The Torch, Spring/Summer 2010

30 TORCH | Spring–Summer 2010 While attending a conference last summer, David experienced a grand mal seizure after bumping his head. It was then that doctors discovered the tumor, which they estimated had been growing in his head for up to 10 years. “The tumor is not a lump you can surgically remove,” David explained. “It’s like chicken wire that’s infused itself in my brain.” David’s cancer is rare, representing only four percent of brain tumors, and is usually not diagnosed until age 35. The prognosis appears grim: patients are given 10 years to live if they do both radiation and chemotherapy. Given the tumor’s type and location — wrapped around David’s speech centers — medical professionals at the Mayo Clinic suggested David begin the standard treatment to slow the tumor’s growth and, they hope, shrink it. After the diagnosis, David and Amy began a season of intense prayer and research about what to do next. They consulted health care professionals, medical journals, cancer survivors, and relatives of cancer victims to learn everything they could about the diagnosis. They concluded that if conventional treatments provide a cure at all they do so only superficially and damage the body’s immune system. The Wenzels came to the difficult, but ultimately peaceful, decision to forego the use of radiation and chemotherapy to treat David’s cancer. Through their own fervent prayers and the prayers of others, they believe God has given them the wisdom and courage to choose this path, although they realize it may not be right for everyone dealing with this disease. A Fresh Focus David’s treatment is metabolic medicine with a focus on eating differently. To ensure that his body detoxifies regularly, he spends time in a sauna he built in his home. He is also reducing stress in his life by working less and observing a weekly Sabbath. His diet alone requires tremendous discipline, and he admits it is one of the most difficult aspects of this treatment. He consumes 80 percent alkaline and 20 percent acidic foods. Off-limit foods include processed flour and sugar, caffeine (save for green tea), gluten, salt, processed foods, and almost all dairy and animal products, although he allows himself wild-caught salmon and eggs on occasion. A typical breakfast might include live granola (raisins, buckwheat, cacao nibs, goji berries, almonds, and coconut flakes) topped with homemade almond milk; and for lunch, a plate of raw vegetables and a cup of Kombucha tea. His new way of eating is necessarily extreme, but he says he never feels hungry. He lost 20 pounds when he began the diet and has maintained his weight ever since. Friends and family can attest to David’s love for food, especially Thai, but his recent lifestyle changes have completely altered his views on food. “There came a moment when I just couldn’t have a big bowl of pad thai,” he said. “That crutch was gone. I couldn’t use food to satiate what I needed in my life. I couldn’t rely on my previous ‘simple pleasures.’ I had to focus on God.” A New Story While David’s faith has been strengthened, it has also been tested. He is learning the balance between God’s sovereignty and his requests for healing. “The one thing I go back and forth on, even from a theological perspective, is how I should pray,” he said. “Do I pray for miraculous healing?” He believes Christians are called to pray for divine, miraculous healing, yet this is difficult, especially because it may not happen. And if it doesn’t, then he is faced with a “crisis of faith.” David is processing these questions through Bible study, prayer, and conversations with other believers. Ultimately, he is submitted to God’s sovereign plan. “Every day I have to focus myself,” he said. “No matter how it turns out, I pray God’s will for my life, not my own.” David’s cancer has been a source of clarity in other areas of his life, namely his work in