Reporter: JOE FORNEAR

HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN ACTIVE,

HEALTHY MAN.

I WAS SO HEALTHY.

ANY TIME I HAD ANYTHING

PHYSICALLY WRONG, I THOUGHT

I WILL TOUGH IT THROUGH.

Reporter: IN 2002,

WHILE VACATIONING WITH HIS

WIFE, TERRY, JOE FOUND A

LUMP ON HIS ARM.

I THOUGHT, I HAVE HAD

OTHER LUMPS ON MY ARM,

CYSTS, AND I THOUGHT IT IS

PROBABLY NOTHING.

I THOUGHT, JUST IGNORE IT AT

FIRST AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

HE WAS REALLY TIRED, AND

HE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS, BUT I

JUST THOUGHT, OKAY, YOU JUST

NEED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR.

Reporter: BY THE TIME

THEY CAME HOME, THE LUMP HAD

GROWN.

JOE VISITED THEIR FAMILY

DOCTOR.

HE SAID, WHATEVER IT IS,

IT'S NOT CANCER.

AND HE SAID THAT AT TWO

DIFFERENT APPOINTMENTS.

SO THAT KIND OF REALLY PUT

ME AT EASE.

HE THOUGHT IT WAS A CYST.

AND HE THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS

AN INFECTION OR SOMETHING,

SO HE GAVE ME ANTIBIOTICS

AND TRIED DIFFERENT THINGS

TO TRY TO CALM IT DOWN OR

MAKE IT GO AWAY.

Reporter: THE LUMP KEPT

GROWING, AND HIS DOCTOR

FINALLY SENT JOE FOR A

SONOGRAM.

AND THE TECH SAID THIS IS

NOT A CYST.

THESE ARE LYMPH NODES.

AT THAT TIME IT WAS GETTING

CLOSE TO GOLF-BALL SIZE.

EVENTUALLY I WENT IN TO GET

THE BIOPSY, AND THE SURGEON

SAID THE CANCER WAS TWO

BASEBALL SIZES BY THE TIME

HE TOOK ONE OF THEM AWAY FOR

THE BIOPSY.

Reporter: JOE HAD STAGE

FOUR METATASTIC MELANOMA.

THE AGGRESSIVE CANCER WAS

SPREADING THROUGHOUT HIS

BODY.

ONCE THEY TOOK EVERYTHING

OUT UNDERNEATH MY ARM, IT

SPREAD TO MY STOMACH.

SO THEY HAD TO TAKE A THIRD

OF MY STOMACH OUT AND SOME

OF MY LYMPH NODES.

Reporter: DOCTORS SENT

JOE TO PITTSBURGH, WHERE HE

RECEIVED A VERY POTENT FORM

OF CHEMOTHERAPY.

IT IS AN IMMUNE SYSTEM

BOOSTER, AND IT WAS, LIKE,

BRUTAL.

IT TURNED OUT THAT DIDN'T

WORK.

IT ONLY GREW EVEN MORE.

Reporter: EVENTUALLY

THE CANCER INVADED HIS

KIDNEYS, LUNGS, AND

PANCREAS.

THE DOCTOR TOLD JOE IT WAS

ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE

HE WOULD LOSE HIS BATTLE.

HE SAID TO ME,

MR. FORNER, I DON'T KNOW IF

YOU KNOW, BUT YOU HAVE DAYS

TO LIVE.

THERE WAS TIMES WHEN, LIKE

KIND OF LATE AT NIGHT, I'D

BE LAYING IN THE HOSPITAL

AND I'D BE THINKING, YOU

KNOW, IN THE DARK, WHAT'S

THIS GOING TO BE LIKE?

BECAUSE I REALIZED I WAS

DYING.

Reporter: BUT TERRY

BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD HEAL

JOE.

I WAS REALLY FEARFUL.

THAT'S WHEN I FEEL LIKE THE

LORD GAVE ME A PROMISE.

ABIDE IN ME, AND WHATEVER

YOU WISH, YOU WILL GET IT.

THE LORD WAS TELLING ME HE

WAS GOING TO BE OKAY.

