Believe Big Podcast

85 - Ben Abell - Stage 4 and Stable: Faith IS Strategy

• Ivelisse Page & Ben Abell • Season 3 • Episode 85

Share episode

In this episode, I have the privilege of welcoming my dear friend Ben Abell, a remarkable cancer thriver who has overcome stage 4 prostate cancer.

Ben’s journey is nothing short of inspiring, as he opens up about the challenges of his diagnosis and the incredible role faith, integrative medicine, and community support played in his healing. We discuss how mistletoe therapy, personalized nutrition, and prayer became pivotal in his recovery.

Ben also reflects on how his faith, anchored in scripture like Philippians 4:6-7, guided him through this life-changing experience. His story is one of resilience, hope, and purpose, offering profound insights for anyone navigating a cancer journey or supporting a loved one.

Don’t miss this uplifting conversation that will leave you inspired to BELIEVE BIG in your own life!

Suggested Resource Links:


Your donations power our podcast's mission to support cancer patients with hope, insights, and resources. Every contribution fuels our ability to uplift and empower. Join us in making a lasting impact. Donate now! 🌟

Ivelisse Page:

Hi, I'm Ivelisse Page, and thanks for listening to the Believe Big podcast, the show where we take a deep dive into your healing with health experts, integrative practitioners, biblical faith leaders, and cancer thrivers from around the globe. Welcome to today's episode on the Believe Big podcast. My name is Ivelisse Page, and I'm thankful to be with you today. I am so happy to have my friend Ben Abell as my guest on the podcast. Ben is a cancer thriver, having overcome stage 4 prostate cancer, and has been our Believe Big Story of Hope this year. He courageously spoke at our Believe Big dinner this past spring, and his story is featured on our website. I've invited Ben to join me today to talk about his cancer journey and give us an update. In his previous years, Ben has been an executive with Black and Decker and later heeded the call to become a pastor. He has recently transitioned off staff at Grace Fellowship Church after 27 years and currently serves as the director of Baltimore Prayer Circles and consults with Christian business owners on integrating faith, work, and life. Ben is also one of our faithful prayer team members that meets with Jimmy and myself on a bi weekly basis to specifically pray for the Believe Big Institute of Health. Ben lives in Baltimore with his beautiful wife, Laura, who he has been married to for 38 years. That's amazing. They have four kids and ten grandkids. Welcome to the show, Ben.

Ben Abell:

Thank you, Ivelisse. So glad to be here. It's an honor.

Ivelisse Page:

Well, we always like to start our podcast with our guest's favorite health tip. So do you have one to share with us today?

Ben Abell:

I do. I love that you do this. Uh, I want to dedicate it to my mom. Uh, she was 97 years old when she passed last October and her motto was keep moving. So, I remember her doing laps around her little tiny porch with her walker and then going out to the mailbox and getting her mail and coming back. And she just said that her entire life, keep moving.

Ivelisse Page:

Well, I believe that's why she did so well until her late nineties. I mean, that's incredible. Keep moving. I mean, that's fantastic. So Ben, can you start by sharing a little bit about your life before your cancer diagnosis? Like what was your daily routine like?

Ben Abell:

Yeah, I, uh, love to give you a little context first, if that's okay. About 25 years ago, I got connected to, uh, some of the writings of Dallas Willard, and some friends who were working with Dallas Willard, and he had a model, Vision, Intention, and Means, V I M, and I wanted to be more like the people that I was around that he was talking about. And so, it's an interesting question, uh, to ask ourselves. The same question that Jesus asked his first disciples is, What do you want? What are you seeking? And so when I answer that question, my vision and desire to become a more and more like Jesus. And I was, uh, desiring to be more joyful and kind and gracious. I may not have been all those things, you know, maybe 25 years ago. I hope I am a little bit more now. But what I saw is people who had a vision and intention and means. And so I reoriented my life, uh, about 25 years ago to saturate in the word, pray, worship for a significant amount of time in the morning, uh, be a part of community. And so that just actually continued on, all the way up to this journey. It continues even today, but so that I could know how to pastor, be with my family, be around Baltimore. Um, playing golf is something I love doing and exercise. So those are some of the things that was my routine before I got diagnosed.

