Stepping Out With God - Pasir Panjang Church of Christ Singapore

3 Key Strengths
of Cancer Survivors
At the recent Asian Missions Forum at Bohol, Philippines, I was glad to meet
up with sister Dory again. She has recently retired as a judge of the Regional
Trial Court Branch 9 in Davao City, and has started several initiatives in many
community projects.
She brought some of her books to the Forum. The one that caught my eye
was, ‘Ate Perla and That Cancer’, a story of a cancer survivor living in faith.
This small book is a good read, taking just an evening to complete from
cover to cover. Though it is not intended to be a medical journal, the
contents have been reviewed by a panel of medical specialists.
Ate Perla is a middle-class Filipino who contacted cancer when her children
were just kids. She is now 66 years old, and has not only seen her children
grow up and have families of their own, but she has also outlived her husband.
She was amongst a group of cancer victims that a doctor was treating at the
same time in a Manila hospital. When she returned some years later, the
secretary to the doctor was amazed to see her, as everyone in the group
have gone and she not only survived, but was doing well.
While it is heart-rending to hear of the treatments that she had to undergo
over an extended period, it is interesting to read of how she survived despite
all the odds. Key to her recovery are 3 strengths that sister Dory clearly
outlined in this book, a true account that will uplift, inspire and encourage
cancer sufferers, their families and care-givers. If you are interested in
reading this book, send an email to wageavis@yahoo.com for the attention
of sister Dory P. Cruz-Avisado.
1. A cheerful dependence on the mercies of God. When Perla could have
taken an hour’s flight to Manila for treatment, she choose a boat trip of 2-3
days instead, as she wanted time to pray about this situation. When going
for treatment with her sister, they often mistook her as the caregiver since
she was the more cheerful one, always looking for ways to help others.
Throughout the book, Perla’s positive faith was her greatest strength.
2. Right from the beginning, while being treated by western medicine, she
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