There is something to be said for the power of prayer. On the morning the lump in my breast was removed, a friend rallied more than 80 friends from our local MOMS Club to say a prayer for me -- at the exact time I was wheeled into an operating room. I know nothing of the prayer they said for me, but I do know I emerged from surgery with my breast intact and with the knowledge that my cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes. I don't know for sure what role prayer played in my good fortune -- but I don't discount that it is in some way responsible for the fact that I am alive today.
But there are other obvious factors responsible for my survival -- like chemotherapy, radiation, physical therapy, targeted drug therapy, and counseling. So I don't think prayer alone saved me. I think it took a balance of varied forces to save my life -- a balance one Ohio man was not able to achieve.
The children of Darrell Perry are filing suit against their aunt, Darlene Bishop -- Perry's sister and an evangelical preacher -- who claims both she and Perry were cured of cancer through prayer.
Perry was not cured and died a year and a half ago from throat cancer. And Bishop now reveals she was never diagnosed with breast cancer -- like she claimed at one time -- but was merely worried she may have had the disease. Yet the message in her book Your Life Follows Your Words speaks loud and clear in its message -- that prayer can cure cancer.
Perry's children says their aunt is lying and exploiting their father for her own financial gain. They have filed two suits -- one accusing her of mismanaging and misusing Perry's estate and the other alleging wrongful death for convincing Perry to pray rather than seek medical help.











1. I attend Solid Rock church and I just want you to know that the only liar is the Devil. When you have an abnormal, painful, bleeding lump in your breast you don't need a doctor's diagnosis to know what it is. That was the case of pastor Darlene's. Of course she is going to keep pushing her brother to share in her faith that God will heal him because she experienced it. I went to a doctor and had brain surgery. The diagnosis was horrible when the doctor came out and told my wife. If she would have believed in the words he said instead of what the Bible says " By His stripes we are healed" I might not be here today getting ready to enjoy the birth of my second child that the fertility doctors said would be impossible to have. I lost my mom to cancer so i rejoice with those who beat it and I can feel the pain with those who don't. Praise God for the fact miracles still exist
Posted at 12:09PM on Jan 15th 2007 by Eric Hainline