- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." - Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic. Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's Web sites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the Web site) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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May 30, 2009
Blog: The power of faith
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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A word of background: Our Palliative Care Service assists patients in the hospitals with quality of life issues and symptom control. Typically, the patients we see have been through surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or other interventions.
This particular patient was a gentleman in his late 30s, a father of four and a member of a tight-knit farming community in another state.
He had a congenital heart defect for which he had undergone multiple open-heart procedures and tried the most up-to-date cardiac medications as well as pacemakers — all to no avail. The only option left was a heart transplant, but for a variety of medical and technical reasons this was not a viable option for this patient.
When our team shared this information with him and his family, he reacted with a remarkable sense of peace and acceptance, made possible by his profound faith in a "higher power." The medical staff was moved, and a few tears were shed. In a reversal of roles, it was the patient who comforted us. He acknowledged that all reasonable avenues had been explored, and he was facing the future with dignity and serenity.
As we walked out of the room, no one spoke. But as the days unfolded, many of us reminisced about this remarkable man and how he harnessed the power of faith to deal with adversity.
I am certain that many of our blog members have had similar experiences. We would like to hear your stories.
11 comments posted
June 28, 2009 11:15 a.m.
I thought Im going to die coz I ALMOST passed out (due to low sugar level according to the ER doctors). But I don't TOTALLY PASSED OUT coz I think of my mom how will she had been if Im not around anymore. It may sound funny to others but its all about faith and love for people. By the way my world view is Jewish and I am Filipino (people of the Phils.).
- Dodi
June 12, 2009 2:25 p.m.
These are truly inspirational stories. I lost my mom, who was also my best friend, last year to pancreatic cancer. When confronted with the news, I truly believe it was her lifelong faith in God that gave her the courage to go through the last agonizing 6 weeks of her life. My 4 siblings and myself were with her constantly the entire time and only God could have given us the strength to watch our most beloved mother slip away.
- Mary
June 11, 2009 12:33 p.m.
I totally agree with the patient in your story as I too, have a personal and close relationship with Christ Jesus. He is so AWESOME! I accepted Jesus into my heart 30 yrs ago and have seen many miracles and many prayers answered. Every morning when I awake, I look outside and thank God for the beautiful world He made for us to enjoy!
- Becky
June 9, 2009 3:27 p.m.
Appreciate all the comments so far. I truely believe that God allows only into our lives, what is sifted through His hands of love. Our personal relationship with God has been an amazing "fortress and rock" for us as we have dealt with an ongoing illness in one of our children's lives. If we go through hard times or suffering, we always look for lessons to learn from God. Hope is my favorite word. Then when we go through these very difficult times, we learn lessons we can share with others. I love this description of a legacy. "A legacy is going through a hard time, and then being able to share the lessons learned". One of my life verses from the Bible which has been so encouraging to me is: Romans 15:13. "May the God of HOPE fill you with ALL JOY and PEACE as you trust in Him; so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit. Blessings all.
- Faye
June 5, 2009 1:14 a.m.
You do not need longevity to find that Inner Peace which can be given only by God. If we believe that all things work together for good of man and the glory of God
- Mary Anne of Sri Lanka
June 3, 2009 2:35 p.m.
Faith played a significant role in experiencing peace in the midst of serious neurosurgery a couple of years ago at Mayo clinic. Having a foundation of faith to build on, which gave us strength and peace to cope with the uncertainty and potential risks of this surgery, we experienced peace at this very difficult and trying time. Many friends prayed for us faithfully, and also prayed for the surgeon, that he would have the wisdom to make the correct decisions, and prayed that God would guide the specialist's hands in performing the delicate instrumentation required, as well as sustain the neurosurgery team and all those involved throughout the lengthy time that their specialized skills would be required. As a family, we prayed with the Chaplain at Mayo before the surgery, and frequented the beautiful Chapel at Mayo, and also untilized the quiet rooms there for private prayer. We experienced God's comforting presence and strength throughout this very difficult time and were blessed with a successful outcome
- Jeanne
June 3, 2009 12:48 p.m.
