A Catholic fights cancer by ‘waiting patiently for God’s plan to unfold’

By Ludi P. Clemente

April 8, 2003, Holy Tuesday. At the nuclear medicine department of Queen’ s Medical Center, I did not believe what I was hearing. “We just got the results of your pregnancy test,” the medical technician began, “and it is positive.” I looked at him straight in the eye. “You have got to be kidding,” I exclaimed in shock and disbelief. He was not joking. At 49, I was pregnant.

But that wasn’t my biggest worry. I had also been diagnosed four days earlier with a very rare form of cancer. When my doctor had told me that the mass on my right thigh was malignant, I felt that I had received a death sentence. Intense fear, worry and sadness crept over my entire being. The handwriting was on the wall.

Several CT scans were scheduled to determine how far the cancer had spread. Treatment could not proceed unless I would abort the baby, which I would never do. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” the medical technician continued. “Absolutely,” I responded without hesitation. “I am choosing the baby no matter what.” The scheduled medical procedures were cancelled and I left the hospital with a firm resolve.

Difficult as it was to understand, I trusted God to take control of my situation. There was no doubt in my mind that he knew what was going on and that everything will work together for good.

My doctor told me the following day that I “may not even live to take care of the baby, much less carry it to full term.” I heard him loud and clear but I was not at all shaken. My decision to go forward with the pregnancy was firm and final despite knowing that I would die eventually. I did not second-guess God’s saving power. He was bigger than my disease and I knew he was carrying me in the palm of his hands. What was there to fear?

Blood tests were repeated and more tests followed, but there was no difference in the results. All concluded that I was definitely pregnant. However, a series of ultrasounds could not detect any actual baby. I stood still, prayed incessantly and waited patiently for God’s plan to unfold. Ultimately, the last test confirmed that there was no product of conception. I decided to begin treatment for the cancer.

But time was running out. My condition continued to deteriorate. I suffered chills and a high fever and a deep dry cough that would not respond to treatment. My affected leg was swollen, deformed, blemished and very warm to the touch. The pain was horrible and I was unable to move without help. My internal system was beginning to break as well. It also became clear that the treatment I needed was available only on the mainland.

I rebuked every bad report from my doctors. The more advanced my condition became, the more I clung onto Jesus’ promise of healing. I drew strength from the medicinal power of the Bible. I was never discouraged. I knew that God was in full control and that he could easily turn it around in my favor. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that I could ever ask for. I completely trusted him.

On the day of my surgery, I had an inner calm feeling because I knew that God was with me, over me, under me, around me and inside of me. The doctor removed the tumor without having to amputate the leg, which had been a possibility. However, my surgery wound developed complications. I was told that the “wound vacuum” machine I needed required approval and would not be available for seven working days. I prayed for it to get approved sooner. It came within one working day.

The medical practitioners told me that, because of the severity of my wound, I would have to be hooked up to the machine for two to three months. My wound healed completely in two weeks. God works in very mysterious ways. He truly does.

My oncologists believed follow-up chemotherapy was absolutely necessary since the cancer was very rare. Again, I left the decision to God and asked him to bless and guide my doctors. On January 2004, one year from the time I noticed the first signs of the disease, my doctor declared me “clean” and “free” and I would not have to go through chemotherapy.

God deserves all the praise, honor and glory for this supernatural breakthrough in my life. This incredible experience had transformed me in a very powerful way. I have come to know God in a way that I have never known him before. He has become more real to me and I know I will never be the same again.

I would like to bless everyone who reads this article with a simple message of renewal and hope. It is not necessary that you take the same road I traveled. You do not need to have cancer to experience the presence of God in your everyday life. Whatever your circumstances are, always remember that with him, there are no hopeless cases and no situation beyond his ability to deliver and redeem. He is our Heavenly Father who loves us beyond our worthiness. He is alive and well and he is waiting to have a relationship with you. Call on him anytime. There are no busy signals so it is easy to get through. Invite him into your heart and he will come right in.

“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield.” (Psalm 91:4)

Ms. Clemente is a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Church, Aiea, where she is a lector, a member of the choir ministry and a member of the Filipino Catholic Club.