Ivelisse Page:

Yeah. I love the work of Dallas Willard and I have been doing a certification program on being a spiritual director and the Soul Shepherding team, they actually use a lot of the Dallas Willard as a foundation of the work that they do and try and instill in their spiritual directors. And so, yeah, that VIM process is very powerful and walking through that is, you know, can be difficult to try and determine all those, but how great to have that in place so that you know what, you want for your future and for those around you. So that's incredible. At the Believe Big Dinner, you shared powerful moments from your diagnosis. And, you know, when you first received that news, what was your immediate reaction and how did you process it?

Ben Abell:

Well, yes, I got a phone call from my urologist. And when he said that I was in utter shock. Um, and to be honest, he was too. I was 62 at the time, I was healthy, I thought I was living a life, uh, a healthy life, style, and it was like, okay, how did this happen? Where did this come from? And he was surprised as well, and so, how did I process it? Laura and I came together, I called her right away, uh, we did a lot of praying. I didn't panic. I think a lot of what I just shared a minute ago was some foundation that was there for me as I was able to not panic. Uh, we prayed a lot and then we just started asking the Lord, okay, what, what do we do now? Where do we go? And I have to tell you, there was so many God orchestrated moments. and conversations with people that I was able to get an understanding of, okay, what are we dealing with here? There's one, one fellow in my neighborhood here that actually was been studying prostate cancer for 30 years. And I got a chance to spend time with him and get some understanding. And so that was, that was super helpful to process that. And so, yeah, it was, it was like, Whoa, where did this come from?

Ivelisse Page:

I think that is a common theme for so many. And you know, it's a shock because you're living your life. And in your words, you're saying, you know, I thought I was living a healthy lifestyle. Now, looking back, you know, what do you think contributed to it? Sometimes we don't even know or, you know, God doesn't reveal that to us. And I know sometimes it can take months or years till you really get to the bottom of that. But have you had some revelation as to why this could have occurred when you were living such a healthy lifestyle?

Ben Abell:

Well, it's interesting. After a connection with you all at Believe Big and beginning to understand a bit more, and I know we're going to talk more about that, hopefully, about integrative and what all of that is, I would say I didn't know what I didn't know and there were a lot of things in our, my, our lifestyle that when we, when I read the books, um, The Metabolic Approach to Cancer, I was able to identify, oh, here's some, things about our terrain, about our practices, about the food I'm eating that could have contributed to it. We, of course, we don't know at all. We can't pinpoint it necessarily, but yeah, I, I've learned a lot and I'm not gonna go back to where it was.

Ivelisse Page:

Yes, and you even, mentioned, you know, those are the physical sides, right? That, okay, sometimes we may know or sometimes we may not know what contributed, and there's so many aspects to healing and to health, whether from emotional and physical. And then you mentioned about praying and how your faith played a role. So how did it, how did your faith in Christ support you during the most difficult moments?

Ben Abell:

Yeah, it was significant. Laura and I had a theme verse that as we began to pray and began to seek the Lord and ask him, okay, what are the next steps? What do you want us to do? How do we move through this? What we were sensing is that because it was so aggressive, uh, it was stage four, nine out of 10, nine out of 10 on a Gleason scale. And that's what surprised urologists as well is like, this doesn't happen very often. So we said, okay, let's receive this trial, this test. So we had a theme verse. Um, it was Philippians 4:6-7 we'd spend time saturating in it, thinking about it, praying about it. Um, and it says, do not be anxious about anything. That's hard, that's hard to do when you've been diagnosed, right? But this is a promise from the Word of God. Do not be anxious about anything, even a prostate diagnosis. But in every situation, okay, by prayer and petition. So we were praying, but we were also petitioning to the Lord. What, what do we do next? Who do we talk to? And then this word that says with thanksgiving. So in the midst of all of this, he's asking us to give thanksgiving. Because one thing we do know about, our great God is that he turns all things to good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes. So, we knew he was going to turn it to good at somehow, but we didn't know in that moment. So, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Now, present your request to God. So we have a God that is, desiring to listen to us, just like our kids, right? When our kids come to us, how beautiful is that? They give us requests. And then this is what it says, and the peace of God, the shalom, the wholeness, which transcends all understanding, like it, you can't explain it. will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So that really just fed us for, and still is, you know, 23 months later that, that those verses have been deep for us. And those, a couple of other thoughts I just wanted to offer is that, that those who follow Jesus, we know from the scriptures, for us to become more and more like Jesus, um, He, He tells us that we're going to have trials. He said, we're going to have trials. And so we go through trials, we go through suffering. We say we want to be more like the Lord, but no, no, no, no. I don't particularly care for those. Right. Um, but, um, I love, I love this because Jesus understands suffering. Think about how much he had to suffer in order for us to get to be in relationship with him, going to the cross. And it says in Hebrews 12:2, it says for the, this is amazing, for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He saw us, and, and that's what brought him joy. So, How do we can have joy in the journey somehow? I want that too. But Jesus gave us that example as he was as he was going to the cross.

