Spiritual Reading | Sharing About Defeating Brain Cancer, Thank God!

Jason Tam

First, I would like to thank Fr. Taam [談雷濤神父] for guiding and encouraging me to write this article. I am a Catholic who has been baptized for 29 years.

Ever since I was a child, I have felt that God loves me very much and has given me a lot of grace. My sixth-grade primary school won the championship of the Hong Kong Children's Drawing Competition. Then, on behalf of Hong Kong, I went to Paris to participate in the World Children's Painting Competition. Fortunately, I won runner-up. When I was in middle school, I studied in a very good Catholic school which enlightened my understanding of Catholicism. When I was in college, I was lucky enough to be admitted to the University of Hong Kong where I met some good Catholic classmates. In this atmosphere and under the inspiration and guidance from the Lord, I decided to participate in a catechumen class to become Catholic.

In the process of catechism, I was very fortunate to find my middle school teacher, Fr. Chan [陳鴻基神父]. Fr. Chan readily agreed to teach me Catholic Catechism. At that time, Father Chen was already the principal of Tang King Po Secondary School in Kowloon, and he was studying for a master's degree. However, he took time out of his busy schedule to teach me one-on-one and baptized me on Easter in 1994. For this reason, I am grateful to Father Chen for enlightening and cultivating my faith!

After graduating from university as a Catholic under God's protection and care, my career and work was smooth sailing, and I was promoted. Soon, I became the youngest director of a large company in Hong Kong!

Just when I was confidently preparing to step to the next peak, I never expected that I would suddenly encounter the biggest setback in my life and experience a challenge that transcended life and death!

It all started in March last year. At that time, Hong Kong was facing a severe blow from the fifth wave of the epidemic. Due to an unusual headache, I had an MRI of my head at Canossa Hospital in Central. After the examination, the doctor found that I had a high-grade brain cancer that was bigger than a billiard ball! This kind of brain cancer is very dangerous, and the survival period of patients is generally only 8-12 months! The doctor said that my condition was very serious. The huge cancer caused severe cerebral edema as well as massive bleeding in my brain. If I did not receive surgical treatment in time, I could have fallen into a coma at any time or even died unexpectedly.

After listening to the doctor, I felt like it was the end of the world. Fortunately, I had my wife and son by my side to support and encourage me.

Before going to the hospital for surgery, I decided to go to St. Margaret's Hall to pray first. However, due to the severity of the epidemic, the church was open. So, I went to pray at the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in front of the church. I prayed sincerely, hoping that the Lord Jesus could support me through this difficult time. When I put my hands on the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and prayed, I suddenly heard a voice saying to me: Don't be afraid, just believe! Hearing this Bible verse, I immediately felt as if I was seeing light in the darkness! At the same time, my body, mind, and spirit were full of strength and confidence, which made me believe that I would be able to overcome this brain cancer!

After praying in the church, I was admitted to St. Teresa's Hospital. At that time, I saw a kind and gentle statue of the Virgin Mary in the hospital lobby. So, I walked up to the statue of the Virgin, held the hands of the statue of the Virgin, and prayed. At that time, a warm current poured into my body from the hands of the Holy Mother as if the Holy Mother was also comforting me!

After feeling the consolation of the Holy Mother, I entered the operating room and underwent a craniotomy and brain surgery that lasted more than five hours. It was a complicated, dangerous operation that crossed the line between life and death. I would also have 20 courses of radiation therapy after the surgery. In this way, I was hospitalized in St. Teresa's Hospital for a total of 40 days and experienced a 40-day journey of God's wonderful salvation journey. So much happened in those forty days that I could write a novel. But to put it simply, I fully felt the grace and love bestowed on me by God and Our Lady!

Under the grace and protection of God, coupled with the care and help of Our Lady, after seven days and seven nights of sincere prayer, a miracle happened. The pathology test report after brain surgery confirmed that my high-grade brain cancer was a benign brain tumor. From a high-grade brain cancer that cannot be treated and meant certain death, it turned into a benign tumor in the end. This is simply a world-class miracle. This is a great gift from God to me. It is God and Our Lady who rescued my life from the valley of death!

