A Journey Through Cancer and Miraculous Faith

Discovering that true survival requires a faith that defies all human reason

What do you do when your absolute worst-case scenario becomes your reality? For years, Dr Shaun McCarthy lived a life of perceived invincibility, navigating demanding careers in special forces and intelligence while keeping God at a comfortable distance.

He reasoned there would be time for religion when he was older. But that timeline was shattered; first by an unexpected diagnosis in Dubai and later by the very disease Shaun feared most.

This is a story of two diagnoses, the limits of human logic, and the profound realization that God doesn’t just help us avoid our fears; He gives us the strength to walk through them and emerge transformed on the other side.

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Towards the end of 2010 Danielle and I had returned to Dubai from living on Northern Cyprus. After working for an international strategy consultancy, I was intent on starting my own strategy and scenario advisory. Danielle was on a short trip back to see her family in South Africa. Before she left, scheduled a medical checkup for me. I attended very reluctantly. I am a male after all. So, I was very shocked when unexpectedly, three days later, the doctor called to advise that my PSA (prostate antigen) reading was alarmingly abnormal. He recommended a visit to an oncologist at the Dubai Medical City where I was subsequently diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. 

The Call That Changed Everything

The timing of this news could not have happened at a more precarious and inconvenient time. I was technically unemployed, facing no health insurance and about to launch us into the uncertainty of starting a business in one of the cities of the world where you cannot be without a high income.

I was born and raised a Catholic and had the blessing of two wonderful devout and God-honouring parents. My father worked away from home to be able to afford the expensive private school fees to send my elder brother and myself to Christian Brother’s College. I admire and remain grateful to my parents’ sacrifices to afford sending us to this (overrated and selective) school. Sadly, the establishment did very little to equip us for the real world and nothing apart from Catholic rituals, to enhance my Christian education and belief. 

Inevitably, as soon as I had left high school I rebelled and drifted. I was young and fit and as I commenced my first stages of a rather exciting and physically demanding career in law enforcement, special forces and then the intelligence service, I felt invincible. I was too busy for God. Of course I had occasional pangs of guilt along the way, but I was busy and reasoned that there would be time enough for God and religion when I was older. Exacerbating my arrogance was the exposure I had as an intelligence officer to the political agenda of the Catholic Church and its liberation theology. With disdain I grew even more distant from church.

My stance on faith and Christianity was rudely shattered when I received that call from the doctor. I was in a state of despair, even panic. Danielle was still in SA at the time and I felt desperate, scared and alone. For the first time since I was an altar-boy I sank to my knees and pleaded with God to forgive my neglect, my sins and my total hypocrisy! I felt awful. I wondered if He would even hear me, and forgive me, because I was now only turning to him as I was in trouble. 

For anyone who has ever experienced that similar deep seated shame and self-loathing for being soo hypocritical, all I can offer is it must have been the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit in my sub-conscious at an early age, which gave me a smallest sliver of hope that God would hear me and have mercy for me. In Corinthians 13 it says … ‘faith brings us to Christ. Love is how we can get closest to imitating Him’. Something deep down told me I was able to trust that I could turn to Jesus, as totally undeserving as I was, remembering the story of the prodigal son. 

A Prodigal’s Return

The Bible says one should not bargain with God. But of course, that is exactly what I did! I tried to bargain with God. I promised to pray again, daily, to find a church and attend worship, and to forego my sinful ways. 

I used to drop Danielle at the local interdenominational church in Jebel Ali, (Dubai) but I habitually declined her invitation to come along. I had developed a resistance to what I referred to as formulaic worship. But now I had promised God I would go to church. Knowing that I was a total hypocrite really held me back. Danielle convinced me that the church doors are always open to hypocrites and sinners. And so, I started to accompany her to church.  

