Praise

Praise report and the Awesomeness of God
It was March 12 when I was in surgery... hard to believe.. but here we are.. the following is an email I sent to Brian at DAB. It lays out the whole journey we began back in December of 2010...Hi Brian..
It’s Sean VanGaalen.. Tom’s brother. I wanted to send you this email to let you know that my cancer surgery to remove the entire left lobe of the liver was a 100% unqualified success! It took God’s direction, almost 13 hours of being on the operating table and THE most amazing surgical team to do it.. but it was done. I can clearly see God’s divine intervention in this.. so many things came together at just the right point in time.. it could be nothing else. Just a recap of this amazing journey.. Back in December of 2010.. I was feeling rather unwell at work. After a visit to the company nurse, she indicated a lot of people were concerned about my lack of colour.. a pasty white as it were. I spend a lot of time out on the water.. so this was unusual. I made an appointment to see the family doctor right after work. He didn’t like what he saw and sent me for blood tests. He called me at home the same night and told me I needed to get to the hospital right away as I needed to have a blood transfusion. My haemoglobin count was only 50... normal is 150 to 170. Once there.. I was transfused with 4 units of blood right away which helped stabilize me.. but they told me that I was losing blood somewhere. I was immediately sent for a scope to check my insides and on Dec 3rd, I was told I had colon cancer which had also taken root in my liver. The liver cancer was at stage 4.. very serious and that I shouldn’t get my hopes up. Of course I was devastated by the news.. as was the family.. I called my best friend & told his wife I had it.. then had my first and only big cry about it. At that point.. I then realized God was going to be the ONLY way out of this. I had been, up to that point, a serious work-a-holic... 24 years in the same place having taken only 4 weeks of holidays in that time.. working 7 days a week as much as 16 hours a day. Now.. I was off of work indefinitely and had NO idea what I was going to do. In the quietness of the hospital room.. I was ministered to by 3 of the most compassionate nurses I have ever met. One of them even gave me a hug to reassure me things were going to be alright. It was there I regained my true perspective of God in my life and I prayed for healing, understanding, strength & courage to meet this challenge head on. I vowed that I would do what ever it took with His help to fight this ugly thing that had invaded me. I had, up to this point, always acknowledged God was in my life... just not the focus. Now.. I realized that He would have to become the focus in order for me to have any chance of beating this thing and that meant surrendering completely to Him in EVERY respect of the word.. NOT an easy task! I was immediately surrounded by His peace in that moment and I somehow knew that I would have victory over this. I just didn’t realize how much of a battle it would become and what I would have to endure to get there. On Dec 14th 2010.. the surgeon removed 18” of colon and just like that.. THAT cancer was gone! After recovery.. in January of 2011, I started intensive chemotherapy to shrink the tumours on my liver. On the right side of the liver were 4 small tumours and on the left side.. multiple large tumours. After 5 months of chemo.. the results were astounding! The biggest tumours on the left side had shrunk well over 50%.. even more then the oncologist had hoped for. Again.. God laid His healing hands on me and in July of 2011.. I went in for what I hoped would be the final surgery. Unfortunately, we suffered a set back.. the surgeon had intended to remove the 4 small tumours on the right side and completely remove the left side all together. But the fourth tumour was sitting on top of the portal vein & bile duct and totally inaccessible by surgery. Because of that, he also was unable to remove the left side of the liver.. so I was closed up. He was genuinely upset he hadn’t been able to do as he had promised.. I wished I could have hugged him. But I told him I was happy that the 3 tumours on the right side were gone.. it would be 3 less to deal with the next time and that we would be successful... we just needed to find another solution. My wound became septicemic from a superbug while in the hospital and had to be left open to drain. It took almost 3 months for it to heal over..and I learned in the course of these treatments what it meant to suffer well.. without complaint as well as looking to the future. I started chemo again in late Sept. and God again intervened by bringing me in touch with a radiologist who had a new experimental treatment he was willing to offer me. So on Oct 18th.. I was once again in the OR.. wide awake as he fed a stiff wire past my vital organs directly into my liver and speared the fourth tumour on the right side of the liver. After checking to make sure it was where he wanted it.. he cranked up the microwaves and totally 100% burned that tumour into oblivion! Praise God for giving him the knowledge and ability to help me! After a short recovery and assurance the tumour was indeed gone.. I went back on chemo until just after Christmas. Starting the new year off.. I once again met my liver surgeon who told me he was going to try again to remove the left side. So on March 12 2012, at 6 am... I once again went into the OR.. totally at peace with God.. know full well He was in control of the situation. After I woke up in recovery.. I was somewhat delirious.. I don’t remember too much. I was only supposed to be in the ICU for a couple of days but again.. God intervened on my behalf.. because they were unable to find me a bed in a ward.. I stayed in the ICU for 8 whole days.. with my own individual nurse. I am convinced it was this time away from other people.. in isolation that allowed my wound to heal so very quickly and well. I was then moved to a ward on the morning of the 9th day.. spent just 2 more days there and was released on the morning of March 22nd, which is also my children’s birthday(Triplets!! ). God has an impeccable sense of humour and timing doesn’t He? I have been home since then and last Wed March 28th after a post op check up with the surgeon.. he gave me the news that my pathology report came back negative! Praise God! I am cancer free! But this is JUST the beginning of this wonderful journey. I am NOT the man I once was.. and I am glad that cancer came into my life when it did. I have purposed in my heart to become a disciple of Jesus rather then a follower and that I will now walk by faith and NOT by sight as I have found looking at situations can be very disheartening when you can’t see a way out. I KNOW God will lead me through what ever life challenges come my way... I just need to be faithful, humble & obedient to His calling.. I want so very much for others to see God in this situation and know that they too can overcome their challenges.. what ever that looks like in their lives. I am happy with my life now.. the happiest I’ve been in years because I have cast my burdens on Him and taken up His yoke with Joy. It is my wish and prayer that I can touch others lives with the same passion I have found in my life now that my eyes are fixed on Him. I have been encouraged by meeting you Brian.. catching your vision for community, the infusion of God’s Word in our lives and how important that is. I am honoured to call you a brother-in-Christ and I would like to thank you and Four Winds Mission for not only providing me with a church to go to when I couldn’t go to my own church.. but for all the prayers and encouragement you have provided for the VanGaalen family as we have taken this most remarkable journey together. If you can let everyone there know I am healed of cancer.. I would be happy to let them know that God does indeed answer prayer. To anyone that reads this..know this.. CANCER CAN & WILL BE BEATEN.. OUR GOD ALREADY HAS THE VICTORY OVER IT! And that we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us! I would be happy to share my story and encouragement with anyone who desires it.. contact me at seanvangaalen@hotmail.com. I am trying to get on the forums to respond to prayer requests as I can.. be encouraged and know I am praying for as many of you as I can.

In His Healing Hands I remain your friend and brother-in-Christ...

Sean VanGaalen
Sean 05/02/2012 20:08

Replies:
Davidwayne Lackey 05/03/2012 01:11
Amen !!!!
fem fem 05/11/2012 04:30
It is only God the divine healer who can do this,and he has done it for u, I pray that ur healing will be permanent in Jesus name.