Medical miracle

What one notices about Audrey Horner Toguchi, even in a speck-in-time telephone chat, is her humor. Her love of life. Of ohana. Of God.

This is, after all, the Hawaii woman whose medical miracle defied nature’s usual way and helped make a saint. As in St. Damien, the renowned minister of hope and prayer to those afflicted with Hansen’s disease in the quarantine colony of Kalaupapa, Molokai.

"I wake up and thank God every single day," says the 83-year-old Aiea resident, long retired from teaching after 44 years in Hawaii’s public schools. "Whenever I hear all the good news that are coming from people, I just thank Him."

Approaching this first day of a new year, another annual milestone that she wasn’t supposed to see, Toguchi reflected on her life’s journey so far.

"All through my life, I put my problems in the hands of God," she said. "In the case of Father Damien, there was a lot of trust there. And when there’s a lot of trust, you’re at peace."

When tumors in her body were diagnosed with a "rare, aggressive" cancer in fall 1998, and Toguchi was given just months to live, her uppermost concern was for her two sons: "I know my husband would have done very well (with the boys without her) but I didn’t want him to struggle along and get all stressed out."

She decided against chemotherapy and instead, prayed devoutly to Father Damien, in whom she had continually put her faith over the years, touched by his selfless work with those banished to Kalaupapa in the late-1800s because of societal fears over their disease.

Surprisingly, month by month, the cancer in Toguchi’s tumors shrank. And when it was gone, Toguchi recalled, her "terrific" doctor, Walter Y.M. Chang, exclaimed in disbelief: "Man! What did you do?"

As it would turn out, her medical miracle would be vetted thoroughly by the highest powers from Rome’s Catholic Church to become the second of two confirmed miracles toward Damien’s sainthood in 2009.

As unique as parts of her life have been, Toguchi doesn’t dwell on the past. In fact, more than once in the conversation, she conveyed the need to look to the future. And to help others keep the faith, especially if they’re dealing with bad news.

"These people who are so affected and nervous," she said. "That’s why now, I offer to them, as best as I can, to be positive in their outlook. And then I put them in the group prayers that we conduct" weekly at her church. "Because of what I went through, I can understand their pain, both psychologically and physically."

"I tell them, look forward, don’t look back. And trust in our loving father, and prayers, and keep a positive attitude."

Though few things vanish as miraculously as her cancer, Toguchi said, "I listen to them, tell them everything’s going to be all right. If your brain, your mind, is in the right place, then peace will follow."

Especially during the bustling holidays, Toguchi can relate to the stresses and pressures of the season. "Before, I used to be busy doing this, busy doing that; you have very little time to meditate. But when you’ve been through something like this, you have a lot of time to meditate and think about your values."

Asked how she’s feeling today, she said emphatically: "Just like everybody else: Great."

She and her husband, Yukio, are immersing themselves in the spirit of the holidays — and it’s all about family. Some 40 relatives are expected to gather today, as usual, to celebrate the new year, ages ranging "all the way from 2 to 88."

Toguchi, like many others around, handles the day-to-day with humor, practicality and grace. Years ago, facing shortened life and almost certain death, she chose a path that, against all odds, was right for her — though, she said firmly, "You don’t impose yourself on other people; that’s not right."

There’s little doubt, though, that faith can be a powerful thing. A pure, personal belief that served to sustain one person, somehow grew to become a symbol of hope to many throughout the world.

"I hope everybody has a Happy New Year, that they’ll all get good news, instead of not-so-good news," Toguchi said. "Any kind of good news — psychologically, physically. You just want peace in this world, so that people will be able to function positively."