Autumn Hensley:

Hey podcast listeners. I hope you're enjoying today's episode with Ben Abell and finding our podcast encouraging and uplifting. Today is Giving Tuesday and we'd love for you to consider supporting cancer patients by helping us provide resources like this podcast. We can't do it without your generosity. Joining us is easy. Just text, BELIEVEBIG no spaces, to 53555 on your smartphone. That's BELIEVEBIG to 53555. Thank you for Believing Big with us. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Ivelisse Page:

That's beautiful. And I want to take a moment because we have people who follow Believe Big that come from all different backgrounds and maybe someone's listening today and may not even know what it means to follow Jesus. And this is all foreign and new to them. I think that's one of the biggest questions that our advocates get besides mistletoe is how do I overcome this fear? How do I face death in peace? And if anyone's listening right now and is at a point where they want to know more about what it means to follow Jesus, I would encourage you to call our office, 888 317 5850 and ask to speak to Jackie Guidera, who's the head of our Spiritual Leadership and Direction at Believe Big. And she'll pray with you and she'll give you some resources that can help you along this journey and give you peace. Uh, we have many people that are praying for our patients, but If you're just curious, what does it mean to follow Jesus? What does it mean to have peace in the midst of cancer? Then connect with us or even send us an email at info@believebig.org and we'll, we'll help you with that. And so Ben, you mentioned that, you know, you have an amazing, beautiful family and you have a support. So what advice would you give to someone who is listening today who has been recently diagnosed and are unsure or afraid of doing anything outside of the conventional methods and, and their family may not even be for it either. So how did you address those two things or what would you tell them?

Ben Abell:

Yeah, I would offer, and I didn't know what I didn't know either. Um, and so I understand. And then when I got connected to Believe Big, I got a different perspective. And I think that's helpful in these kind of moments, in these kind of events. So I, I would offer that, uh, before adding the complementary approach, if you're going to alongside conventional, it's important to get informed about what, what we don't know and what we do know. It's just not known in the broader public. So as a part of my journey, I did a lot of research. I had some time during my healing process connected with Believe Big, a couple of books. I mentioned one of them, Metabolic Approach to Cancer, and then also, Radical Hope were two exceptional books that helped me to go deeper and to get some confidence about complimentary care. When you have someone writing, uh, like Dr. Nasha, who's had literally thousands of patients and she's seen them go into remission, uh, through both complimentary and traditional. And then you have someone, Tracy White, writing a book called Radical Hope where she's experienced the same thing and the ten practices of folks who've gone into remission, I would offer that, uh, uh, an important part of it. A second thing I would say is, and I got this from Tracy. It was so helpful for me. I think it's one of the most important ones of the ten. Each ten is important, but having a reason to live. So, you know, as you said, I've got four kids, four amazing, kids who've married amazing people, 10 grandkids. I've got a lot to live for. Um, and so I just would offer, what is your reason to live and might there be a broadening of the scope of how you might create an environment, the greatest environment that you can for your healing and for your process of healing.

Ivelisse Page:

That's excellent. And, did you have people who were kind of, concerned that you weren't sticking just to the conventional or were they very supportive of what you were doing?

