitors and smiled then fell back asleep. Eventually, they brought me to consciousness.
I was sent home with a catheter and told I had to wear it for 6 weeks. Then I was told once it was removed, we would see if the bladder would work.
The day came and they put me on a table and X-rayed where they cut me before removing the catheter. The radiologist said" Remember your bladder has not worked for 6 weeks so if there is no control over it that does not automatically mean nerve damage. When home, sip water and start using and stopping the flow. Exercise your bladder control.
I went home with an adult nappy and a bladder just running freely. The next day the Lord reminded me. The bondage (cancer) is gone and no singeing or smell of burning. So, I thanked him and the second day I began getting control. After a couple of weeks, I stopped nappies and never needed them again.
Finally, was the impotence. The surgeon said as I was after 12 months that would be how I would generally be thereafter. After a year I was almost normal and as time passed there was no singing, no side effects. The cancer was gone, and my systems were normal.
I had gone into the furnace but instead of death, Jesus met me, delivered me from my bondage and released me unharmed. Just as he said.
During the recovery period, I was suddenly hit with fear and depression. These are very real experiences. The joy that the operation was successful was replaced with a simple thought. "What if the doctor is lying to me and the cancer is still there?" Fear has torment and this thought tormented me day and night. When the doctor said it was true the cancer was gone this lie prevailed. I was sucked into hopelessness. In this time of mental confusion, I continued to pray and ask Jesus to help me.
A member of the congregation heard I was depressed. She arrived with a pastor. He knelt beside my bed and held me. He prayed for about 30 minutes asking God to touch my mind, to give me soundness of mind. After 30 minutes he stopped and said "Jesus has heard my prayer you will be ok." A few hours later my mind cleared. I knew I was delivered from cancer. The fear was gone, and the depression lifted. Joy and gladness and confidence filled my mind and I was free of cancer and a disastrous mental state.
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and love, and a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7
I realised again that the mind is a very important part of our lives and we need to live in soundness of mind as well as love and power.
God bless you.
Copyright © Simon Peter Mugridge Bishop
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