Pancreatic cancer claims the lives of 90 per cent of its victims, but Pastor Julius R Malone was saved from its deadly clutches.
Malone, the pastor of the New Testament Church of Milwaukee for 34 years now, started having stomach pains in October of 2013. His doctor treated him for acid reflux, but the pain did not go away.
Malone then decided to consult God, Fox6 Now reports.
"I began to pray about what's happening, why do I have this pain. And the Lord impressed upon me, 'You have cancer. You need to find out where it is and have it removed before it spreads,'" said Malone.
After a number of tests and medical consultations, the cancerous tumor was spotted knotted in his pancreas.
But instead of being frightened by the diagnosis, Malone welcomed the news.
"It was somewhat of a relief because I suspected that all along. Now I know where it is, now we can work on getting rid of it before it spreads," the pastor said.
The medical team at Froedtert and the medical college knew getting the tumor out was not easy.
Medical oncologist Dr Paul Ritch said, "What is crucial is that it is wrapped around certain blood vessels that supplies blood to the upper abdomen, to the stomach, the intestines, the liver so that you can't just sacrifice that artery because you'd be cutting off the blood supply to those organs."
The tumor had to shrink before the doctors can attempt to operate on it, and Malone was ready to help the doctors save him.
Dr Ritch recounted, "Pastor Malone said to me, 'Do whatever you have to do to get me to the point where they can take it out.'"
The pastor underwent an aggressive regimen of chemo therapy, while his congregation started an equally aggressive prayer chain for him. People prayed for the pastor 24/7 starting December 8 of last year.
"It's a blessing to us at 2am to get up and pray for our leader because it's quiet. That time of night no distraction, no telephone, no television, no nothing," said Minister Doug Smith of the New Testament Church congregation.
After four treatments, the tumor did not shrink. After another four, it still remained unchanged, but Malone never felt anxious. He said he meditated on Philippines 4:6–7, which begins with "Be anxious for nothing."
"Sometimes [God] tests us so that we can find out about ourselves. In fact, I was a little bit surprised at my lack of anxiety," the pastor explained.
Finally after 28 treatments of radiation, the tumor shrank sufficiently. Malone was able to undergo surgery to have the cancer removed in August of this year.
During the entire ordeal, the pastor never stopped preaching. He also never lost his hair, never experienced nausea, and never needed a feeding tube when he left the hospital.
Malone, who is now cancer-free, said, "All of these things I knew it was because of prayer. I knew it was because of prayer, and I was so grateful for all of the people who prayed for me."