My mother lived in an assisted living home for several years, but as her health declined it became necessary to move her to skilled nursing. On the day of her move, I had to tell her that this was going to be a permanent location for her. As she took in my words, she looked at me and said, "This must be God's new mission field for me, the nursing home. By living there, I will be able to reach people that no one else could. I can tell them about God's love because I'll be with them 24 hours a day!" I thought she would argue with me that day, but instead she saw this stage of her life through God's eyes, and welcomed it. Like Proverbs 31 says, she is a woman who smiles at the future!
- Barb Harris
June 3, 2009 10:53 a.m.
Love the story. Here is a easy way to physiologically connect to that "higher power"! Making a Mandala is such an easy way to relax, access new ideas and become completely present. Mandalas have been created for centuries by many, many different cultures as a spiritual centering practice. Remember, as a species, human beings created art long before we created an alphabet or a monetary system! And it wasn't easy! They didn't have the "craft cave" where all the supplies were readily available. They had to dig the minerals out of the earth to create pigment for paint or cut down a tree, dry the wood, carve it out...to create the mask. Why was this such an important activity to our ancestors when their biggest job was simply survive? They spent valuable energy, time and resources to create art. Why was it important? Creating art connects you to a voice, I call it The Artist Within, that is connected to your spirit, that is completely present, that is closer to your subconscious & intuition. "Primitive" cultures understood the importance of nurturing and accessing this voice. Do we? Since we live in such a busy, detail oriented, task laden world our Artist Within has been relegated to the back corners of our mind. The symptoms of a mind that have not given this voice a platform in awhile are apathy, hopelessness, depression, anxiety, worry, stress...need I go on?
- Whitney Ferre'
June 3, 2009 12:30 a.m.
Thank you Marilyn, you have said it all. As a Nutritionist and one who has had serious congenital health challenges, and also observed those facing terrible hardship with a deep and intimate faith, I know beyond question if we know who we are and more importantly "whos" we are, we can walk in grace with these fallen bodies of ours. Death is a certainty, the great equalizer. But when we know the true and living God, we can confidently say "oh death, where is thy sting"? as it reads in the Word. Many times I felt I could no longer breath one more breath of pain as a young woman battling bladder/kidney disease, but realized in this life we are either in a growing stage, testing stage or resting stage (for a short while it seems). Please everyone, be brave, be strong. Rest will come for us all one day, and it will be more than just a stage, it will be eternal.
- Kimberly Ruby
June 2, 2009 9:28 p.m.
When you have the assurance of salvation through faith in Christ, you also have the assurance of the ultimate healing in heaven. God loves a humble heart so dearly that He may go to great effort to lead us into that circumstance as He prepares us for blessings that we would never receive otherwise. I have never been fond of suffering, but even the vulnerability of chronic lung disease plus pneumonia can bring sweet surrender to God’s tender mercy and His supreme power. In His grace to me, He used my health problems to funnel His loving care to me by applying the compassion and expertise of the medical personnel and the devoted support and prayers of my family and friends. My physical problems were nearly overwhelming, but the spiritual impact of the situation was so obvious—like the sun bursting through dark clouds. Giving, sharing, doing for others is gratifying. Sometimes we must yield to taking our turn as the recipient of kindnesses to provide the opportunity for others to experience the blessing of giving. In a culture of self-sufficiency and proud independence, this sacrifice of self brings an unexpected but uplifting shower of heart-warming assurance that God cares and people care if we can only quiet our hearts and sit for a moment to let the grace of God’s providence bathe and soothe. God uses people’s hands and hearts to extend His mercy; His is a winning team of healing.
- Marilyn Newman
June 2, 2009 2:08 p.m.
What a lovely, inspiring story. This young man has all he needs, except perhaps the assurance of longevity. I'm certain his family share his faith, and that will carry them through any dark times ahead. Miracles do happen.
- Elizabeth
11 comments posted