Brain cancer disappeared after prayer

An aggressive brain tumor sent Eva Bertelsen home from hospital with a death sentence. But after prayer from priests, friends and family, the tumour is now gone.

By Runa Pihlmann

She had begun to forget little things and sometimes felt confused. In addition, the color of her face had turned gray, and fatigue regularly overpowered her. That was in the summer of 2013.
“I was convinced that it was probably due to stress, as I was under pressure at my work, when I was finishing the school year and planning for the next one,” says Eva Bertelsen, who was then a teacher at Friskolen Klippen near Silkeborg.
She lives with her husband, Niels Aksel, in Kolding, where they are part of the free church Kirkeibyen. In 2013, they had planned a three-week holiday in the US, during which they were due to visit their daughter and son-in-law, who live in Los Angeles. Halfway into the holiday, Eva experienced a sultry headache and an overwhelming fatigue, so she was afraid to fall asleep untimely. And one night when they were out eating at a restaurant, she managed to simply get two mouthfuls down, and brought the rest as takeaway.
“I had no appetite, and on the way home I suddenly couldn't orient myself. So I was convinced we were going the opposite way of what the others were claiming. But despite the many signs, I did not consider for a moment that something was wrong, recalls Eva, who gradually also found herself difficult to articulate and was told by both her husband and daughter that her left half of her face hung by her eye, jaw and lip.
“I really couldn't see it in the mirror, even though I looked and looked. So gradually I felt that my relatives were out to make me sick. It's scary to think back on!

The death sentence
It was only when they were back in Denmark that Eva's husband took her to the doctor, who immediately sent her to the hospital for further examination. After several examinations and a CT scan, it turned out that the family's fears were well founded.
“The doctor told me that there was a large, white area on my right hemisphere, which was a clear sign of a tumor. Only an MRI scan could determine whether it was good- or malignant, Eva says.
She was admitted to the hospital, where their four children, granddaughters-in-law and grandchildren visited her. They had difficulty knowing their mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, who seemed distant and did not answer their questions.
“I had no sense of reality and found it difficult to feel myself. Later I found out it was because the tumour was pressing on a spot in my brain so I couldn't sense my condition, explains Eva.
After the MRI scan came the answer: an aggressive, malignant brain tumor.
It was a death sentence. No doubt about it. But at the same time, I clung to a Bible quote that a friend had read aloud to me while I was hospitalized in Holstebro Hospital. It read: This disease is not for death, but for the glory of God to be revealed. I experienced it as a direct greeting from God to me, and it gave me the belief that God was with me and would make me well. Niels Aksel had the same conviction and therefore ordered a new flagpole, from which Dannebrog would stand for a full three days, once I was healed, Eva smiles.

Without fear of death
At an in-depth conversation in Aarhus, she was told that there were two aggressive, malignant tumors in the brain mass, one of which was a metastasis. This meant surgery was not possible as it would cause major brain damage. Chemo and rays also couldn't remove the tumors, so only offer was a life-prolonging treatment.
To find the right treatment, she should have taken biopsies of the tumors. This is done by the surgeon drilling a hole in the skull and taking four so-called tissue samples using ingenious GPS equipment.
“The doctors were amazed that both my husband and I were so calm and calm about the situation. But we told them that we believe in God and therefore do not fear death, but that it would be a great loss if I were to die,” says Eva, who experienced a deep and otherworldly peace when she woke up after the procedure.
Although she was convinced that God would work a miracle, she doubted whether she would now truly experience healing. But she kept reminding herself of the Bible quote that her friend had read to her, which she perceived as a greeting directly from God, and that helped her keep doubts at bay.
“At the same time, however, I began to prepare my own funeral and had, among other things, told Niels Aksel that I would like to be buried in a natural cemetery close to my father-in-law's grave. Here I experience a very special peace when we lay flowers on his grave. Then should I die of the disease, I was ready for it too.

In the bosom of God
On September 3, 2013, she was going to an interview in Aarhus to get answers to the biopsy samples. The weeks leading up to she spent with friends and family, who she told she was convinced God would heal her.
“I saw very clearly that God was walking with me in the valley of the shadow of death because I was too weak to go there myself. It was as if God carried me in His arms during the weeks of excruciating waiting, explains Eve, who knew that people around the globe were praying for her — right from? leg church in Herning, where as she was then affiliated, to The Seattle Seahawks, who are an American football team.
Eve also called for two priests from? Benkirche, who came and anointed her forehead with a little oil, after which they laid their hands on her and prayed for her—a practice which is described in the New Testament.
When September 3 broke out and Eve was called in to the doctor, the doctor looked at the medical record confused and had difficulty explaining himself. The scan images undoubtedly showed two malignant tumors, but the biopsies showed no cancer -- only dead tissue and a shrunken tumor -- which the doctor had otherwise learned that tumors can't do.
“When we explained that we believed that God had healed me, the doctor said that we had to finally stick with it!
However, the doctor ordered a second scan to make sure it was not simply because she had misfired during the biopsy. And on September 18, Eva and Niels Aksel received the answer to the scan: there had been no error in the biopsy. By contrast, the tumor had, at most surprisingly, shrunk, as well as the fluid and swelling around the tumor had disappeared.
- I was so touched that God had truly healed me, that tears trickled down my cheeks and my body quivered with joy, says Eva, who immediately called family and friends to share the good news.

From despair to jubilation
The flag immediately went up to the top of the family's new flagpole, and Eva and Niels Aksel invited the family out to eat in the evening to celebrate the return of her life. Since then, Eva has been scanned several times — and to the constant surprise of the doctors, the tumours have each time been smaller than in the previous scan and eventually disappear completely.
It has been a tough time for the whole family. My one son told me that he had thought that anything over a year that I was allowed to live would be a gift. So he and the other children were all around on the floor and had a hard time accommodating all the emotions from despair to jubilation, Eva explains.
She has no idea why God has chosen to heal her while others succumb to the same disease. But she hopes her story can strengthen the belief of others that the time of miracles is not over and that God is able to intervene when it looks the most black.
Life is so fragile and could be over tomorrow. So I try to live in the moment and be conscious of what I spend my time on. Only God knows how many days I have left and when he will take me home. And so it's not yet.

Photo: Martin Gravgaard