Prior to her annual physical three years ago, Elaine noticed a change in her neck. “Suddenly I didn’t have what is normal for me, a dent, but there was a lump there. The doctor first thought I was hypo-thyroid, but my blood results didn’t indicate that.” After an ultrasound showed nodules and numerous cysts, Elaine’s doctor scheduled a biopsy. “The doctor who did the biopsy looked through the camera and explained that he was taking cells, not fluid. He said if any fluid came out it would fill back up.” When the results of the test indicated that the cyst was not cancerous, Elaine wasn’t sure she wanted to undergo the operation to remove it. “My doctor first wanted me to see an endocrinologist, but it was a long wait, so I got into [see] an ear/nose/throat specialist.” In the days waiting for her appointment, Elaine became sick. “I had a fever for a couple days and my lymph nodes were hurting. I could tell the cyst was growing; it started to look like it went across all of my neck. I talked to the doctor, who said I needed to see a surgeon because it was pressing on my throat.”

Elaine’s appointment with a surgeon on July 2 resulted in her operation being scheduled for October. “The doctor said ‘if between now and then you can’t breathe, call me.’ I was scared, but I accepted it.” Weeks before her scheduled surgery, still living with the large mass in her neck, Elaine heard about an event at her parish, Church of the Resurrection in Lansing. “Father Carlos Martin was coming to give a talk, and then there would be a number of relics to pray with and venerate,” Elaine says. “We decided to go.”

“I didn’t necessarily go to the event with the intention of [healing] my neck,” Elaine remembers. “You’re there meeting the saints, all your friends. I was holding [a relic of] Matthew and praying for my son Matthew and holding St. Rose and praying for my daughter Rose and all the namesakes of my children.  I was meandering, and I found St. Blaise and asked him to intercede for me and to ask God to heal the cyst on my throat.” It was a friend who was also at the event who made a suggestion. “She asked if I held St. Blaise against my throat. I said no, explaining that I’d held the relic in my hands.” Returning to the St. Blaise relic, Elaine held it against her throat, again praying for his intercession. 

Two weeks later on Oct. 1, Elaine noticed an immediate change upon waking up. “It felt like it wasn’t there. I looked in the mirror, and I couldn't believe it, and I wondered if it was totally gone or shrinking.” Upon notifying the doctor, Elaine was scheduled for a repeat ultrasound. “The woman asked me why I was there and I told her I’d had a 5cm cyst. She said, ‘look at this screen! I don’t see any! How many did you say you had?’” The ultrasound results were sent to Elaine’s doctor, who canceled her surgery and scheduled Elaine for a follow-up appointment. That appointment would bring Elaine’s first opportunity to give an account of her healing. “The doctor said, ‘I have absolutely no explanation for why it happened.’” Recounting the story, Elaine said her doctor, who was not a believer, was open to hearing about relics, the saints, and the healing power of Jesus. “She said I gave her a lot to think about and that she was going to think it through.” 

Since her healing, Elaine says she’s read more about St. Blaise, who she is confident interceded on her behalf. 

“I am very grateful,” Elaine says, “I give him credit.” She is also eager to share her good news of healing and of the power of prayer. Convinced that her healing points to the goodness of God, Elaine says, “I give my testimony to everyone.”