The Search for New Doctors
I had fallen through the cracks in the local medical community, but God had another plan. I was so sick between April and June that I didn’t know where to turn. A friend of mine suggested a medical doctor in Aurora who does some alternative treatments.
GOD WINK NUMBER ONE: I had made an appointment three weeks earlier and as God would have it the appointment was set for the Wednesday following my diagnosis. This doctor did more blood work and verified that is was indeed leukemia. I asked her about treatment, and she said it was too far along I would have to see a hematologist and have conventional treatment. I asked the doctor if it was her who she would go to and she said Dr. Keith Block at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Skokie, Illinois.
The next day, on Thursday, I researched the Block Center and on Friday I called for an appointment. I spoke to a patient advocate, who informed me they would need all of the paperwork and lab work from the previous doctors, as well as a 14-page questionnaire filled out before they could see me and that it usually took 30 days to get in. I told her my situation and explained I could not wait that long.
GOD WINK NUMBER TWO: The patient advocate put me on hold and came back to tell me Dr. Block had a cancellation at 9:00 Monday morning. Could I be there? The answer was yes.
Jan and my daughter Melissa went with me to see Dr. Block and help me assimilate all the information I would receive. We met with Dr. Block and representatives from all of the integrative departments and had assessments done form 9:00 in the morning until 6:00 that evening. Dr. Block and his team walked us through all of the things I would have to do in order to heal. I would need to meditate and believe I was healed. I would have to change my diet and take supplements that would support the healing process. I would need to exercise and keep moving even when I didn’t feel like it. And most of all I would have monthly infusions to build my body up not only from the disease, but from the drug being used to treat the disease. These infusions would consist of vitamins and nutrients, glutathione, vitamin C, and curcumin. Some of these we didn’t even know existed. My question is, “Why do we not know these things?” I did not know treatments like this existed in the United States. We researched what we didn’t know online and would soon discover the benefits of all of these things. In Dr. Block I had finally found a doctor who cared about the whole person.
GOD WINK NUMBER THREE: While we were still at the Block Center Dr. Block got on the phone and called Dr. Jayesh Mehta who is the Director of the Stem Cell Therapy Department at Northwestern Medical Center in Chicago and asked him to see me as a patient. Dr. Mehta knew the targeted drug and the dosage I should be on for CML, which is the kind of leukemia I have. However, Dr. Mehta could not prescribe it for me until he could see me at Northwestern and I could not get in immediately. Dr. Block and Dr. Mehta agreed I should go back to my local hospital to see if a hematologist would prescribe this drug since time was of the essence and it would take me a little while to get into Northwestern.
I made an appointment with a hematologist at our local hospital. Jan and my daughter Jodi went with me for the appointment. The hematologist we met with told us she would not work with Dr. Block and that she would not use a targeted drug. She said she would only use liquid chemo. I decided to wait to get into Northwestern.
Within 10 days of finally being diagnosed I had met with Dr. Block and his team and had an appointment with Dr. Mehta. Truly God was at work.
GOD WINK NUMBER FOUR: And then we waited. Had we made the right decision? How long did I have? Could I wait it out until I got into Northwestern? During this time Jan and I discussed the power of prayer and Jan prayed over me. It was shortly after the time Jan had prayed for me that Northwestern Medical called and said my appointment with Dr. Mehta had been moved up. I finally got into Northwestern to see Dr. Mehta and I can’t tell you how impressed we were with both Dr. Mehta and Northwestern. Dr. Mehta is an extremely busy man and yet, he had time to answer our questions and was so compassionate and caring.
There have been times in my life when I have felt close to God and there have been times when I felt like I was in the desert waiting for answers and yet, it was as if in this crisis of my life God showed up and took over.
Powerful!
Thank you Rob. That means a lot to me.
Mary,
Your faith is inspiring, God’s goodness amazing! Very thankful for his leading and provisions in your life.
Thanks Paula for following me on this journey.