The Healing Power of Prayer

“I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer,” says Brenda Scott.

“You have stage 4 melanoma,” says Jim Burgett.

“(I had) Cancer in my right lower lung,” says Helena Ludwig.

For Brenda, Jim, and Helena, a cancer diagnosis was the scariest news they ever received.

Something else they had in common, was their oncologist, Dr Dianna Shipley.  “Patients always ask, and their family members will ask, "How long am I going to live?" I'm not much of a prognostication person, so I would never decree death over somebody or their time frame.”

Dianna gave her life to Jesus when she was 14.  Since childhood she knew she wanted to be a doctor.

“First grade, I was going to be a doctor and a teacher Played doctor all the time If you wanted to give me a toy, it was a baby doll and a doctor kit. And I fulfilled both of them I decreed it over myself, decreed it out loud,” says Dr. Shipley. “That's why I say all the time Words are alive Because I'd say I was going to be a doctor and a teacher And as a doctor in oncology, we teach patients every day.”

While pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor, Dianna also discovered her calling.

“When I did my internal medicine residency, I didn't even really know what oncology was. So, I said, "I'm going to sign up for this rotation with hematology and oncology" And I met a beautiful man by the name of Dr. David Lee.  Loved my month with Dr. Lee and did another month with him He taught me the whole time I was doing the rotation with him and then when the month ended, he handed me his hematology book and told me good luck in my career And that basically cinched it I knew I was supposed to do hematology and oncology,” says Dianna.

After graduation, Dr Shipley began her medical practice at Tennessee Oncology, but to her it was more than practicing medicine. To Dianna, it was a ministry to guide people through the physical and spiritual aspects of healing.

Dr. Shipley states, “I usually say if you are quiet, you can hear the still, small voice of the Lord, and sometimes you just have to know what He tells you to tell them. You know, where do you direct that patient? How do you speak to them?”

“When I first went to Dr Shipley's office, and just going down the hall, reading the framed scriptures, it was already ministering to me,” says Brenda.

“I've never met anybody that was as spiritual as she is Her office is full of things about the Lord, Bibles everywhere,” says Jim.

“You must give them hope or they won't want to even try to live for tomorrow,” says Dr. Shipley.

“She's so full of life, ask for prayer if you want it,” says Jim.

“She came into the room, and of course she knew my diagnosis. What she did was she encouraged me in hope, to put my hope in Jesus,” says Breanda.

Dr. Shipley adds, “Prayer is the essential for life Healthy or unhealthy, it is the essential for life, and it changes things.”

In her 25 years as an oncologist, Dr Shipley has treated thousands of patients and has one of the highest survival rates in the country.  She attributes all of it to the power of prayer and a healing God.

“I had met a woman 11 years ago who had stage 4 lung cancer, and she said, "Wow, when I found out my diagnosis, I didn't think I'd see my daughter," who was in eighth grade at that time, "graduate from high school" I've seen her graduate from high school, graduate from college, graduate from her master's, and in two and a half weeks, I'm going to be standing beside her as she gets married Those are big celebrations that even she didn't believe she'd live that long initially,” says Dr. Shipley.

“Anything I wanted to ask her, she'd take time to talk to me about it I hope one day I can be as spiritual as her,” says Jim.

“I would not give up Dr Shipley for anything, nothing whatsoever She has been such an inspiration to me,” says Helena.

“She was not the person that introduced me to Jesus, but she introduced me to a deep level of hope and trust and faith that I had not experienced And I was miraculously healed,” says Brenda.

“We still serve a healing God, God never changes.  I am beyond thankful to the Lord I couldn't imagine my life without the Lord and without the people He's brought into my life All the joy and the blessings I have are unbelievable It's in Ephesians 3, 20 day every day,” says Dr. Shipley. 

More information on Dr. Dianna Shipley.