Surviving Cancer - Look what the Lord has done
- Joel Pawloski
- Jan 28, 2025
- 12 min read
Updated: Jun 20, 2025
The last twelve months have been very eventful for me.
The point of this testimony is to build your faith.
We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our Testimony Revelations 12:11
By His stripes you have been Healed 1 Peter 2:24
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence things not seen Hebrew 11:1
All things are possible to them that believe Mark 9:23
May 25 Prophesy
During the live stream of the podcast River Roundtable I fell under the power of the Holy Spirit and prophesied the date of July 18 would be a very important date. The reason was unclear at the time.
July 18 the date - On the final day of the RNC Convention in Milwaukee I became sick with an aggressive pneumonia. It was this illness that sent me to the ER and to my lung cancer diagnosis. The result was a very early diagnosis and treatment for a type of cancer that is only discovered by biopsy.
July 25 First ER visit - I went to the ER immediately after returning from a family vacation
Blood 02 90% I was given antibiotics for pneumonia and sent home. Every test for the specific pathogen that I had returned negative. There are over 40 different common types of pneumonia, and several other possible lung conditions that were tested, including TB and Legionnaires disease. All returned negative, so a Bronchoscopy was scheduled.
Aug 28 Bronchoscopy: It was during this procedure that a single biopsy was taken. This sole sample revealed the cancer. The doctor performing the procedure did not expect to find anything.
Sept 2 I received a text from the doctors office at 10am and knew immediately that I had cancer. I told my wife what we would hear at the doctor's office before we left the house. Diagnosed with non-small cell adenocarcinoma of the lungs.
Sept 5 PET scan - The results were that my lungs were lit up like Christmas trees. I, however, did not receive the results of the scan until after returning from our trip to Wisconsin.
Sept 9-16 Annual trip to Wisconsin and Michigan to visit family. I struggled with walking through airports and up and down stairs during this trip. I was determined not to let anything stop this trip as it was very important to me and Susan. I improved slightly as the trip went on.
Sept 27 Started natural immune therapy.
Oct 2 Testimony Fall Camp meeting. I testified on Tuesday night of Fall Camp meeting about my diagnosis. I felt the Holy Spirit during my testimony; the power of the Lord is real. During this entire healing process I have felt at peace, joyful even. My doctors have commented several times that my stress levels and related symptoms are basically nonexistent.
Oct 3-29 I continued natural immune therapy and explored options regarding Chemotherapy and traditional remedies. The Chemo regime that was described to me would be up to two years long.
Oct 30 I started experiencing shortness of breath this quickly got progressively worse over the following few days.
Nov 3 Second Emergency Room visit. I awoke Sunday morning to severe shortness of breath. After attempting to mitigate the situation, I told Susan that she needed to take me to the hospital. Blood 02 65% This oxygen level causes Cyanosis and can bring on organ failure. By the healing power of God I did not die. Immediately after taking my oxygen level I was put on full oxygen and told not to move. The nurses in the ER checked on me every minute or so. Several should never play poker as the panicked looks on their faces indicated how desperate they thought the situation. To me, I was never in any trouble. Yes I could hardly breath on my own but I never felt in jeopardy. I had the peace of the Lord and was able to makes jokes and converse with the staff the entire time.
Nov 3 - 8 Cancer ICU Admitted to Salem ICU then transferred to Cancer ICU next day. I struggled to breath even on pure oxygen. My left side lung area was completely filled with fluid (removed 850ml), right side was partial. This is on top of the cancer and infection. Serious triple whammy. On Nov 4, my left side was drained and I improved. The next day I went to have the right side drained, but the fluid was already gone.
During this week I think I set some sort of record for visitors, the nurses keep talking about how many I had. thank you to everyone who kept to visit, called me, texted me, prayed for me. I am eternally grateful. I got better over the week and was released on Friday the 8th.
Nov 13 I was due to start Chemo but as the infection I had was not gone and my 02 levels had dropped post ICU stay the decision was made to postpone chemo and start Oxygen therapy.
Nov 16 Marion County Republican Central Committee elections: I ran again for Chair, to fulfill a promise made. This was also about the lowest point health wise for me. My weight had dropped to 165lbs. and I always required oxygen to supplement my breathing.
Nov 18 First Chemo My treatment Following the treatment I was essentially symptom free of chemo side effects. I had mid-fatigue on the 3rd and 4th days after treatment.
