ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY I ITH, I went with my husband, Bob, for dinner at his parents' house. The occasion was Aunt Winnie's 87th birthday, which was being celebrated with extended

family from out of state. Bob's folks, Florence and William, always put on a nice meal for special occasions. They have continued to host various family events even though they are both in their eighties. After dessert and conversation, the crowd dwindled until only my husband and 1, his brother Bill and

Bill's wife, Martha, were left. We settled in the cozy living room to relax and talk with Mom and Dad. We chatted about A the little things families talk

about activities of the kids, concerns about jobs, the upcoming elections.

During our conversation, I noticed that Dad was quiet, but there was nothing unusual about that; he is 89 years old, he has always been quiet and in the last few years he has developed a hearing problem But I found myself thinking that Dad seemed particularly withdrawn that night. Usually he has a ready smile, but his eyes looked lackluster and his skin color seemed yellow with an undertone of gray.

When a natural pause came in the conversation, I was surprised to hear Bob say,,."Mom and Dad, can we talk a little about what's going on? Tell us what's happened." I didn't know it then, but Bob had heard some alarming news about Dad from Bill that, day, and he wanted more details. Mom explained that Dad had recently experienced flu like symptoms on a weekend, and when she called the emergency room, they were reluctant to have him come in, because they were overloaded with patients and Dad's fever was only moderate 101.

Since Dad preferred to stay home anyway, Mom didn't push the idea of going to the hospital, but she was uneasy. She thought that the chills and shakes he was enduring were particularly violent and the fever was higher than it should be for a man his age. After being married for almost 65 years, she knew her husband. This was more than the flu. So, as soon as possible, they went for a check up. His doctors were concerned, and so Dad underwent both an abdominal ultrasound anda CT scan with special procedures.

The morning of our family dinner, Mom and Dad had gone in to hear the test results. Dad was told that the CT scan had shown a tumor at the head of his pancreas, from 3.5 cm to 4 cm. He was Aso told there was dense calcification of the abdominal artery and that the tumor was very close to the artery. It was inoperable. He had kidney cysts in the right kidney, and a gallstone. There were other problems as well. Another appointment was scheduled for Monday

Continued on page 40 called. Not only was Dad the loved patriarch of a large family, but each family member had received plenty of his prayers over the years. I was still feeling resigned about the illness, but I prayed, "Let Thy will be done for the highest good, help Dad to be strong through whatever comes, and bless Mom with courage for the days ahead. Let Thy Light flow into his body and make him well."

Saturday, Bob and I made a last minute change of plans to go to a quiet dinner at a friend's home instead of a party. That evening we told Jan and Dan Greenberg the news. I'd met Jan first as a client; she'd had ovarian cancer, and had chosen to do both traditional and alternative treatments. She was in remission and doing very, very well. The minute she heard about Dad's problem, she said, "You've got to read an article in the Well Beingjournal about MGN 3.

Because of that article, I'm involved in a cancer study." She told me about the phenomenal results being achieved with this natural formula and how Dr. Ghoneum, a researcher and immunologist at Drew University in Los Angeles, was doing a special study on MGN 3's effects on cancer. I'd never heard of MGN 3, and as I looked at Jan's literature, I felt hope and excitement rise in me.

We went home that night with the Well Beingjournal and the phone number of the study coordinator in Seattle. But would we be able to get Dad in? We could buy MGN 3 at the health food store, but it was a less potent formula. And in the study, Dad would get medical monitoring for the activity of his natural killer cells, which is what MGN 3 activates.

The next day, which was Sunday, I called the study's administrator, Emmy McAllister. Luckily, she was in her office, and we talked for an hour and a half She told me that she had recently received a request from Dr. Ghoneum for a few pancreatic cancer patients. She had one slot left open! It was at that moment I felt the hand of God.

From the minute I let Mom and Dad know about MGN 3 and the possibility of his joining the study, they were enthusiastic. They read the material Emmy faxed, and Dad was immediately convinced it would work. "Everything's going to be fine," he said. Mom was thrilled that he had hope again.

The next morning Bill took them back to their doctor, who was at a major hospital connected with a medical university. Their primary doctor ~old them that there was a 100% chance that the tumor was pancreatic cancer." All in all, three doctors confirmed the diagnosis. As a next step, they recommended an echo endoscopy, which is a procedure where a surgeon maps the tumor precisely by going in through the throat. When it was time to go home, Mom's legs wouldn't support her she was so shocked by the news.

That afternoon, I called and told them the good news they were in the study and Dad could get started right away if he would get three vials of blood to the Drew University tab in Los Angeles by Wednesday morning. We made plans to do the blood draw the next day, which was Tuesday. Dad spent the rest of the day gardening, as usual. It was Valentine's Day.

On Tuesday, we had the blood drawn and overnighted to LA. I called Emmy and found that the first doses of MGN 3 were on the way. Dad was happy and hopeful. I knew there were other things that needed to be done for him; the doctors had also recommended a procedure to put a permanent catheter in his bile duct so the bile would flow normally. Dad was so yellow that it was clear to everyone he had jaundice. But the important thing was that they were upbeat and that the cloud had lifted. That night, Dad woke up and told Mom that he didn't know how it happened, but he knew everything was fine. He was calm and relaxed.

The next morning, Dad had the endoscopy. Bill went with them to the hospital. When it was over, they all convened in the doctor's office. Bill puts what happened next this way, "I have never seen medical men look more stunned.

The specialist came in and said, 'We found nothing. There was nothing to see, nothing to biopsy. There is no tumor. The tissue of the pancreas is normal, the pancreatic duct is normal."' The surgeon went down to radiology to check the first tests. They were almost embarrassed and trying to explain how such a thing could happen. Evidently, they were pretty near speechless. Bill continued, "These are competent doctors at a major medical center. They know what they're doing, but they just didn't know what to say." One doctor shook his head and said to Dad, "You are a real puzzle." Mom helped out a bit. "Well, he has had prayers from all across the nation," she said.

"That's the most important thing," a nurse replied.

Everyone in the family was very relieved, and a little bit bewildered. We all know that prayer can work miracles,,but when it happens like this, so fast, so completely, just evaporating a deadly tumor, it is almost unnerving. Dad was diagnosed on Friday, and there was no tumor left by the following Wednesday! It was astonishing. Dad was smiling and Mom said, "It looks like we've had a healing."

Sick people are often prayed for, and I believe hope creates an opening for prayer energy to heal. Dad was convinced that he would be fine. He saw that God was providing an avenue for him to heal through being in the study; he didn't have to accept a death sentence. There is no doubt in my mind that learning about the MGN 3 and the wonderful work of Dr. Ghoneum right as he was hearing the "bad news" helped Dad have that vital hope, which opened the way for healing to happen.

Dad did not go into the study, because he didn't have a diagnosis of cancer. Doctors surgically inserted a catheter or stent into a blocked bile duct, and his yellow pallor has lessened. We know, however, that Dad needs to get better in more ways than one; he is still a sick man. It isn't as if God has taken away all his suffering at once. So we still pray for Dad, but we are also giving thanks that the killer tumor is gone and that we have experienced a wonderful instance of God's grace. No one deserves it more than Dad.

CATHERJNE SALTZMAN teaches workshops and seminars on spiritual and emotional healing and may be reached at HealTheCause@aol.com or at P.O. Box 231955, Encinitas, CA 92023.