The Dying Saga of Garvin Smith – are you dying to read it? PART 2 by Garvin Smith

Things are pretty much the same. I cancelled the scheduled lymph node biopsy that the oncologist claims is necessary to know exactly what type of lymphoma I have. While it is true that we can’t know exactly what type of lymphoma I have without a biopsy, since his recommended treatment is pretty much the same regardless of the type of lymphoma (see previous post) what does it matter what type I have? When I explained this to the oncologist it did not go well! Furthermore I have a fundamental problem with the hubris (pride so blinding one cannot see any other way) that exists in the medical field. Let me explain. 1) As late as the 1800s “bleeding” or “bloodletting” was a common medical practice. Doctors will say, “Oh, but that was a long time ago.” True, but what if you questioned the procedure in 1800? The doctors would say, “Look, I’m the expert here. This is what I do!” (hubris) 2) In 1847, Dr. Semmelweis suggested that the mortality rate in maternity wards could be reduced if doctors would wash their hands before tending to the delivery of a new baby. The medical profession laughed at him. Semmelweis's observations conflicted with the established scientific and medical opinions of the time. The theory of diseases was highly influenced by ideas of an imbalance of the basic "four humours" in the body, a theory known as dyscrasia, for which the main treatment was bloodlettings. Medical texts at the time emphasized that each case of disease was unique, the result of a personal imbalance, and the main difficulty of the medical profession was to establish precisely each patient's unique situation, case by case. It took the medical profession over twenty years to recognize the importance of sterility in hospital settings. The so-called Semmelweis reflex — a metaphor for a certain type of human behavior characterized by reflex-like rejection of new knowledge because it contradicts entrenched norms, beliefs or paradigms — is named after Semmelweis, whose perfectly reasonable hand-washing suggestions were ridiculed and rejected by his contemporaries. (hubris). 3) I hurt my back when I was fifteen. I went to our family doctor, then to the osteopath, and I received steroid shots. At the suggestion of going to see a chiropractor, the doctors explained to me they were “quacks” and could not fix my problem. Forty years ago the American Medical Association did not recognize chiropractors as legitimate doctors, and insurance companies would not cover chiropractic care. (hubris) Today however, when I have occasional back problems, I go see a chiropractor and come away fixed and feeling better. It took the medical profession over forty years to recognize that chiropractic treatments work. I could have told them that years ago, but would they have accepted it? (hubris). 4) When my father was 66 years old he was diagnosed with acute leukemia (true, it’s different from what I have), and he opted for the standard medical treatment. He went into the hospital, spent a year there, lost about 100 pounds, and died. Is that how I want to spend my last year of life? How many of you know Annelle Griffeth (Oviedo, FL)? She had cancer, received only a couple of chemo treatments, then quit and decided to do something different. She lives today. Ask her how her life is going. NOTE: The above discussion is not to say that any particular doctor is not humble, it is to say that the profession as a whole suffers from hubris.
I have drastically changed my diet: only fresh fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, etc. Often these are consumed in a juiced form. I also drink lots of herbal teas designed to help with this specific condition. I lost about 25 pounds so far (that can’t hurt) and I feel much better. On this diet my abdominal pains have disappeared, including the pain in my spleen, and the bloating and hardness in my abdomen has disappeared.
I am scheduled for a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan, February 26, 2010. These are so cool. They produce a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body. I recommend everyone get one (assuming your insurance will cover it) while you are healthy as it provides a baseline to compare a later abnormal condition to.
I will meet with the oncologist March 2, to review the PET scan and get another blood test. This blood test will determine the path I will take. If the Beta 2 Microglobulin and white blood cell numbers have increased, and the red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit numbers have fallen, then I will look harder at conventional chemo therapy. But if these numbers have improved, I will defer chemo treatment and continue my current path. We are hopeful. (See Moroni 7:42-44)
God has continued to bless me with faith and charity, as I asked in my prayers (see previous post). Weekly someone contacts me and explains that they put my name in yet another temple. People I baptized in Tennessee, Steve and Judy Lynn, and David and Carol Davenport have given me much support, and Elder Kirk Spencer, a missionary companion (now living in Texas) put my name in yet another temple. People I barely remember e-mail me or Debbie, or contact us through Facebook and bless me. I teach inmates at the Montana Department of Corrections, at four remote prison locations via interactive TV. This particular class starts at 8:00am. I have always been an early riser, but for a while it was getting much harder to get out of bed and get going. My face was puffy and I was extremely weak and sluggish. I felt an obligation to explain my poor lecture performance to my inmate students. One of them said he would pray for me. How many of you have high security prison inmates praying for you? God continues to bless me! (As a side note, since my lifestyle and diet change, the puffiness and sluggishness are gone). I feel great! I am looking forward to having a couple of baby calves on our property so my grandchildren can bottle feed them when they come up. Debbie and I look forward to gardening and growing our own fruits and vegetables, fertilized by our two calves. We have great plans for the future. The Lord also has plans for my future.
The Lord also has plans for my future. Did I say that already? One of the callings that I have always shied away from is Ward Mission Leader. I am not afraid of missionary work, I have been a stake missionary and a branch mission leader shortly after my baptism, and I served a full-time mission. But being the Ward Mission Leader is different. I have pondered various callings over the years and this one always gave me problems. Especially the word “Leader.” This implies that I cannot simply sit back and tell/teach others what and how to do missionary “work.” But to me it means I must do it, show the ward by example, and then say, “Come, follow me,” and “Do likewise.” This will require tremendous effort, prayer, and faith. That’s the “work” in missionary work. Being a man I naturally shy away from work like this. Notice the work “naturally” in the previous sentence? See Mosiah 3:19.
Two weeks ago Bishop Robinson (Kalispell 3rd Ward), knowing my health condition, after much prayer called me to be the Ward Mission Leader. I don’t know for certain if I will live, or when I will die. Nobody does. But God knows. And for now he wants me to serve as the Ward Mission Leader. I see this as yet another answer to my prayers for increased faith and charity. I will need them to serve as Father wants me to serve.
I know there is a God who dwells in yonder heavens. (See Joseph Smith, The King Follett Discourse, Ensign, April 1971; “There is the starting point for us to look to, in order to understand and be fully acquainted with the mind, purposes and decrees of the Great Eloheim, who sits in yonder heavens as he did at the creation of the world. God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!”) I know there is a God who dwells in yonder heavens. I know we are His children and he loves us. I have come to be acquainted much more intimately with Father, and his goodness, and kindness, and charity, and mercy, and great condensention towards His children, due to recent experiences that are a direct result of my attempts to gain greater faith and charity. When people pray in meetings, the words they say, which are sincere and genuine, have greater meaning and impact to me than ever before. I used to say similar words, and while I meant them, they have tremendously deeper meanings than they did before. The same holds true of scripture. The words have much deeper meaning than before. The same is true of hymns. I can now hardly sing them without weeping from an increased awareness of God’s love. This is the very thing I sought for when I began my quest for increased faith and charity. God answers prayers! I know and testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind, whoever would have him to be their Lord and Master. Help me, Oh God, to submit my will. I know and testify the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know and testify that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in the grove in upstate New York. I know and testify that there are prophets on the earth today, and the senior Apostle and Prophet Thomas Monson is the Lord’s mouthpiece on earth today to teach us how to return to Father. Help me, Oh God, to hear thy word. I know and testify that in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are all the priesthood keys and authority to do the Lord’s work on earth today. I know and testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on the earth. Help me, Oh God, serve, sacrifice and build thy kingdom. In the words of Brigham Young, “The Kingdom of God, or nothing!”

To be continued.