James Rabon

This isn’t my first bout with cancer. In 2003, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer, which my doctors in Wilmington found when they were searching for a kidney stone. I still have the kidney stone, but I’m free of bladder cancer. I received my last treatment for that in February 2005. At that time, tests showed no sign of bladder cancer, but I was fatigued and just had no strength or energy.

After a couple months of this extreme fatigue, I went back to my primary physician for blood tests … twice. Both sets of tests were normal. She conducted a number of other tests as well, and they all were normal. Then, in August, my wife Linda suggested I go back for a chest x-ray. It was the only test that hadn’t been run for about four years. What the x-ray showed was a tumor, high up on my left lung. My doctor thought it was probably inoperable. She sent me to a pulmonologist for further testing. The first biopsy came back inconclusive, so they did another one. This one showed I had non-small cell lung cancer.

During this period of testing, it took over three weeks to get results, and my wife and I, as well as my son and daughter, found this discouraging and unreasonable. While in the doctor’s office one day, my wife talked to a woman who said she’d received treatment for breast cancer at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Illinois and that she’d had a wonderful experience. We decided to call.

My wife called on a Thursday. The lady she spoke to thought we might be better helped at the CTCA facility in Tulsa. The following Monday, CTCA called us with plane reservations and doctor appointment, and we flew out on Tuesday. It was like God just opened the door … no hassle, no waiting, no problems. By Friday, we’d seen the doctor and had a plan of treatment. We knew more in five days at CTCA then we’d learned in three weeks back home.

The first plan of action was to try and remove the tumor. There was a 40-percent chance that they could do that, if it hadn’t already spread. But, when they went in, they discovered it was around my carotid artery in the neck, so the doctors agreed they couldn’t remove it. They gave me time to heal, but just when I was due to go home for a week break, the calcium in my body rose to high levels, and I became very ill. I had to go in the hospital for four days to get that straightened out, and now, I’m started on a treatment plan that includes 33 Tomotherapy treatments and weekly chemotherapy.

We have great peace about being here. This is the first medical facility I’ve been in where the bulk of the people understand when I say something about the Lord or talk about God. You feel God’s presence here when you walk in. You feel Him in the chapel. This is a wonderful place to be for treatment. God is recognized, honored and praised here. There’s an atmosphere of hope and encouragement. The word cancer can terrorize you, but here, you don’t have to fight to have faith as well as fight the cancer. Here, you have doctors who’ll pray with you, people who’ll bless you and encourage you, from the housekeepers through the nursing staff. The staff here is a wonderful blessing.

God makes His presence known in small ways here as well as big ways. He makes sure the right people come your way. So many people here have come and talked to my wife and given her reassurance. And then, the other morning, I woke up craving some pound cake. I didn’t want to tell my wife because she’d go out and buy me a whole pound cake, so I didn’t say anything. We went down for a radiation treatment, and when I was done, I told Linda I’d really like a sip of coffee. She went off to get that, and a lady I’d never seen before walked up to me and asked how I was doing. I told her I’d just finished radiation and my wife had gone to get me some coffee. She said, “Would you like a piece of pound cake to go with that?” I told her I sure would. Now, see how much God cares and how much He’s involved in our lives!!! I’m 1200 miles from home, but He made sure I had a piece of pound cake I wanted, just for the joy of it.

You know, the first time I had cancer, it took me by surprise. I have a wonderful church and family and have received wonderful support from all of them and lots of prayer. But then, I got this diagnosis, and I admit I’ve felt some apprehension. I thought, “Lord, if you delivered me from bladder cancer, why do I have worse?” Then, I thought, “Well, You’re the same God; You’re the Great Healer; You can do it again.” I’m still expecting to live my normal years that God has given me and not have them shortened.

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