Designed for us by God?

John Piper says "You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God"

We have yet to have it confirmed, but Jan and I are sure she has the rarer and tougher invasive cancer. The simpler more common DCIS cancer can have a 98% survival rate after 5 years. Is her cancer even receptive to simple hormone treatment? We wonder. Jan has waited now for 24 days for results of tests. To save costs the NHS test first for hormone receptivity, which most cancers are and which means cheap simple follow on treatment. If that test is negative one tests for progesterone, and then HER2 receptivity. The further one needs to go in testing the harder, more risky and expensive the treatment becomes.

We wonder if the delay in getting Jan's results means bad news. I found today a blog by a US lady who has the "triple negative" breast cancer. If Jan is triple negative all tests come back negative which could explain the delays in getting Jan's results.The blogger is a professor at a Californian university doing cancer research, so talks more sense than many. Her blog is at http://goodcancer.blogspot.com/. She states in the blog the far higher risk of recurrence if the cancer is triple negative, and in her opinion the need for chemotherapy in these cases. Interestingly the doctor Jan last saw closed with a comment that chemo might be necessary, are they trying to break news slowly?

In the meantime we know Jan has cancer, that it was awoken by multiple biopsies etc. about 2 months ago, and apart from surgery no treatment has begun. So Jan has restarted her Vitamin E capsules. One study we read suggests it cuts the growth rate of cancer cells to a third if the cancer is ER positive. However we know that other studies suggest Vitamin E has no beneficial effects on breast cancer, yet increases ones risk of a stroke by 10%, so don't let me push it too hard.

Another study suggests cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) kill cancer cells. So we bought a cauliflower and two cabbages!

Two other concerns arose:

I read more about Kylie Minogue, the more serious reports say she is "in remission", not definitely cured.

By chance we found an old tape of a medical missionary doctor in Pakistan who had breast cancer. During her radiotherapy it was discovered her cancer was more extensive than had been thought, she needed further treatment. Yet her testimony was that thanks to prayer of many the side effects from the second dose of radiotherapy were miniscule in comparison to her first treatment. Why does God change the way he deals with us? She later returned to work as a doctor in Pakistan.

So can we trust that God designed this cancer and these circumstances for us? Some may think I am going mad, but I believe we can. God is using it as a "thorn in the flesh" to stop us relying on ourselves, our life needs to show his strength. Psalm 28 verse 8 says "The Lord is the strength of his people"