Reporter: JOE FORNEAR
HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN ACTIVE,
HEALTHY MAN.
I WAS SO HEALTHY.
ANY TIME I HAD ANYTHING
PHYSICALLY WRONG, I THOUGHT
I WILL TOUGH IT THROUGH.
Reporter: IN 2002,
WHILE VACATIONING WITH HIS
WIFE, TERRY, JOE FOUND A
LUMP ON HIS ARM.
I THOUGHT, I HAVE HAD
OTHER LUMPS ON MY ARM,
CYSTS, AND I THOUGHT IT IS
PROBABLY NOTHING.
I THOUGHT, JUST IGNORE IT AT
FIRST AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
HE WAS REALLY TIRED, AND
HE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS, BUT I
JUST THOUGHT, OKAY, YOU JUST
NEED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR.
Reporter: BY THE TIME
THEY CAME HOME, THE LUMP HAD
GROWN.
JOE VISITED THEIR FAMILY
DOCTOR.
HE SAID, WHATEVER IT IS,
IT'S NOT CANCER.
AND HE SAID THAT AT TWO
DIFFERENT APPOINTMENTS.
SO THAT KIND OF REALLY PUT
ME AT EASE.
HE THOUGHT IT WAS A CYST.
AND HE THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS
AN INFECTION OR SOMETHING,
SO HE GAVE ME ANTIBIOTICS
AND TRIED DIFFERENT THINGS
TO TRY TO CALM IT DOWN OR
MAKE IT GO AWAY.
Reporter: THE LUMP KEPT
GROWING, AND HIS DOCTOR
FINALLY SENT JOE FOR A
SONOGRAM.
AND THE TECH SAID THIS IS
NOT A CYST.
THESE ARE LYMPH NODES.
AT THAT TIME IT WAS GETTING
CLOSE TO GOLF-BALL SIZE.
EVENTUALLY I WENT IN TO GET
THE BIOPSY, AND THE SURGEON
SAID THE CANCER WAS TWO
BASEBALL SIZES BY THE TIME
HE TOOK ONE OF THEM AWAY FOR
THE BIOPSY.
Reporter: JOE HAD STAGE
FOUR METATASTIC MELANOMA.
THE AGGRESSIVE CANCER WAS
SPREADING THROUGHOUT HIS
BODY.
ONCE THEY TOOK EVERYTHING
OUT UNDERNEATH MY ARM, IT
SPREAD TO MY STOMACH.
SO THEY HAD TO TAKE A THIRD
OF MY STOMACH OUT AND SOME
OF MY LYMPH NODES.
Reporter: DOCTORS SENT
JOE TO PITTSBURGH, WHERE HE
RECEIVED A VERY POTENT FORM
OF CHEMOTHERAPY.
IT IS AN IMMUNE SYSTEM
BOOSTER, AND IT WAS, LIKE,
BRUTAL.
IT TURNED OUT THAT DIDN'T
WORK.
IT ONLY GREW EVEN MORE.
Reporter: EVENTUALLY
THE CANCER INVADED HIS
KIDNEYS, LUNGS, AND
PANCREAS.
THE DOCTOR TOLD JOE IT WAS
ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE
HE WOULD LOSE HIS BATTLE.
HE SAID TO ME,
MR. FORNER, I DON'T KNOW IF
YOU KNOW, BUT YOU HAVE DAYS
TO LIVE.
THERE WAS TIMES WHEN, LIKE
KIND OF LATE AT NIGHT, I'D
BE LAYING IN THE HOSPITAL
AND I'D BE THINKING, YOU
KNOW, IN THE DARK, WHAT'S
THIS GOING TO BE LIKE?
BECAUSE I REALIZED I WAS
DYING.
Reporter: BUT TERRY
BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD HEAL
JOE.
I WAS REALLY FEARFUL.
THAT'S WHEN I FEEL LIKE THE
LORD GAVE ME A PROMISE.
ABIDE IN ME, AND WHATEVER
YOU WISH, YOU WILL GET IT.
THE LORD WAS TELLING ME HE
WAS GOING TO BE OKAY.
