A Story Not of Medical Odds, but of Divine Guidance — Marsh Rose
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In 2004, my life changed abruptly. I was diagnosed with a life‑threatening tumor on my brain stem, heart failure, and a condition so severe that my brain was literally being forced downward because my skull was too small. The weight of those words was overwhelming. I went to MD Anderson for answers, and their recommendation was radiation and surgery. But something in my spirit kept prompting me to ask one question: “What is the scatter effect of the radiation?” No one could give me a clear answer. I truly believe the Lord put that question in my heart.
Eventually, the emeritus head of radiation at MD Anderson called me personally. He told me I needed to go to Boston—specifically to Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard’s teaching hospital—because they offered a treatment that would be safer for my condition. That treatment was proton radiation. I traveled to Boston, received proton therapy for the tumor, and later underwent surgery to enlarge my skull. My cardiologist later told me I was the first person in Texas to receive proton radiation. MD Anderson offers it now, but at the time it was unheard of.
By God’s grace, the treatment worked. I continue to return to MD Anderson for periodic MRIs, and twenty years later, I am still here—healthy, stable, and profoundly grateful. I consider these past two decades a gift, each step directed by the Lord’s hand.
Recovery after surgery was slow. My memory was damaged, and my thinking felt foggy. In 2009, while living in Tulsa, I made a surprising decision: I went back to school to exercise my mind. I enrolled at the University of Tulsa to pursue an LLM in federal Indian law, a subject that had long interested me. It was incredibly challenging, but by God’s strength, I graduated with high honors. My memory returned. My clarity returned. And doors opened—doors that could only have opened through God’s grace and His unmistakable love.
Looking back, I see a story not of medical odds, but of divine guidance. God led me to the right questions, the right doctors, the right treatments, and the right opportunities. These twenty years have been a testimony to His faithfulness.
