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Dan's Death Sentence

Dan Fazzina was diagnosed with a grapefruit sized tumor in his chest when he was just 27. Without major chemo, doctors said he only had three weeks to three months to live. Read Transcript


Reporter: 27-YEAR-OLD

DANIEL FESINA NEVER SAW IT

COMING.

I DEVELOPED STRANGE

SENSATIONS IN MY CHEST.

IT EVENTUALLY TURNED INTO

PAIN.

Reporter: HE DROVE

HIMSELF TO THE EMERGENCY

ROOM.

THE DOCTOR ORDERED X-RAYS

AND C.T. SCANS.

THE DOCTOR CAME BACK AND

SAID WE FOUND SOMETHING.

IT IS A RATHER LARGE MASS IN

YOUR CHEST.

AND I ASKED HIM HOW LARGE IS

RATHER LARGE?

AND HE SAID IT IS

GRAPEFRUIT-SIZED.

HE SAID IT IS VERY SERIOUS.

YOU NEED TO GET IT EVALUATED

IMMEDIATELY.

I HAD TO GET A BIOPSY, AND

IT TOOK ABOUT A WEEK OR SO

TO GET THE RESULTS.

WHEN THE DOCTOR CALLED ME,

IT WAS AS HE SEVERE,

LYMPHATIC CANCER.

IT WAS SHOCKING.

GETTING THAT NEWS AFTER

NEVER HAVING BEEN SICK

BEFORE IN MY LIFE, IT WAS

ALMOST LIKE I WAS STARRING

IN AN EPISODE OF THE

TWILIGHT ZONE.

Reporter: DANIEL CALLED

HIS GIRLFRIEND, WHO WAS A

MED STUDENT.

IT WAS DEFINITELY SHOCK.

YOU HEAR THE WORD CANCER,

AND YOU AUTOMATICALLY

ASSOCIATE IT WITH DEATH AND

DYING AND END OF LIFE.

HIS TUMOR WAS SO LARGE THAT

WHEN HE HAD SHOWN ME HIS

P.E.T. SCAN, I HAD LOOKED AT

AND SAID THAT'S YOUR HEART.

AND HE SAID NO, THAT'S THE

TUMOR.

IT WASN'T THE CANCER THAT

WAS THE THREAT.

IT WAS THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL

SIZE THAT WAS THE THREAT.

IT WAS CRUSHING THIS MAJOR

ARTERY.

WE KIND OF WERE FORCED TO

GO THROUGH CHEMO.

AND THE WAY THE DOCTORS SAID

WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU A

FORM OF CHEMO THAT IS

RELATIVELY A PALLIATIVE

FORM.

WE DON'T EXPECT THAT YOU'RE

GOING TO GET BETTER, BUT YOU

HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

THEY WEREN'T SURE IF IT

WAS GOING TO RESPOND.

BUT WITHOUT IT, HE SAID I

WOULD BE DEAD WITHIN A

MATTER OF THREE WEEKS TO

THREE MONTHS.

IT WAS CRUSHING HIS

PULMONARY ARTERY.

WHICH MEANS HIS LUNGS WERE

NOT GETTING BLOOD, WHICH

MEANS THERE WAS NO O OXYGEN

OXYGENATED BLOOD GOING

THROUGH HIS BODY.

MY WHOLE BODY WAS IN

PAIN, LIKE BURNING ON THE

INSIDE OF ME.

I WAS TOO WEAK TO WALK.

YOUR G.I. TRACT AND YOUR

GUMS -- EVERYTHING GETS

SORE.

HE COULDN'T KEEP ANYTHING

DOWN AND HE WAS JUST DRY

HEAVING, TO THE POINT WHERE

HE WAS PROBABLY VOMITING

BILE BECAUSE IT WAS GREEN.

MY HEART BROKE FOR HIM.

I WAS, LIKE, GOD, I WILL

TAKE HIS PLACE.

LET ME DO ANYTHING I CAN TO

TAKE HIS SUFFERING AWAY.

AND WILL IS NOTHING.

AND YOU TRY TO HAVE FAITH

THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE

GLORY THAT IS GOING TO COME

OUT OF IT, BUT YOU DON'T IN

THAT MOMENT.

YOU JUST DON'T.

SO THOSE WERE SOME DARK

MOMENTS.

Reporter: FRIENDS AND

FAMILY VISITED DANIEL IN THE

HOSPITAL.

I HAD SO MANY PEOPLE

PRAYING FOR ME.

I HAD PEOPLE PROPHESYING TO

ME, SAYING THIS THING WAS

BORN TO DIE.

IT IS GOING TO BE A

TESTIMONY TO THE LORD.

JUST PRAYING FOR HIM AND

FOR US AND FOR HIS PARENTS.

AND YOU JUST FELT THE WHOLE

WEEK THEY WERE THERE WITH

YOU.

YOU JUST FELT LIKE THERE

WERE ANGELS PRAYING FOR YOU

THE WHOLE TIME.

YOU JUST FELT THEIR

PRESENCE.

IT WAS AMAZING.