Nov 21 Admitted for a third time to Santiam Hospital after This was for a follow up Bronchoscopy. The second time cleaned out much debris.
Nov 22 I had the second Bronchoscopy and was released from the hospital about 9pm.
Dec 10 Second Chemo treatment no side effects Shortly after this I was able to lower the required oxygen from 3 liters to 1.5 liters
Dec 26 Developed a secondary infection and went on antibiotics.
Dec 31 Third Chemo treatment Once again, no side effects.
Jan 12 Off Oxygen
Jan 16 Partial remission planned transition to immune therapy only following final Chemo treatment.
Jan 19 Second testimony.
Jan 21 Fourth and final Chemo, rang the bell
There is more to my story. Much more.
What I left out of the original was the response I received from three of my children. Two hours after my wife posted, about what I thought at the time was my final chemo treatment. I received a text from my younger daughter. This text informed me that because of my political views she and her two brothers would no longer be speaking to me and that all contact with them was to stop immediately.
This decision was made apparently on my youngest son transitioning. He was and I assume still going by the name Matilda. I only learned of this event from a name change on the paperwork of an insurance policy. So, I asked what was going on? This was several years ago. Every ask was rejected.
As one can imagine this news was a shock. Only two days prior my daughter and I were discussing her coming to visit. I learned in the text that they were waiting for me be healthy enough to break contact. The original plan was for it to happen months earlier.
My eldest son had been living with me until two events happened in early September of last year. First my diagnosis of lung cancer. Second, I informed him that he could not live for free in my house (he just turned 30 this month) and would have to get a job. Upon receiving that message, he packed his car and disappeared without a word. I have not spoken to him since.
I love my kids and want only the best for them. I hope and pray that at some point in the future they will be able to reach out.
For the rest of January and the first half of February, I was doing well. I was supposed to have follow up immune therapy on Feb 4. Because of health insurance and other related reasons, it did not happen until March 4.
March 4 First Keytruda immune therapy treatment. This was to finish off the cancer over the next year or so.
My oldest daughter arrived from Australia on March 3 and spent the next six weeks with me and my wife. This was such a blessing.
In the beginning of March, I started to struggle again with my breathing. After consulting with the docs, I started taking steroids again and went on several drugs to prevent infection.
March 13. One of the possible side effects from Keytruda is lung inflammation. In retrospect, this is the most likely cause of my trip to the emergency room on this day. The problem was it was so bad I could not breathe. Like at all. I also had other treatments that day, and the combination may have been the trigger. We'll never really know. Thank God my daughter was there, otherwise I might not have made it. She drove me to the hospital. As she is from Australia it was her first ever time driving on the correct side of the road. Stronger steroids, breathing treatments and things were under control in a few hours. I went home.
Based on a CT scan from the 13th, we decided to restart chemo. Once again health insurance slowed things down. This treatment happened on April 14.
April 6 I restarted oxygen. I had been struggling to breath and at this point it became necessary. I am still on oxygen.
April 14 Restart chemo Still taking the Keytruda along with a chemo drug called Pemetrexed. We had not realized at his point how serious the inflammation was getting.
April 16. My daughter left for home in Australia.
When I get Keytruda treatment it comes with a side of very strong steroids that last a couple days. At this point they had run their course. I really started to struggle with breathing on the 17th. I increased my steroids, but it did not help.
April 18. Good Friday. I increased the steroids again and turned up the oxygen flow. This only helped me somewhat. By that evening it was clear I was in trouble. I was lightheaded and could not get my oxygen level above 85. Back to the ER. Another CT scan revealed that I had a massive infection and inflammation. My lungs were shutting down. So more and better steroids and a constant flow of IV antibiotics.
There was no space for me in a regular room, so I stayed that night in a spare bed in the ER. It was a long night.
April 19 I was moved in the morning to a regular room. I could hardly move. I was able to eat and by late afternoon able to talk comfortably again. A side note, the IV antibiotics I was on were the strongest available, the steroids I was taking would wreck my veins after two doses. My arms were a bruised mess.
April 20 Easter Sunday, I awoke to God. All the anxiety of the last two days was gone. I had a revelation of resurrection power. I had forgotten it was Easter, Resurrection Sunday. That morning God and I had an amazing conversation. He told me the Keytruda was the source of the inflammation and how to get it under control. He told me I would be in remission by the end of summer. He gave me the plan for my healing.
