I have to share this: In August of 2008 I was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. Mayo prescribed radiation, predicting I had perhaps a year and a half to live. Six weeks of radiation ended in October, followed by a December scan showing scant change in the tumor, again with little chance of extended life.

The wife and I, unwilling to accept such an uninviting future, tried some alternatives to standard medical practices: (a) A once-a-day measure of bottled flax oil; (b) A daily intake of home-brewed herbal tea (ingredients from an Arkansas source); (c) Dozens of caring folks praying for me. One very special lady working in a local Subway knelt on the floor beside me and prayed — out loud — for me. I was overwhelmed with her graciousness.

Here I am, March 2009, savoring the recent Mayo discovery that my cancer has disappeared, leaving me eternally grateful, yet mystified about what caused the remission. Was it the radiation, the flax oil, the herbal tea or the ongoing chorus of prayer? I can’t answer that, but I remain firmly convinced that it wouldn’t have happened without God’s intervention, regardless of what Mayo or I might have done. So, he hears my thanks, often.

That said, I suggest that anyone with health problems, any problems, follow the same route that works for me. Talk to God. He wants to hear from you. What can you lose?

Dean W. Dykeman

Austin