Tommie, come here; I have some good news,” said Maria, a nurse of the Hartland Lifestyle Education Center (HLEC).* “What is it?” I asked. “You’re going on a fast for fifteen days. A fast? I can’t say “yes” or “no” to her. If I say “yes,” I will be miserable. But if I say “no,” what’s going to happen to my health? I finally replied, “We’ll have to work it out one day at a time.”
I’ve learned that God is so good. He gave me the strength to live. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer more than ten years ago. In 1995, I had my first surgery. Since I’d had no trouble since then, I thought that the cancer was gone, but in October 2004 I felt severe pain in my ribs. I went to many physicians—from my family doctor to another doctor, to a urologist, and finally to an oncologist who told me I was in the last stage of cancer.
Amazingly, it didn’t bother me. I knew I just had to pray harder and do what the Lord wanted me to do. My phone became extremely busy because of calls coming from friends and family who wanted to see how I was doing. “How are you feeling? Are you losing weight?”
I had four chemotherapy treatments, but my prostate specific antigen level (PSA) was still going up. Then I received thirteen radiation treatments and my PSA went down a little. However, I was still in pain. My church pastor had urged me many times to go to the HLEC, and I finally went last September (2005). The words of the urologist were clearly imprinted in my memory: “Avoid fried food, dairy products and cheese.” To my surprise, the staff at the HLEC taught me the same thing, plus the eight laws of health: the proper use of nutrition, exercise, water, sunshine, temperance, air, rest, and trust in God.
What a wonderful journey it was to be at the HLEC! The cheerfulness and positive attitude of the staff and students brought encouragement to my heart. They didn’t hesitate to stop and pray with me at any time during the day. After a few days, my weight dropped from 188 pounds to 174 pounds. I got more than enough sleep, and I felt very relaxed. I still have cancer, but I don’t have any pain. The doctors are very happy that I’m still alive. So am I!
I thank God for HLEC and its staff. Most of the time when people find out they have cancer, depression and stress creep into their lives. That was not true for me, though. With God’s help through the lifestyle education center, I learned how to deal with stress. Psalm 118:8 says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” After more than ten years, here I am—alive and kicking, and serving the Lord by teaching others the principles I learned at Hartland. Praise the Lord!