 A few weeks later, my former CEO, advised that my former company would continue to provide me some medical insurance cover for a few more months. And then, at around the same time one Sunday morning the Pastor stopped by to say hello to Danielle and myself just a few minutes before the service commenced. He did not really know us and he was unaware of my situation. While reading out some notices he said that;

“A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He is also unemployed. Well you can imagine how happy I am for him today as I have learned that he has been offered a great job and that he will also get free treatment for his condition!” It struck uncannily home and the hair on the back of my neck tingled, as did my arms. Danielle and I instinctively looked at each other. We felt this was a message to us from the Holy Spirit!

It was a few days later and Danielle’s mother, a follower of Jesus was reading her bible. She fumbled, dropped it and it fell face down on the floor. When she retrieved it, she noticed it had fallen open in the book of Isaiah. Glancing at it, she was drawn to verse 57:19 which reads ‘Peace, peace to him both near and far, for I shall heal them both.

My mother- in law was praying for me as well as another gentleman who was ill. She believed this was no coincidence and a definitive message from the Holy Spirit for both him and me.

Some days later I received an email from my former company asking me to facilitate an inaugural workshop for a new client organisation in Geneva. I agreed. Mid- way through the proceedings the CEO walked over and thanked me for my assistance and time. He then said ‘Shaun, I am so glad you decided to join us’. I said it was a pleasure and no big inconvenience as my former company were paying. He said, “no, I do not mean here in Geneva, but for you to join the ICSS.” I was taken aback as he was thanking me for joining his new company! 

We moved from Dubai to Qatar in January 2011. I had a concern that my cancer treatment would be disrupted. However the Dubai oncologist reassured me and said that in fact the Oncology Department at Doha Al Amal hospital trained the Dubai oncologists! Attending my first session at the Al Amal Centre, I asked them how much treatment was going to cost and God delivered again! In Qatar my medical treatment was absolutely free because of our residence permits! 

So not only did the good, gracious Lord provide highly remunerating employment, He also provided healing through the skilful hands of the medical professionals and at no cost! Thanks be to God, I was healed and declared in remission.

Signs, Wonders, and Open Doors

Needless to say my gratitude started to wane a few years later as my very busy work life overtook all else!, sadly, my rekindled faith started to cool down.

There was a tremendous level of stress associated with my job and frequent interactions with colleagues who were not Christian believers. In all these incidents and challenges, God heard my prayers and helped me overcome.

I retired in 2018, and it was not too soon as my stress levels were off the charts. But life had more curve balls on the way. 

Before I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, my mother had died in 2008 from aggressive pancreatic cancer. She passed away after terrible suffering and it was deeply upsetting to witness. So much so, that it became my biggest fear. I frequently prayed to God and asked Him to please never let me be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

On the 17th March 2021 I turned yellow almost overnight. I effectively glowed in the dark. I had a telephone call on the day with my GP who told me that my latest blood test results were a cause for concern. He swiftly scheduled an endoscopy. I recall returning to consciousness after the procedure and to my horror looking right at the tv monitor and saw a black mass in my body. The consultant was kind but confirmed that there was a mass at the head of my pancreas and immediately referred me to an oncologist. Needless to say I was stunned, mortified and above all almost despaired because after all my prayers, my pleas to God, He had put this right in front of me! My biggest fear had now become a mortifying reality. 

Facing My Greatest Fear

The next few weeks were a blur and, despite my disappointment in God, all I could do was to pray even more. Of course many other saints also prayed and interceded on our behalf. In April I was interviewed by a specialist oncologist surgeon at Southampton University Hospital. It was not a given that I was a candidate for surgery, as the surgeon needed to evaluate my condition, stamina, fitness levels, before he would make a decision. 

God is good and the surgeon agreed to operate and a date was set for 1 June. We were in the middle of Covid and the restrictions meant that Danielle had to drop me off outside the hospital the day before my scheduled surgery and she could only collect me from the hospital when I had been discharged, almost three weeks later.

I recall praying in earnest during in the weeks, days and hours before the surgery. On the Thursday before the operation, Steve Blaber and Thomas Bishop and Danielle prayed over me in our garden and Steve anointed me with oil. 