After the operation, I had a nearly 20 cm-long wound scar on my head. Despite such a long-wound scar, I have had no pain since the operation, and I don't even need painkillers. A craniotomy is very dangerous. After undergoing brain surgery, most people face many postoperative sequelae, such as long-term coma, general or hemiplegia, incoordination/inflexibility of hands and feet, language, vision, or hearing impairment. However, thanks to God's grace for me, I have not had any postoperative sequelae at all.

And the 20 radiation therapy sessions I received after surgery did not cause any damage to my body either. I want to thank God for His saving graces!

I was able to get out of bed and move freely 24 hours after the operation. 48 hours after surgery, I could have a conference call with the CEO of a large listed company. 72 hours after the operation, I could participate in video conferences with the Singapore and Hong Kong teams of a large investment fund. My clients couldn't believe I had just undergone such a major, life-threatening surgery. Everyone admires me. Even the doctors thought I was so fit, and fast, and my amazingly quick recovery was unbelievable! God's salvation is truly amazing!

All these unbelievable events and miracles are God and Our Lady giving me the grace of salvation. If not for their extensive salvation, I am afraid that I would have been in the valley of death. After experiencing this wonderful journey of salvation led and blessed by God and the Holy Mother, my views and attitudes towards life, especially my faith, have completely changed.

My friends often say that this time I "survived a catastrophe, there will be future blessings!" But I believe that my "surviving a catastrophe" this time is a "blessing from the Lord"!

Indeed, my experience may seem, in one respect, to be a great catastrophe or a misfortune. But it was a "blessing in disguise"! After these 40 days of a wonderful salvation journey, I fully felt the infinite salvation of grace, meticulous care, and unreserved support from God and Our Lady. What a blessing, what a blessing, for me, a very ordinary, ordinary Christian.

In the eyes of outsiders, this time the doctor successfully removed a huge brain tumor in my head. But, this time, it was God who managed to remove a huge "rock ladle" in my head that was too rational, very stubborn, and self-righteous! At the same time, God opened a bigger atrium and a bigger ventricle in my heart, and gave me a stronger heart valve, so that I no longer used "pure reason, pure professional knowledge, and an overly "stubborn and self-righteous" mentality to look at and understand God's will. On the contrary, God now allows me to do God's will with a more open and humble attitude, wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly, and wholeheartedly.

Another important change in my faith was my total trust and reliance on Our Lady. First, before the surgery, I held the hands of the statue of the Virgin and prayed in the hospital. I felt the warmth and comfort of the Virgin in my heart, which made me perform the extremely dangerous craniotomy without fear. After the operation, I prayed to God and recited the Rosary every day. The grace of God and the Holy Mother turned my brain cancer into a benign tumor, and my recovery progressed as fast as possible. At the same time, I did not have any sequelae of surgery and radiotherapy. So, I am very grateful to Our Lady for her infinite love and support during my most difficult time. Because of this encounter, now I have developed a good habit of reciting the Rosary diligently every day so that my body, mind, and spirit can be nourished by Our Lady and the peace she bestows every day.

Moreover, now I am more than happy to share with others the amazing journey of salvation that I have been through, I very much hope that through the sharing of my testimony for the Lord, the believers will increase their faith; at the same time, it will also enable non-religious members to know God's salvation and His gospel.

With the trust and support of Fr. Kim, on May 20th of this year, in the "Meeting in the Rose Garden" prayer music evening at the month of Mary's event in the chapel of Christ the King, for the first time, I used the story of my wonderful journey of salvation as the main theme. Testimonies were shared. There were more than 300 people, including priests, nuns, and brothers and sisters present that night. I felt very honored!

In the future, I am hoping to contribute to the evangelization work of different parishes. I think this is an opportunity, direction, and task that God has given me. Looking forward to the future, I will continue to use the golden verse of "Don't be afraid but believe" (Mark 5:36) as my motto in life, and strive to do a good job in the work God has given me and to be a good Catholic!