Reporter:
THEY MET
ONCOLOGIST DR. BARRY
LEVINSON, AND HE TOLD THEM
ABOUT AN EXPERTAL TREATMENT,
AND IT WAS A LONG SHOT AT
BEST, BUT THEY WERE OUT OF
OPTIONS.
IT WAS A HIGHLY TOXIC
REGIMEN, AND I WAS CONCERNED
ABOUT HIS ABILITY TO
TOLERATE IT.
HE WAS QUITE ILL AT THE
TIME.
VERY WEAK.
HAD LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT.
I CERTAINLY WAS ANXIOUS TO
GET HIM STARTED ON THERAPY,
BUT ALSO FACED IT WITH SOME
TREPIDATION BECAUSE
TREATMENTS ARE VERY
DIFFICULT TO TOLERATE.
Reporter: DESPITE THE
DANGERS, JOE AGREED TO THE
TREATMENTS.
MEANWHILE, THEIR CHURCH
PRAYED.
BELIEVING THAT GOD WOULD
HAVE THE FINAL WORD.
WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY
"THY WILL BE DONE," AND NOT
THE REST OF THAT VERSE.
WHICH IS "AS IN IN HEAVEN"
SO I STARTED THINKING, IS
MELANOMA IN HEAVEN?
IS SICKNESS IN HEAVEN?
ALL GOOD THINGS ARE IN
HEAVEN.
SO I STARTED TO ASK FOR
EVERYTHING IN HEAVEN TO COME
TO EARTH.
AFTER THE FIRST ROUND, I
COULD FEEL -- I HAD TWO
MASSES, ONE ABOVE AND BELOW
MY COLLARBONE.
I COULD FEEL THOSE SHRINK
AND GO AWAY.
AFTER THE SECOND ROUND, THEY
SAID YOU HAVE HAD
SIGNIFICANT SHRINKAGE ON THE
INSIDE.
AFTER THE THIRD ROUND OF THE
CHEMO, IT WAS TOTALLY GONE.
I HAD A P.E.T. SCAN AND HE
SAID THERE WAS NO CANCER.
HE TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED TO
ME DOESN'T HAPPEN.
HE HAS NEVER SEEN IT
HAPPEN.
THAT'S THE MOMENT I KNEW,
AND THE MOMENT I WANTED THE
NURSES AND THE DOCTORS TO
SAY THIS IS A MIRACLE.
AND THAT THIS HAS NOT
HAPPENED BEFORE.
I FOUND THAT PATIENTS WHO
ARE PATIENTS WHO HAVE GREAT
FAITH TEND TO DO BETTER THAN
PREDICTOR.
WE CAN'T ALWAYS DETERMINE
WHO WILL RESPOND WELL AND
WHO WON'T.
THAT'S SOMETHING BEYOND OUR
CONTROL.
ULTIMATELY, GOD IS THE
ULTIMATE HEALER, AND WE PUT
OUR TRUST IN HIS HANDS.
Reporter: FOR EIGHT
YEARS JOE HAS BEEN
CANCER-FREE.
HE IS BACK TO ENJOYING LIFE,
KNOWING THAT EACH DAY IS A
GIFT FROM GOD.
THIS CANCER WAS WAY
BIGGER THAN ME.
BUT I FOUND THAT WITH GOD ON
MY SIDE, THAT CHANGES
EVERYTHING.
IT'S A GAME-CHANGER, HAVING
HIM. AND HE JUST SHOWED ME
HOW WEAK I WAS APART FROM
HIM, BUT HOW STRONG I COULD
BE IN HIM.
FOR ME, I THINK CANCER
WAS ONE OF THOSE CALLS ON
OUR MARRIAGE THAT TOOK ALL
EXPECTATION OFF OF JOE AND
PUT ALL OF MY EXPECTATION ON
GOD.
I FEEL LIKE THE LOVE OF
CHRIST CAME OUT OF ME.
THERE IS, INDEED, NOTHING
IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.
IF HE CHOOSES TO HEAL, HE
CAN DO IT IN A FLASH.
AND I THINK THAT HAS HELPED
ME, JUST TO TRUST HIM, TRUST
HIS GOODNESS, TRUST HIS
POWER AND HIS ABILITY.
