Anglican Archbishop, The Most Revd Benjamin Kwashi has recounted how he was afflicted by cancer to the point that he bought a coffin, prepared his funeral programme, and waited for death.
Kwashi was archbishop of Jos Province of the Anglican Church. He retired as Bishop of Jos in 2023 after putting in 31 years as bishop so he could face his orphanage which had about 400 children and also serve in the Global Anglican Future Conference
He shared the testimony in a programme aired on Advent Cable Network on Tuesday, February 27.
He said the first time he was diagonised of cancer, he told his wife, Gloria not to tell anybody considering the cost of treating it. He would not want to be a burden to anybody.
Ready for death
He said he was ready to bear the pain alone and was ready to die. But his wife said to him that he was trying to commit suicide by thinking that way.
Kwashi said, “But I told my wife that was the reality. I got my coffin ready and also prepared the order of service for my funeral”
He said however that his wife conspired with some other people who made arrangements and took him to the US where he was treated of the deadly disease. He said the treatment worked.
The Anglican Archbishop said he does not know the people who foot the bill for his US medical trip.
He became well after the treatment which took about 11 months and started traveling across the globe for evangelical work.
About a year after a friend who hosted him in the UK said it was time to go and check his health status.
They went to check and the doctors discovered that another cancer had eaten 40 percent of his liver.
‘This time I said the end had come. It was a death sentence. So, we wept and prayed. I went back home to pray and be with the Lord.”Kwashi said.
Hope revived
But his surgeon said he would operate on him so he would not suffer much pain even though he was going to die.
So he went back to the US and went under the knife again. In the course of the operation, the doctors detected that the cancer though had eaten 40 percent of his liver, there was no sign that it was going to spread.
He said the surgeon then had to cut 45 percent of his liver to be sure no other part is affected. The doctor according to Kwashi said, “God created a boundary to the cancer so it would not spread”
After that surgery, his oncologist ensured he did another chemotherapy just to be sure they were not leaving any stone concerning his health unturned
The good news however is that when he was tested in December Last year there was no single trace of cancer in his blood. He had been completely healed of the deadly ailment.
What caused it
Kwashi said he was the cause of the cancer in his system because he takes lots of sugar.
“I know in my case I was the architect of my cancer. I take a lot of sugar. I eat a lot of cake and eat a lot of meat. Those are the helpers of cancer. Again, cancer loves it when you fear” he said.
While glorifying God for healing him, he told his listeners that “cancer is curable. God can heal through prayer and also medicine.”
He also took time to pray for those who were suffering from the deadly disease.