When the doc came in that morning he was amazed at the change in me during his shift. IV antibiotics are good but not that good. Saturday evening when it looked like I was going to make it, my departure was planned for Tues or Weds. I checked out Monday morning.
This journey started a year ago. It is not done yet. What I have learned in the past year is how to trust God.
I was always independent. Never ask for help. I started this the same way. Arrogant and prideful in my faith. You can see it in the paragraph written below. This was the original ending to this post.
During this entire time and continuing, I speak out loud that "I am healed" I have done this every day and often several times a day. I have usually referred to my sickness as "my diagnosis" I refuse to give power over me to the "C" word. I have spoken healing over myself about specific things, like getting off the Oxygen and not having side effects. Many of my friends and family heard me saying I'll be off oxygen by Christmas and then by New Year and finally very soon. During the entire time I could feel the difference those words made. I got off oxygen on January 12th of this year. Speaking this out loud, in faith made a difference.
Sickness and disease exist. They do not get to stay in your life.
Be healed by the wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Back in January, doubt crept in. Did I get worse because of doubt? It sure did not help. As I got worse, I became more frustrated. I blamed God. I lost sight of his mercy. I tried to control things more.
April 28. A week after leaving the hospital I had an appointment with a Lung Cancer Specialist at OHSU. Before the appointment he reviewed my file. So, with this knowledge in hand his first words for me were "I have no idea what to do with you". Normally this would be disheartening. It was not. His first suggestion was to stop all treatment and see what happens. I refused. I knew the first thing was to get the inflammation down. The lord had given me the plan for that, and I was following it.
The next part of the plan was to stop taking Keytruda but continue the Pemetrexed. I made this strong suggestion to my oncologist. His response was “why not?”. Once again, the medical system did not have an answer for my situation.
May 5 Chemo with just the Pemetrexed. Afterwards, as usual, there were no significant side effects, and the inflammation continued to decrease.
This is where it gets interesting. I had been speaking with my regular doctor this whole time. She had mentioned to me that she was looking to source a new drug called DCA. She had been unable to find a source for weeks. Around the weekend of May 3, we had a phone conversation and the search for DCA was mentioned. The next day I opened my Amazon app and at the top of the feed was DCA. I was unsure if it was the same drug, so I sent her the link. After not hearing back from her for several days and praying on it, I ordered it. She called to confirm it was the right stuff the next day. I started taking the DCA May13. I have confirmed that this drug will safely treat what I have with both Oncologists. It's not just what you take but how you take it. This was the final piece to the plan.
May 27 Next round of chemo. I had to stop the DCA for this and resumed taking it May 30. This time the Chemo maybe in combo the DCA still in my system really hit hard. I was very fatigued and weak for several days. I mostly slept and it was 10 days before able to function at all. I needed 4 liters of Oxygen constantly. I could not walk from one end of the house to the other without being winded.
June 3 a fresh new CT scan. I required a wheelchair to go into the hospital. the scan came back with a clear picture and showed I had not changed much since the January scan.
June 8 I had a vision from the Lord. He showed me Lazarus leaving the tomb. He showed me this event from the eyes of Lazarus. I testified at church that morning on the vision. The testimony is recorded.
This is me on June 8 after service. On oxygen. The sunglasses are because my eyes were very sensitive to light.
June 9-10 I was still weak. I required several hours of sleep during the day to last past 6pm. Evangelist Johnathan Shuttlesworth was holding meetings at the River Church this week. My wife really wanted me to go. I went. Tired. On the 9th we left early. the same the 10th.
June 11 I was very tired and did not want to attend the meeting that night. I did not get much of a nap that afternoon. Susan encouraged me to go and I went. For most of the meeting I was zoned out. Just very tired.
Then as He was preaching about the woman who pressed through the crowd, something stirred in my spirit. I have limited memory of the event. I went to where Evangelist Shuttlesworth was preaching and raised my arms. I interrupted everything. Watch the video.
June 12 Testimony I testified about my healing. I am healed. Watch the video.
During this time there have been many other events. For example, my allergies have been eradicated. A year ago, I used to have a bad grass seed allergy. No more. This is confirmed by testing. Even before that years ago I had constant back and joint pain that is gone.
If God could heal those things, then why did he just not heal my cancer? He did. He's done it in a way I can share it with you. This post is not about healing. This post is about putting your trust in the Lord. God is Love. Jesus is Life.
The resurrection and healing power of God is real.
If you have questions DM me.
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