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Research frontiers: The patients whose cancer just dies

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From Gareth Cook at New York Times:

Grace’s case became the subject of intense scientific scrutiny. How could such a notoriously recalcitrant cancer simply collapse? Why had she alone responded so extremely? Nobody was claiming that she was cured. But by the end of 2011, Grace felt this much was sure: Having asked for a sign, she had become a walking miracle.

What happened to Grace is sometimes called by another biblical name: the Lazarus effect, after the story in which Jesus stands outside the tomb of Lazarus of Bethany and summons him back to life. Many veteran oncologists have seen cases like Grace’s, and the stories of these unlikely recoveries, shared online or by word of mouth, have become a source of hope for patients. Yet for the field itself, the Lazarus effect has been a source of persistent frustration.

In 2014, the institute started the Exceptional Responders Initiative, and since then the case reports have come in, each a tantalizing mystery. What explains the patient with a Stage 4 esophageal cancer that spread to the liver but then disappeared three years ago? Or the Stage 4 adenocarcinoma patient who experienced a complete remission? What can we learn, from each Lazarus, about how to save the lives of others? More.

It’s difficult to research things for which the field does not provide a ready explanation, but that’s probably where the future lives.

See also: Alarming spin in medical research claims

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Comments
It is true that there is no way to actually prove that God actually did the healing of course, but "science" does not allow for that even as a possibility. Why? Because they alreadyKNOW there has to be another explanation. That much has been decided from the get go. So, there really is NO contrary data that they cannot find a way to deal with. If they can't come up with an ad hoc explanation for the problem, then it is simply put in the "wait for hoped for future data to solve" file and disposed of that way. Isn't science easy?tjguy
May 24, 2016
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Of related note: Craig Keener - Miracle Reports in the Gospels and Today - lecture video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYBnJF2P_WQ Dr. Craig Keener, author of “Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts” discusses in this web series some of the trustworthy accounts of people being raised from the dead and people being healed of sicknesses from around the world. – video playlist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE6sDPPQ7WA&list=PLC900F8EEB62AE426&feature=plcp&context=C43901d1FDvjVQa1PpcFPmClYI6nDQbdabTL_qw7jCisfOqOmxOyU= “..it is difficult to investigate the phenomenon of Christianity in China today without hearing stories of miraculous healings.” -David Aikman (‘Jesus in Beijing’) (40:00 minute mark) Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power - video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvgveawp4oY Eric Metaxas – Miracles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtsHFc2fHOI I read this book a few years ago,,, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love http://www.amazon.com/Face-Jesus-Muslims-Extraordinary-Encounter/dp/0800795792/ ,,, The book is about a little girl, who grew up in a strict Muslim family in a Muslim country. A country which was being torn by a civil war and thus by food shortages. As a little girl, she prayed fervently and faithfully as a devout Muslim would pray. Being constantly hungry, she prayed for food to eat along with praying for peace. She realized that the god of the Muslims was not answering her simple prayers for food to eat (nor peace). When in desperation she turned to the ‘infidel’ Christian God, whom she called ‘The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’, and her simple prayer for food to eat was answered, in a fairly ‘abundant’ way, she, the youngest member of her large and strict Muslim family, realized that Christianity was true and turned to Christianity. Although she experienced fierce persecution, and beatings, for following Christ, (mostly from her own family at first), the faith that this small girl displayed, and the miracles that happened through that faith, eventually won her entire family over one by one as a ‘small’ miracle happened in each of her family members life.,,, Her story also includes her Near Death Experience when terrorists set several bombs off in her church. The Near Death Experience made her even more determined to share the love of Christ with even the most radical of Muslims. Her story is truly an extraordinary testimony of faith and courage in the face of bitter and irrational hostility. I recommend the book highly.bornagain77
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