PAUL Ryan is living proof that through prayer, anything even surviving six malignant cancer tumours, is possible.
In 2002 the then 33-year-old principal of Sacred Heart Primary School, Boggabri collapsed while going for a run.
Alone but only 500 metres from his house, Paul crawled back home on his hands and knees to get help.
He was admitted to Tamworth Hospital where doctors found a shadow on his stomach.
He had a gastro-intestinal stromal tumour, or GIST, measuring 16 and-a-half centimeters developing on his stomach wall.
He was given three months to live and confronted by the prospect of leaving wife Louise and their first-born daughter.
“Through this I never lost my faith,” he said.
He turned to the “Catholic prayer network” of friends, family, and colleagues.
“I still believed that through prayer I could get through it,” he said.
Prayers along with a successful surgery worked to remove the cancer.
Paul was free of the cancer for five years before the GIST reoccurred in 2007, doubled in 2008, and appeared again in 2009.
Specialists eventually put Paul on Glivec, a government funded drug that “keeps the cancer at bay” and it has not reoccurred to date.
During these seven years, Paul showed no sign of stopping in his career as a faith-leader for Catholic children, working as the principal at St Mary’s Catholic School, Goondiwindi through the reoccurrences.
“Despite all I still maintained my job and career in educating children and guiding teachers,” he said.
Paul helped make St Mary’s “the school of choice in Goondiwindi” by doubling their staff and increasing their school attendance from 200 to 400.
He and wife also welcomed in their second child Jack, whom Paul described as “nothing short of a miracle”.
“After my first diagnosis, the doctors said we couldn’t have any more children.
“But a year later, Jack arrived.
“I continued to defy the odds.”
Paul’s prayer life kept growing stronger until he and wife Louise were rocked in June last year.
“Last year in June, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 43 years old,” he said.
“It rocked me and my wife, and drove us into a dark place.
“I even struggled with going to Mass.
“I couldn’t fathom what God was doing.”
Paul said his work as Principal for St Anthony’s School, Toowoomba, which he had started the year he was diagnosed, kept him connected to the Mass.
“I’m leading people on a faith journey, and I’m a role mode in living a Christ-like life,” he said.
“But I felt like a phony because my internal faith system had collapsed.”
He said his marriage also went into “the depth’s of despair” when faced with the possibility of Paul dying.
Paul, who had grown up in a strong Catholic family in Laidley, 83km west of Brisbane, said prayers, especially children’s prayers, were “a great comfort”.
“Hundreds of children from several schools were praying for me,” he said.
“I’m a strong believer in children’s prayers.
“It’s good for children to know that God is listening.”
Paul let his own children touch his scars “so they know there’s not anything to be scared about”.
“Their touch was part of my healing,” he said.
Ten months and one surgery later, Paul, now 45, is cancer free.
“On the faith aspect, it’s been a tough journey – I struggled with faith and the journey of returning,” he said.
“But it has strengthened my faith, I’m in a much stronger position now.”
Earlier this month Pope Francis said in his early morning Mass homily that it’s okay to fight with God, hold him to His promise, but remembering His love.
It’s precisely how Paul has spoken to God in dealing with his latest cancer scare.
“Basically, through prayer, anything is possible,” he said.
“It’s important to have a conversation with God and develop a relationship with God.
“For the last 10 months on the other side of cancer, Louise can see I won’t die.
“That saying, ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ is true in my life.
“I’m probably a better bloke because of cancer.
“It helps you to internalise things, and to reflect on how I am as a husband, a father, and a principal.
“It makes you reevaluate what’s important.”
Paul said he could see the value of being a principal as a great service to the faith community in Toowoomba.
“Catholic primary schools are the only opportunity to engage children and families in the Catholic traditions, especially if they don’t get to Mass on the weekend,” he said.
“It’s the time where they have a reception for the whole faith and traditions.
“We need to engage them in a relationship with Christ.”
Living through his sixth cancer diagnosis, Paul is now on a journey to find out from God why he’s still alive and the mission God is asking him to take on.
“I don’t know yet whether I’ve recognised it,” he said.
“If I’m still here after six near-death experiences, do I have three more lives?
“Is there a greater purpose for my life, or is it simply being the best principal, husband, and father I can?”
“Through faith, I’ll leave it to God’s divine providence.”
