Cancer! Now the number one killer in North America. The mention of that disease, probably more than any other, causes a visceral constriction of fear. Cancer respects no social, economic, religious, or dietary boundaries. Is it any wonder there is such a burgeoning interest in alternatives to the standard “Cut, Burn, and Poison” used by Western physicians?
Bill relaxing in Kiskalesi, Turkey - September, 2002
Now, it was my turn. I had what turned out to be the most aggressive mouth cancer the oncologist had ever seen.
My wife, our children and friends were shocked, to say the least. I am sure I was in denial to some extent.
My wife, Sandra, and I had planned an extended trip to Syria to get a lot of dental work done. Dental work is very inexpensive there, as we had learned on a previous visit, and the dentists were either trained in Europe or North America. The quality of work was reported to be high.
Needless to say, we canceled our plans for the trip, but we had given notice that we were moving out of our apartment in anticipation of spending five months in Syria, and it was already rented to someone else. We had to be out by the end of the month!
Sandra at breakfast in Oludeniz, Turkey
News of my cancer began to spread through family, friends, and church family. A web of love, prayer and support started to develop. It reached from Vancouver to Toronto, to Colorado, and beyond. By the time I was flopped on the operating table, there were hundreds of people praying for me in four or five churches, plus friends, and friends of friends. People who didn’t know me were adding their prayers or sending good thoughts, because they cared about someone who cared about me. It was something I had never experienced before and, quite frankly, overwhelms me, even today.