Pancreatic Cancer – A Testimony of Healing
A Testimony About God, Not Us
At the outset of this testimony, I want to make it clear that it is not about me and Estelle — it’s all about God.
Thanking Those Who Carried Us
I want to thank everyone who’s been praying for me, and please continue to do so. I also want to thank all the medical staff who have been amazing, but above all, thanks to God, because He is a loving Father. To my darling wife Estelle — words fail me to describe the way she has cared for me. She’s been a gatekeeper; she was there when I was not well. She limited people to a 15-minute visit. She sat with me in the chemotherapy room for five hours at a time, with a picnic basket, even though I didn’t want to eat. She was there for me — loving, supporting me, and being my number one prayer warrior.
The First Signs Something Was Wrong
Towards the end of November 2024, my body started manifesting all sorts of symptoms, but I wasn’t too worried because I didn’t have pain. I made an appointment to see the doctor, and on the morning I was going to the doctor, I popped into the clinic at our retirement home and they did my blood pressure and sugar. My blood pressure was fine, but my sugar was over 18. By the time we got to the doctor, my blood sugar was well over 21.
He immediately diagnosed me with Type 2 diabetes and sent me for blood tests.
The Shocking Discovery
A few days later, my GP contacted me and told me I needed to go to Vergelegen for an abdominal sonar. By this time, I was showing jaundiced symptoms. The results came out and I was referred to a specialist gastro-enterologist. He sent me for an MRI. It turned out my bile duct was blocked. He did an endoscopic surgery and during the procedure he spotted a rather large growth on my pancreas, and he was fairly certain it was malignant. He sent me to Groote Schuur Hospital for a further endoscopic procedure. The results confirmed that I had pancreatic cancer. For those who don’t know: pancreatic cancer is a death sentence.
Three Options — None of Them Easy
He said there were three options: we do nothing, we do the Whipple procedure, or we do chemo first and hope to shrink the tumor, and then do the Whipple procedure.
A Grim Prognosis
After that, I was sent to the oncologist at Cape Gate for treatment. He told me that this cancer is one that medical science knows the least about and that my chances of survival in the medium term were pretty slim. He said he’d be consulting with international colleagues to establish a treatment regime, and in his words, “my age was against me and he would have to bring out the big guns to attack this.”
Chemo: The Battle Begins
I was to receive six treatments, each five hours long, two weeks apart, and each consisting of three bags with different combos of chemo. The side effects were numerous and not pleasant, to say the least. The printout listing the side effects was eight A4 pages long. I wouldn’t even read it. I wasn’t going to fill my mind with that nonsense.
The first treatment, which was 85% strength, was fine. Then came the big guns. The final treatment was the worst — I reacted to the second bag, and I had two doctors and all the nurses over me trying to sort me out.
A Miracle in the MRI
I was relieved when the treatments were complete. Prior to the Whipple procedure, I had an MRI and it showed that the tumor had shrunk. The oncologist was overwhelmed — the tumor had shrunk far more than he could have hoped for. “It’s a miracle” was the word he used. During chemo, I suffered from brain fog; I couldn’t concentrate. I was unable to read the Word and praying was mumble-jumble.
The doctor asked, “Mr Mandel, how are you able to stay so positive?”
“The answer is simple. It’s my faith in His Word. The Lord said to me, ‘I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you.’ That’s the word I clung to.”
Undergoing the Whipple Procedure
On 11 June, I was admitted to Vergelegen, where the gastric surgeon performed the Whipple procedure. It involved the removal of the gallbladder, bile duct, the duodenum, the cancerous part of the pancreas, and a portion of the stomach. Once the organs had been removed, the digestive system had to be reconfigured. I spent 10 days in hospital, five of them in ICU.
The surgeon was amazed at how well I recovered and said it was one of the most complicated surgeries he had performed, and he needed strength to see it through.
My sister and daughter-in-law had identical dreams/visions of the Lord’s hand on the surgeon, which Estelle shared with him.
Finishing Treatment & A Clear Scan
Five weeks later and 30 kilograms lighter, I had more chemo to kill any remaining cancer cells. On Friday 7 November 2025, I went for a CT scan and no traces of cancer were found on any of my vital organs. There are, however, some nodules on my thyroid and I’m waiting for the biopsy results.
So how does one react when you get a diagnosis like this — one that feels like a death sentence? You can face fear of death, denial, or ask questions like “why me?” We cannot deny medical facts and clinical diagnosis, however God is our healer.
Processing the Reality
When we received the diagnosis we accepted that — BUT God. We decided to put our trust in God. The normal things went through our minds: Is this terminal? Is it curable? How long do I have to live? What plans need to be put in place? We cried and asked the usual questions, like “Will this be our last Christmas together?” I had no fear of death; I’ve been a believer in Jesus for 56 years and have read His Word — and now it was time to put it to the test.
I’ve never owned this cancerous attack on my body or asked the question, “Why me, Lord?”
We shared the diagnosis with close friends and family and asked for prayer support.
Thanks to Erith and Lynn for their support and advice from their experiences.
Even now, I believe God has healed me from one of the most deadly forms of cancer. One question I asked was, “Why have you healed me, Lord?” and I believe He said the same thing He told me at the beginning of this walk: “That I may be glorified.”
Estelle’s Perspective: “Look to ME”
Two of my favourite words are “BUT God”. As Louis said, our heart’s desire is that all glory goes to the Lord — it’s not about us.
Every year, I ask the Lord for a scripture for the new year that I can stand on for my family. On Sunday 24 December 2024, Ben Marais was preaching, and at the end of the service he asked us to be quiet and listen to what the Holy Spirit was saying to us.
And I heard three words: “Look to ME.”
I wrote it in my journal, having no idea how important and how amazing those words would become to me. How faithful is God.
On 3 December, our lives changed. Nothing prepares you for a diagnosis like this and you don’t know how to walk it out. “Look to ME” became a lifeline.
Louis and I made four decisions:
• To thank God every day for the new day and His breath in our lungs
• To live each day to its fullest
• To thank God that we are still together
• To laugh in the midst of things (which we have done)
Once all the tests and scans were over, we were in the oncologist’s office looking at the MRI and results, and I heard Bruce’s voice in my head: “We cannot deny the medical facts, but the truth of the Word of God is that God is our Healer.”
Here are a few of the scriptures we leaned on:
“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.” Psalm 107:19–21
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Protecting the Mind
When chemo was about to start, Louis was given a thick file listing all the side effects. He refused to read it and told me to read it, but it was information overload — and all negative. So Louis and I anointed the file and prayed over it and cut off the negative things in Jesus’ name. Only afterwards did I realise how God protects your mind and emotions.
Carrying Each Other
Due to the treatment, it affected Louis. From the day we got married, Louis has walked as a spiritual leader over us and covered me. One of the saddest things for me was that he couldn’t walk in that role at this time. He couldn’t read or concentrate, and his words were all jumbled. So it was up to me.
Again, I heard Bruce’s voice: “When you’re going through difficult times, read the Psalms — they cover all kinds of emotions.” And I did that. Every night I’d read a Psalm for Louis and me; we would listen to worship songs and we would pray. Sometimes I read verses written in my journal.
This Testimony Is About God
I take nothing away from the medical team, our family and friends, and everyone who prayed for us. However, this whole journey is about Father God, Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of this journey, we were able to walk alongside others who were also walking this path. This is not about us — it’s about God.
Thank you for this opportunity. And I will end off with: BUT GOD.