Ben Abell:

Well, like family members and maybe friends, I would say, again, they didn't understand it very much. And so as I was doing the research, I, I was very open and I shared, what I was finding, with them. And invited them into, into the process with me to engage. And so they started to be educated, um, and, testimonies, resources, and I just was able to help them come along with me in the process.

Ivelisse Page:

That's awesome. So what role has mistletoe therapy played and continue to play in your journey? And have there been any recent insights or changes in how you approach what you do now?

Ben Abell:

Yeah. Mistletoe was, I think, part, a significant part of the healing journey, and as I was able to get connected to a doctor who could administer that, the infusions early on, I think, were part of helping to stabilize the, the cancer. I, I, I suspect they were, have also been helpful in the radiation treatments. I had 33 rounds of treatments to my pelvic area and so that I believe was helpful as well. And, um, you know, every person who has cancer and every diagnosis, and every treatment plan needs to be different and every person is different. Everybody's metabolic terrain is different. And so I would say, what's helpful is if you can find an integrative complimentary doctor practitioner who specializes in the modality, they can walk with you, and make a tailor made plan for you with both mistletoe, maybe nutrition, uh, supplements, the things that you might need that are part of this other side of the healing journey.

Ivelisse Page:

Yes. And if anyone is interested in, in that, again, you can contact Believe Big, but also on our website, if you go to Resources, there's a tab for Integrative Practitioners. And we have vetted those who are, knowledgeable and know mistletoe therapy along with metabolic approach and, and just an integrative way of helping you through what you're, uh, conventional oncologist may be doing and can help you through this process so that you do have a great quality of life going through something that's difficult, not just quantity, but also quality. And that's where I see the complimentary side to shine. I see so much unneeded suffering when people are struggling with the side effects from chemotherapy and radiation, whether it's the nausea, the vomiting, the lack of sleep, the sores in their mouths, or whatever they may be dealing with. And there are things like mistletoe, high dose IV vitamin C, hyperbaric oxygen, so many things that can help the body to be able to heal well and to handle treatments that may be more rigorous on their body. So, you mentioned mistletoe therapy, but what would you say in your case, and like you said, every case is different, every person's story is different, what would you say are the top three things that you feel really helped you overcome a stage four diagnosis?

Ben Abell:

Yeah. Can I have four? The first one's prayer. And I know we have many faith traditions that listen to this and, I think we're all praying people. So prayer and inviting people to pray with you. I would say get informed. I said that already. It just opens up a whole additional healing space that maybe you didn't know about. Number three is engage an integrative expert, and that's where you all, again, at Believe Big, come, can come through. And at another granular level, it's being able to take the key labs, that will tell your unique story of your unique body so that you can get a unique treatment. And I think that's what I didn't know, and I'm so thankful that that's out there. And then fourth, I've, I've learned that about 80 percent of our healing journey is connected to our nutrition and food, and what we're taking in. So I also engaged the service of a nutritionist whose expertise was in cancer. And so that, that, those would be my top four, and I would do that all over again.

Ivelisse Page:

Fantastic. Yeah, those are, those are great ones. And did you work during your cancer treatments, Ben? And, and if so, how did you handle the demands of working while battling cancer?

Ben Abell:

I did, you know, I had surgery, so there was some healing time around the surgery. I think with what I was doing beforehand, and some of the supplements that were recommended by my integrative doctor, it all helped me to heal pretty quickly. And I was, I tried to get back up and just even walk on the treadmill or exercise a little bit a few weeks, even after, after the surgery. So I started to feel and still feel, felt great enough to, to be able to work. And now I feel really better than I've ever felt in my life because of, I think, the combination of all these things that we've talked about. I also stayed in this routine that we talked about a little bit before, prayer, saturating in the word, community, exercise, fun. I had a deeper perspective on life and was continuing to engage with the resources of Believe Big. Uh, if, if I could share anything with your audience, there are so many resources about nutrition and things that they can connect with that. It was, it just inspired me all along the way, and so that's how I was able to battle the demands of the, of the cancer, while I was working. And one resource like, um, learning how to breathe. You know, I love how Stacey, on her Food for Thought did the breathing podcast. And it just was so helpful, right in the middle of my time.

