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“It’s a Medical Miracle…, we have been watching your story unfold from afar and… we can’t explain it, it’s a miracle!”

My primary care provider said this to me a few weeks ago when I went to ask some specific blood sugar related questions. I hadn’t seen him in over nine months since I was diagnosed with not one, but two, (biochemically/genetically) unrelated  cancers in my pancreas and colon. These were big tumors (picture a grapefruit) that in the pancreas, had been growing for a number of years. “How do you feel?” he asked; “How are you?.

“Fine.” I said. I’ve never felt better. This whole experience has been such a blessing.”

“That’s wonderful.” he said; “Most people don’t see it that way. This makes you extraordinary.”

He said he wasn’t too alarmed with my sugars and wanted to see me in a few weeks after having my six-month check-up with Dr. Gold, my oncologist. “Have them run these tests while you’re at it and have them fax it to me. I want to compare these numbers.” He wrote down ‘CA 19‘ & ‘CEA‘.

I followed up with him today.

“Surprise to see you here, you look great. Look at this!”

He set down three sheets of paper and pointed at a line on the first one.

“These are your ‘Tumor Markers’. They are blood tests that we use to help diagnose the level of cancer in your body. These are your numbers in January.” He pointed to the following: CEA 40.0 H C 19-9 173 H . “Most people are around 2.5-5 CEA and 0-35 is normal for the C19, but your at this now.” He circled two numbers to the right. CEA 1.0 C 19-9 <2. He then showed two other intermediate numbers corresponding to May and August and showed how they went down, then dropped completely to normal.
“Falling Cea indicators is a good sign.” He said; “What do you do? Do you visualize?”

I said that it was faith mostly and that I did visualize my white blood cells as little Dorje Shugdan protectors riding around on a snow lion, sword drawn, hacking up little cancer cells.

He laughed and said; “Well it works- keep it up!”

I smiled and said; “You know you Doctors are good but Dharma is the supreme medicine, a little old Tibetan monk told me so.”

And I believe him…