On the day of the surgery the operation almost did not go ahead. Mr Hamady, the God appointed surgeon, refused to commence, firstly because my glucose levels were way too high. They were hovering around 21, and he would only operate if these were below 11. I remember praying to the Lord for them to subside. When my glucose levels reached the acceptable level, Mr Hamady then had a problem with my blood pressure which he said was too high. Naturally, it was due to my stress levels. I remember lying on the gurney in the operating theatre ante-room where the anaesthetist, a very kind young man, did his utmost to try and bring my blood pressure down. I do recall asking him to just start to put me under or inject me with a sedative as I was convinced only then would my blood pressure drop. 

I woke up some ten hours later as the recovery ward staff coaxed me back to consciousness. I had no inkling of the time, whether it was day or night, and I was totally woozy for hours. The following day, Mr Hamady with a team of accompanying surgeons and the anaesthetist, came to my bedside. He informed me that the surgery was a great success and that he had removed a good portion of my pancreas, my gall bladder and a sizeable chunk and ulcerative sections of the duodenum and upper colon, and a few other ‘unnecessary’ organs. I was relieved that he considered my heart and lungs as still necessary 😊

Recovery in hospital took about two and a half weeks after that before I was allowed to go home, but only after I could prove that I was able to climb one flight of stairs unaided. 

Having lots of time on my hands while lying in hospital, I had time to reflect and at first kept asking myself why God had not heeded my prayers to not let me fall ill to pancreatic cancer, like my mother. I must admit that this had been my greatest fear! I have faced lots of life threatening situations in my early career, but this, a terrible way to die, was definitely not the way I ever wanted to go! Why, then did God not listen? I know I am a sinner, but Lord I have repented, many times, and yet?  At first I believed that I must have messed up really badly for Him to punish me like this. But then the answer came to me — a loud and clear voice in my head. ‘I know this was your biggest fear, but like death, you only have to die to conquer it. And, I allowed you to develop pancreatic cancer so that you could not only face your biggest fear, but overcome it through faith in me!’ 

The Operating Table and the Audible Voice

A few weeks after the surgery I had to start a gruelling cocktail of chemotherapy. This was scheduled for twelve sessions as a precautionary measure to minimise any possible spread into the lymph nodes. I managed three and then informed the oncologist that it would not be the pancreatic cancer that would kill me, but the chemo. It did inflict a severe toll on my physical and mental equilibrium and so both the oncologist and myself concurred that it would be better for me to stop after three rounds. 

Faith Beyond Reason

There are remnant side effects, Diabetes Type 1 and now, myeloma, (a form of blood cancer), but these are small prices to pay for the fact that it is by God’s grace, mercy and compassion, that through the skilful hands of the surgeons, guided, I am sure by my heavenly Father, and through the dedication of unsung heroes in the NHS and my local GP and the pharmacy, that I am able to lead a relatively healthy life. 

Many a time I thought about the odds. The medical fraternity will tell anyone with pancreatic cancer less than 7% of people diagnosed are operable, and the percentage of patients who survive longer than five years after such an operation, is even smaller. So when I thought about it, my mind, my reason, would assail my belief, my faith. 

This is the crux of what I learned about faith. The Holy Spirit helps one to believe and have faith. If we try to apply reason over trust or hope, attaining faith is all the more difficult. One must simply believe beyond all odds, all reason. And, God is beyond all of that. 

On the 16^th March this year (2026) I had my fifth annual CT scan to monitor my situation and praise be to God, and thank to all the Saints who have prayed for me so diligently, I am still waiting for the results. Nevertheless, I am humbled to say in faith that God has healed me from pancreatic cancer. 

I know that everyone who has a life threatening disease or illness suffers with their own unique physical, mental and emotional challenges. We are all different. But God, well, He is faithful, compassionate and merciful. We can overcome our biggest fears, not through our own abilities, but only through our faith in Him. 

Faith is a gift from the Holy Spirit. It overcomes reason. 

Praise be to God. 

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