Lodi man puts faith in God after tumor vanishes
Do you believe in miracles? Paul Wood’s story may change your mind.
A change in his health has left medical experts shocked and amazed, Wood said.
It started several months ago, when he began experiencing strange symptoms.
“I remember I was in Alameda County doing work and I was driving home, and I could not see in one eye, “he said.
At first, Wood thought it was cataracts. But in the days leading up to his visit to Alameda, he was constantly getting dizzy and suffering from headaches, he said.
After getting home to Lodi, he visited his eye doctor before seeing his primary care physician and friend of 20 years, Dr. Richard Yee.
Yee requested Wood receive an MRI, before coming up with the diagnosis of a brain tumor.
“I remember Richard telling me I had a tumor the size of a plum in my brain, and in that moment I knew God was testing me,” Wood said.
Wood is a man of faith who has dedicated his time and energy to the church. He is a member of Gravity Church in Lodi, where he attends daily sermons and is part of the church’s Bible study group.
His faith in God grew slowly after he faced trying times in his personal life, starting when his marriage ended
1 about 5 ⁄2 years ago.
At the time of his divorce, Wood said, he was a “lukewarm” Christian who needed God’s guidance. Although he had converted to Christianity at the age of 18, he struggled with his faith after a friend committed suicide. His friend had been molested by a priest, Wood said.
After that loss, he said, he grew bitter.
Following his divorce, Wood fell into a deep depression and attempted suicide on three separate occasions before asking friends for help, he said.
He began attend behavioral therapy classes at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. Once he finished those courses, he began attending meetings regularly at Revival Church, and he began to heal from the emotional wounds he suffered from his divorce.
“Begin part of the church made me feel like I belonged. Everyone was so welcoming and gracious,” Wood said.
After Wood received his brain tumor diagnosis, he was transferred to the University of San Francisco Medical Center where he met with leading neurosurgeon Dr. Manish Aghi.
Aghi ran MRIs and CT scans, and was preparing to operate on Wood. But Aghi wanted one final MRI before the surgery.
“The morning I was scheduled for surgery, Dr. Aghi called me and said he could not perform the surgery because my tumor disappeared,” Wood said.
After delivering the news, Aghi asked Wood if he would be interested in doing tests for research, but Wood declined.
“I told them, ‘I will save you time and money; what happened was a miracle,’” he said.
Wood said he knew God was testing his faith, and through his consistent belief in God, there wasn’t a need to go through the trials Aghi wanted to pursue. The tests were also very invasive, he added.
“Some people need to rely on science to provide an explanation, but I know this was God,” he said.
Since Wood’s story has gone public, he has received requests to speak at churches, as well as emails and phone calls from people all over the world.
Wood believes his faith in God has allowed a medical miracle to transpire.
That faith has grown since his diagnosis, he said. Wood is now committed to spreading the word of God.
“If I had received my diagnosis 10 years ago I would have been devastated, but knowing that my faith in God has grown so much since then, I know that power of prayer is greater than any fear of death,” he said.