Ivelisse Page:

That's excellent. Yeah. If, if anyone would like to just learn some great information about nutrition along the cancer journey. And even if you just want in prevention, uh, like Ben was sharing, we have webinars called Food for Thought that happen once a month. And then we also have them all in a library on our website that you can go back and listen to ones that you'd like. So for example, how does sugar influence my cancer or is coffee okay? And, and she does an excellent job. They're short, they're like 30 minutes long and it's question and answer with nutrition experts in the cancer world. And so that'd be a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about nutrition and it's free. So all of our resources are free at Believe Big, and that's thankful to all of the supporters that give to Believe Big. We're 100 percent donor funded, and so when people give to Believe Big, they give free resources to patients like you, Ben, and others who would normally have to pay for all that. So we're just so grateful for those who support Believe Big and are a part of our family.

Ben Abell:

And I would just, I would offer just also, Ivelisse, that somebody gave years ago so that I could receive the goodness of the resources that you have. And so I would just encourage anyone listening, the return on investment is extremely high and it's worth sacrificing for others so that they can also be healed.

Ivelisse Page:

Yeah. Well, thank you for paying it forward. Now, if you could go back in time, you know, knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently at the start of your journey?

Ben Abell:

As I think about how I approached it initially, cause it was so aggressive and we decided to be aggressive with it. I'm not sure I'd do anything different at the start of the journey. I'd love to go back and just say that if I knew what I know now, I think my overall health and how to live a real healthy lifestyle and seeking the counsel and wisdom of integrative practitioners who just want to help people be more healthy, I would have loved to have done that. Would that have prevented me from getting prostate cancer? Again, as we said in the beginning I don't know but that I would, I would do that. Um, and I'm finding myself sharing with all my friends who don't have prostate cancer and wanting them to be as healthy as they possibly can.

Ivelisse Page:

That's great. So how has your experience shaped your view of the medical system and what changes as we, as we close this podcast, what changes would you like to see in cancer care moving forward?

Ben Abell:

Yeah, well for my case, the folks at Hopkins, I believe they saved my life because it was so aggressive through the hormone therapy, the surgery, radiation, uh, and, but that's not all that I needed in order to thrive and to hopefully heal in this journey. So I feel like I've become an ambassador and a galvanizer to guide people to see that there is more to the healing treatment plans that are at our disposal. So, what I would love to see is the traditional and the integrative complementary care come together as one. I know that is maybe hard to imagine, but It's really about the patients. It's about us getting well. And so, and understanding the root cause of why we are getting this cancer in the first place. And there are people who can help us to do that. And so, I would love to see more integration and bringing it together.

Ivelisse Page:

And that's what we are hoping to do with the future Believe Big Institute of Health and, you know, we're so grateful that you're a part of this team that's praying for the provision, for the land, for all the aspects of this facility to come into place where these things, as many people who are listening know is that all the things that are integrative from mistletoe to, uh, you know, IV therapies to all the things that we're doing, it's all completely out of pocket and many times it's not affordable to all. And so our hope and prayer is that the Believe Big Institute of Health will be a place where everyone can come of all ages regardless of their circumstances or finances. So similar to a St. Jude's, but of complimentary medicine, where people will find healing, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well, and a place of rest. And so we'll keep Believing Big for that. Keep praying for that. Yes. And, uh, Ben, I'm just so grateful for you taking the time today to share an update on your story and inspire those who are listening, giving them hope. Because I know there are people who are listening who weren't given very much hope or had a very dire diagnosis like you did. And to hear from someone who is on the other side of it, completely with no evidence of disease is miraculous to, to many. And that gives people to hope to keep moving forward, to take that next step in the healing and to never give up, because as you and I know, God continues to do what this world says is impossible. And we just need to continue to surrender, to pray, to rest in Him, and to allow Him to guide our steps. So thank you for your time and being willing to share with us today.

Ben Abell:

Thank you, Ivelisse. It's been an honor.

Ivelisse Page:

If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support our podcast, please subscribe and share it with others. Be sure to visit believebig. org to access the show notes and discover our bonus content. Thanks again and keep Believing Big!