Oncologist Dr. Michael Porubcin smiles as his former patient, Becky DeJonghe, right, pumps her fist during a meeting of the St. Thomas Aquinas Guild of the Quad Cities Aug. 29 at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
Elementary teacher Becky DeJonghe was running out of options in her stage-4 cancer battle.
She had already gone through countless surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy to fight a very aggressive form of sarcoma. It had taken one of her legs, and seemed poised to take her life, as well. “She had reached the lowest and most difficult stage of her journey. Her life expectancy was now months, and her long-term survival (chances) were basically zero,” said her oncologist, Doctor Michael Porubcin.
DeJonghe, who considers herself spiritual but not religious, prayed to St. Raphael at the insistence of her sister-in-law. What followed was “one of the most gratifying cancer outcomes of my career,” Dr. Porubcin said.
The Catholic oncologist shared DeJonghe’s story at a recent gathering of the St. Thomas Aquinas Guild of the Quad Cities at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport.
DeJonghe’s cancer journey started more than 20 years ago. The happily married mother and third grade teacher noticed a painless lump above her left knee, and doctors diagnosed her with what is now known as undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS). She had surgery to remove the lump, but it regrew about a year later to the size of a grapefruit. She opted to have her leg amputated. “Losing her leg was not the only bad news waiting for her,” Dr. Porubcin said during the presentation on Aug. 29. “The cancer had already spread to her lungs.”
Eager to return to teaching full time, DeJonghe underwent treatment after treatment, hoping to keep the cancer at bay. It always returned worse than before. Dr. Porubcin suggested she go to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Doctors there suggested palliative chemotherapy to slow the growth and give her more time.
The prognosis was grim, and despite her seemingly unwavering optimism, DeJonghe became discouraged by the severe pain that kept her from the classroom and from making the most of whatever time she had left.
He recalled her telling him, “you of all people know how difficult it was for me in the weeks before I went to Houston. It was incredibly difficult to breathe and I was (scared).”
But, one night, while sleeping in her recliner, she woke up to the sound of thunder. “I’m not afraid of storms, but for some reason I was terrified,” she told Dr. Porubcin. “I wanted to be close to my husband,” she continued, “but I knew it was fruitless to (try to) lie down. I sat next to the bed and said a prayer to God to let me lay down just until the storm is over.”
Earlier in the day, DeJonghe’s sister-in-law, a non-Catholic Christian, suggested she pray to St. Rafael. “She’d read he was an angel of healing,” said Becky. With nothing to lose, she prayed for his help. “It was more of an afterthought than anything.” The next thing she remembered was feeling the comforting presence of white wings surrounded by pink light overhead. “I heard, ‘everything is going to be okay,’ and I slept three hours lying down flat for the first time in months.” She wrote about the experience in her journal, and was shocked to learn that her experience was not unique.
St. Raphael — whose name in Hebrew translates to “God heals” – is known as the patron saint of healing, Dr. Porubcin said. Saint Raphael is first mentioned in the Book of Tobit, where he appeared disguised in human form to Tobias, son of the blind man Tobit, and traveled with him from Nineveh to Media. St. Raphael then cured Tobit through “accompaniment, instruction and physical matter,” the oncologist said, noting that the angel’s method was “process-oriented, not an instantaneous miracle.”
According to Catholic tradition, St. Raphael also appeared to healthcare worker St. John of God, patron saint of hospitals, the sick and dying, as a fellow nurse helping him with his duties.
“As a physician, I was taken aback by DeJonghe’s story,” Dr. Porubcin said. “Despite her remarkable experience, we both understood that God would need an earthly conduit,” and he was concerned that the treatment she would receive in Houston would not be enough to fend off cancer. “But her anxiety vanished, and she totally trusted the promise she received on that memorable night.”
Following palliative chemotherapy treatments in Houston, DeJonghe’s cancer went into remission and she was able to return to the teaching job she loved. After several years of annual follow-up appointments, she was discharged with “no evidence of the disease” in 2015.
Dr. Porubcin said there are no documented cases of endstage sarcoma cured after a prophetic vision and palliative care, like what DeJonghe experienced, though there are extremely rare cases in which one’s immune system is reactivated to the point of being able to successfully fight off cancer. “Secular (physicians) would view it as an incredible but not impossible biological outlier.” He believes that cognitive, affective and spiritual states can influence biological outcomes during medical intervention. “Always aim to treat the whole person,” he advised.
After the talk, DeJonghe pushed her wheelchair to the podium to thank Dr. Porubcin for his support and to answer questions. “I don’t know why any of this happened (but) I think it had a lot to do with the children I was supposed to be here for,” she said. The experience hasn’t changed her overall experience of religion, but she firmly believes that there is “something bigger out there.” However the healing happened, “I got to teach about 15-18 more years, and I’m so grateful.”
About the St. Thomas Aquinas Guild QC
St. Thomas Aquinas Guild of the Quad Cities is a physician-led association of health-care professionals and friends from all walks of life committed to the promotion of the culture of life in the community. There are about 120 guilds in the United States.
Dr. Tim Millea, president of the local guild, said the QC guild is unique in that its meetings are open to non-medical professions. Members of the community who are interested in the topics presented at each meeting are encouraged to attend, he said.
The guild hosts an annual White Mass for medical professionals each fall. This year’s White Mass will take place Oct. 17 with Bishop Dennis Walsh presiding. A talk from neonatologist Dr. Robin Pierucci on compassionate, medically-accurate support for families facing a fetal diagnosis will follow. Details will be published in an upcoming edition of The Catholic Messenger.
