Prayers, miracle from God, caused brain tumor to suddenly disappear, says California patient

Several doctors can find no scientific explanation for the sudden disappearance of a California patient’s brain tumor.

But a miraculous second chance at life was given to Paul Wood, a Lodi, California, father and community volunteer, KOVR-TV reported. His brain tumor was believed to be malignant.

Although doctors are puzzled by what happened, Wood is not. He said he's certain it was a miracle of God brought on through the power of prayer.

What happened?

Wood recalled the onset of symptoms associated with the potentially life-threatening brain tumor.

I had massive headaches, I couldn’t walk down the hallway without holding on to the walls,” he told the TV station.

Wood’s primary physician referred him to a San Franciso neurosurgeon who thought the patient might have a brain bleed. Radiologists then noticed what appeared to be a tumor.

Immediately, Wood immediately turned to his faith and his church for support.

“My phone is blowing up, my Facebook is prayer after prayer, all over California,” Wood said.

Days before he was scheduled to have surgery, tests showed that the tumor was gone.

“It’s a miracle and that is the way God planned it,” Wood said.

Specialists and Wood’s doctor couldn't explain it.

“We do tests and we have medical technology and we try to come up with some conclusion...sometimes things happen that we can’t explain,” Dr. Richard Yee told KOVR.

What did his church say?

Wood’s story was an inspiration to his pastor, ministry leaders and others at Gravity Church, where he is a member.

“He just kept saying, ‘no matter what happens to me, I’m going to be okay. I trust God.’ And that was an inspiration for a lot of people around him,” said Jason McEachron, a pastor at Gravity Church.

Church member Ryan Kimura said Wood’s story “breathes hope.”

Doctors were so stunned by his recovery that they have asked him to participate in a volunteer research study, the report states.

Science has attempted to “prove” whether prayer can heal and studies have had mixed results.

In a 2015 report by USA Today, some experts said the healing power of prayer is undeniable.

"…prayer does seem to make a difference for many, many people," said Dr. Harold G. Koenig, director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. "Whether it's prayer or whether it's some other religious activity, it does seem as though it helps them."

He said activities such as reading the Bible or praying have also been "associated with better health across the board, from better coping to better psychological health to better social functioning, better health behaviors and better physical health.”

Lodi is located about 40 miles south of Sacramento, California.