Reporter:

THEY MET

ONCOLOGIST DR. BARRY

LEVINSON, AND HE TOLD THEM

ABOUT AN EXPERTAL TREATMENT,

AND IT WAS A LONG SHOT AT

BEST, BUT THEY WERE OUT OF

OPTIONS.

IT WAS A HIGHLY TOXIC

REGIMEN, AND I WAS CONCERNED

ABOUT HIS ABILITY TO

TOLERATE IT.

HE WAS QUITE ILL AT THE

TIME.

VERY WEAK.

HAD LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT.

I CERTAINLY WAS ANXIOUS TO

GET HIM STARTED ON THERAPY,

BUT ALSO FACED IT WITH SOME

TREPIDATION BECAUSE

TREATMENTS ARE VERY

DIFFICULT TO TOLERATE.

Reporter: DESPITE THE

DANGERS, JOE AGREED TO THE

TREATMENTS.

MEANWHILE, THEIR CHURCH

PRAYED.

BELIEVING THAT GOD WOULD

HAVE THE FINAL WORD.

WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY

"THY WILL BE DONE," AND NOT

THE REST OF THAT VERSE.

WHICH IS "AS IN IN HEAVEN"

SO I STARTED THINKING, IS

MELANOMA IN HEAVEN?

IS SICKNESS IN HEAVEN?

ALL GOOD THINGS ARE IN

HEAVEN.

SO I STARTED TO ASK FOR

EVERYTHING IN HEAVEN TO COME

TO EARTH.

AFTER THE FIRST ROUND, I

COULD FEEL -- I HAD TWO

MASSES, ONE ABOVE AND BELOW

MY COLLARBONE.

I COULD FEEL THOSE SHRINK

AND GO AWAY.

AFTER THE SECOND ROUND, THEY

SAID YOU HAVE HAD

SIGNIFICANT SHRINKAGE ON THE

INSIDE.

AFTER THE THIRD ROUND OF THE

CHEMO, IT WAS TOTALLY GONE.

I HAD A P.E.T. SCAN AND HE

SAID THERE WAS NO CANCER.

HE TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED TO

ME DOESN'T HAPPEN.

HE HAS NEVER SEEN IT

HAPPEN.

THAT'S THE MOMENT I KNEW,

AND THE MOMENT I WANTED THE

NURSES AND THE DOCTORS TO

SAY THIS IS A MIRACLE.

AND THAT THIS HAS NOT

HAPPENED BEFORE.

I FOUND THAT PATIENTS WHO

ARE PATIENTS WHO HAVE GREAT

FAITH TEND TO DO BETTER THAN

PREDICTOR.

WE CAN'T ALWAYS DETERMINE

WHO WILL RESPOND WELL AND

WHO WON'T.

THAT'S SOMETHING BEYOND OUR

CONTROL.

ULTIMATELY, GOD IS THE

ULTIMATE HEALER, AND WE PUT

OUR TRUST IN HIS HANDS.

Reporter: FOR EIGHT

YEARS JOE HAS BEEN

CANCER-FREE.

HE IS BACK TO ENJOYING LIFE,

KNOWING THAT EACH DAY IS A

GIFT FROM GOD.

THIS CANCER WAS WAY

BIGGER THAN ME.

BUT I FOUND THAT WITH GOD ON

MY SIDE, THAT CHANGES

EVERYTHING.

IT'S A GAME-CHANGER, HAVING

HIM. AND HE JUST SHOWED ME

HOW WEAK I WAS APART FROM

HIM, BUT HOW STRONG I COULD

BE IN HIM.

FOR ME, I THINK CANCER

WAS ONE OF THOSE CALLS ON

OUR MARRIAGE THAT TOOK ALL

EXPECTATION OFF OF JOE AND

PUT ALL OF MY EXPECTATION ON

GOD.

I FEEL LIKE THE LOVE OF

CHRIST CAME OUT OF ME.

THERE IS, INDEED, NOTHING

IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.

IF HE CHOOSES TO HEAL, HE

CAN DO IT IN A FLASH.

AND I THINK THAT HAS HELPED

ME, JUST TO TRUST HIM, TRUST

HIS GOODNESS, TRUST HIS

POWER AND HIS ABILITY.