PEOPLE ANOINTING ME WITH

OIL AND PRAYING OVER ME,

BOTH IN THE HOSPITAL AND

AFTER I GOT OUT.

I REMEMBER THE PASTOR SAYING

YOU NEED TO JUST CRY OUT TO

GOD AND LET HIM KNOW THAT

YOU NEED HIM.

BECAUSE I WAS REALLY HOLDING

EVERYTHING INSIDE.

IT WAS AT THAT POINT, WHEN

MY FRIENDS WERE LAYING HANDS

ON ME IN THE CHURCH, AND I

JUST GOT DOWN ON MY KNEES

AND THE FLOODGATES OPENED.

I WAS CRYING HYSTERICALLY.

CRYING OUT TO GOD, SAYING, I

NEED YOU!

I NEED YOU!

I HAD NEVER DONE THAT

BEFORE.

THAT WAS A BIG STEP FOR ME.

Reporter: DANIEL WENT

BACK TO THE HOSPITAL FOR HIS

NEXT TREATMENT.

THE TUMOR HAD GOTTEN

BIGGER, AND I WAS

SUFFOCATING.

AND I REMEMBER BEING IN THE

HOSPITAL BED, LITERALLY

DYING, AND I REMEMBER

LOOKING UP TO GOD AND

SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT, IF

YOU WANT TO TAKE ME, I'LL GO

WITH YOU.

I KNOW I'M YOUR CHILD.

YOUR WORD SAYS TO BE ABSENT

FROM THE BODY IS TO BE

PRESENT WITH THE LORD, AND I

BELIEVE THAT.

IF YOU WANT TO HEAL ME AND

LET ME LIVE, I'LL DO MY BEST

TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD YOUR

GOODNESS, YOUR GRACE, YOUR

LOVE, YOUR MERCY, AND YOUR

POWER.

AND THAT WAS REALLY A

TURNING POINT FOR ME.

LEARNING TO LET GO AND TO

JUST TRUST THE LORD.

Reporter: DANIEL WENT

IN FOR TESTS AT THE MIDWAY

POINT OF HIS CHEMO.

HALF WAY THROUGH THE

TREATMENTS, WHEN THEY TOOK

THAT SECOND SCAN, WHICH THEY

WERE JUST HOPING THAT THE

TUMOR WOULD BE SMALLER.

AND IT CAME BACK COMPLETELY

NEGATIVE,, LIKE, JUST GONE.

I REMEMBER LOOKING UP TO

HEAVEN, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL

DAY, CRYSTAL CLEAR, BLUE

SKY, AND TEARS RUNNING DOWN

MY FACE, AND I SAID, THANK

YOU, LORD.

THANK YOU.

IT WAS THE BEST CHRISTMAS

GIFT I EVER HAD.

THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN.

I MEAN, I SAW THAT TUMOR.

IT WAS GU GINORMOUS.

AND I SAID, IT DOESN'T JUST

GO AWAY.

AND NOT ONLY WAS IT NOT

THERE, THERE WASN'T EVEN

SCAR TISSUE.

USUALLY WHEN TUMORS RETRACT,

THERE IS SOME TYPE OF SCAR

TISSUE LEFT BEHIND.

AND THERE WASN'T ANYTHING.

WORDS CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE

THE FEELING.

WALKING ON AIR, COMING OUT

OF THIS PLACE, HOLDING THIS

PICTURE IN MY HAND OF A

COMPLETELY NORMAL P.E.T.

SCAN.

WHERE THREE MONTHS EARLIER I

HAD THIS OMINOUS TUMOR

THREATENING MY LIFE.

WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE THE

FEELING.

BEING ABLE TO TELL MY FAMILY

AND MY FRIENDS I'M GOING TO

BE OKAY.

IT WAS JUST AMAZING.

Reporter: DANIEL AND

SAHANI MARRIED IN 2003.

SAHANI GRADUATED FROM MED

SCHOOL IN 2007.

TODAY SHE IS A PODIATRIST,

AND DANIEL IS THE HOST OF

"DIVINE INTERVENTION."

A POPULAR SHOW ABOUT MODERN

DAY MIRACLES.

IT WAS THE FAITH OF MY

FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND THEY

PRAYED FOR ME.

AND I'M REMINDED OF THE

STORY AND THE GOSPEL OF

MARK, WHERE THE FOUR FRIENDS

ARE CARRYING THE PARALYTIC

FRIEND TO JESUS.

AND THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH

THE CROWD AND THEY HAVE TO

GO UP ON THE ROOF AND LOWER

HIM DOWN BECAUSE OF THE

CROWD.

AND IT SAYS WHEN JESUS SAW

THEIR FAITH, HE HEALED THE

PARALYTIC.

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE

PARALYTIC HAD FAITH OR NOT,

BUT I KNOW HIS FRIENDS DID.

AND SOMETIMES THAT'S WHAT

YOU NEED, PEOPLE AROUND YOU

TO PRAY FOR YOU AND BRING

YOU INTO THE PRESENCE OF

JESUS.

AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN

MY CASE.

EMBED THIS VIDEO


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