Resilience is “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.” However, resilience is not short-term, nor does it happen quickly. For us, Sathya Sai Baba’s glorious drama placed us squarely into the fire of two major life crises. Events were about to unfold that would permanently change our lives and expand our consciousness and hearts in a way beyond our comprehension. In retrospect, events that appeared tragic, frightening, and overwhelming served to grind our lives into dust and shift us into a new paradigm. Thus, Baba set the stage for us to hear His call.
In March 1999, my husband Stan and I were skiing in Vail, Colorado. Stan, a physician practicing internal medicine, was attending a continuing medical education course. Unfortunately, he felt he was getting the flu while we were there. Flu-like symptoms, combined with specific physical changes in his body, were a red flag that something serious was happening.
The First Test for Stan
After a complete checkup when we returned home, we were shocked to learn Stan had Stage 4 colon cancer with metastases to the liver. Following major surgery, the prognosis was still very poor. We became vegetarians, started daily meditation, and tried to eliminate as much stress as possible. During the next two years, Stan received ongoing chemotherapy. He looked great. He exercised regularly and worked full-time in the office and at the hospitals. We thought we had dodged a bullet.
“He gives everyone the strength to hang on, to have resilience over time, and the vision to see all of life’s dramas as merely passing clouds.”
But during a routine checkup in January 2001, five tumors were discovered in his lungs. Only experimental trial chemotherapy was offered as treatment. He might survive nine months with chemotherapy but become very sick during treatment. Without chemotherapy, he might live just two months. The thoracic surgeon stated he could easily remove the tumors as they were peripheral. Stan thought he probably had micro-seeding throughout his body and did not want to go through the pain of surgery.
With death knocking at the door, I earnestly prayed to God for help and guidance. We were directed to an institute in Puerto Rico to learn about a diet of raw, vegetable foods. We would later learn it was the Sattvic diet that Baba recommends. We also attended a conference where Carolyn Myss, author, lecturer, and medical intuitive, spoke. [We would eventually learn she is a Sai devotee].
During a break, while browsing through books on various topics, my intuition directed me to Dr. Sandweiss’ book, ‘The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist.’ While reading this book in a hotel room, I smelled a distinct, smoky scent. Later, I would learn it was the smell of Vibhuti. We were struck by the same familiar scent when we returned home and entered our house! These experiences prompted me to order more books about Baba and visit the Pittsburgh Sai Center in Pennsylvania. After speaking with Dr. Brahma Sharma, the Center president at the time, we were convinced Baba was calling us. I thought we should go to see Baba in India immediately. Surely, He could perform surgery and remove these tumors, or cancel cancer, as He had done for others we read about. Dr. Sharma assured us that Baba works through doctors and advised us to have the tumors removed in Pittsburgh; we should then go to the ashram. After only eight weeks on the raw diet, the PET (positron emission tomography) scan showed one tumor had almost disappeared, and the other four showed less image intensity on the PET scan! Stan felt confident his body was no longer prone to cancer and decided to have the tumors surgically removed.
We Meet the Divine ‘Director’
The surgery was done in May 2001, and we had our first Darshan in August 2001. Our family witnessed numerous miracles during our visit, convincing us Baba was indeed God. He was ours, and we were His. We completely surrendered our lives to Baba. Our beloved Swami canceled cancer, which was a pending death sentence. Stan remains in excellent health today by His Grace, full of energy and vitality at 80!
The Pittsburgh Sai Center literally became our home. It was the framework and focus of our lives until 2016 when Baba guided us to relocate to the mountains in western North Carolina. Our greatest joy during those years was the blessing of our Sai family.
Shortly after we moved in the fall of 2016, our mountaintop residence became the home of the Asheville Sai Center. In November 2017, Stan and I were scheduled to speak at the Atlanta Sai Center. Days before the occasion, Baba had a change of plans. Once again, the Divine Director raised the curtain for a new drama to unfold like no other we could have ever fathomed. This crisis was a test–it was also every parent’s worst nightmare.
The Second Test Involves Our Son, Matt
It was 10 pm. Stan and I were in bed reading when the phone rang. Our youngest son, Dane, was calling from California, where he and his older brother Matthew (Matt) lived. “Mom, Dad! Matt had a surfing accident. He has a spinal cord injury and is paralyzed from the neck down. He is going into surgery in the next ten minutes.” Time stopped for me. Stan kept asking for details. “Where is he? Who is the surgeon, and what are his credentials?” I wanted to get on the next flight, but it was impossible. There were no flights to San Francisco until the next morning. As my eyes filled with tears and my anxiety began to rise rapidly, Stan stayed calm. His demeanor was steady and composed. He told me, “If I can get through metastatic cancer and survive, we will all get through this. It is all part of Baba’s play, and I assure you, everything will be okay, Jayne. There is a reason for this too.”
When we arrived the next day at the UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) hospital, the “Harvard of the West,” we would learn in detail what had happened to our son. The documentary on the event, made some years later, does not even begin to capture the many miracles that took place with Baba’s perfect timing! Matthew was surfing in the Pacific Ocean late afternoon on an overcast day. His last memory was floating face down in the ocean. He couldn’t move his body. He was completely paralyzed. Realizing he was going to die, he screamed at the ocean for help. Matt described the incident, saying, “The movie stopped, and then there was darkness.” From the shore, a surfer from Australia eventually spotted what he thought was a garbage bag floating on the ocean. He swam a distance to retrieve it, only to discover what appeared to be a dead body.
This stranger who rescued Matt was tall, physically fit, and had the strength to pull Matt’s 6’4” body of dead weight to the shore. A Stanford-trained nurse “happened” to be on the beach, who quickly performed CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). Another nurse called an ambulance. Further down the shoreline, a Stanford-trained physician, who had not planned to go surfing that day, saw the commotion, ran to help, and took over to perform CPR. It appeared at that time Matt had been dead for 10 minutes, for he was pulseless, ashen grey as a corpse, and lifeless. CPR continued for at least an additional 15 minutes; just as the EMT service arrived and were about to use the defibrillator, a pulse was detected as he coughed up all the water in his lungs. He was transported to the hospital, where he was found to be a quadriplegic secondary due to a severe cervical spinal cord injury. By Swami’s grace, he had a neurosurgical procedure within 3 hours. Furthermore, he happened to have the good fortune to be the first person to benefit from a new interventional procedure based on animal research that subsequently become part of the standard of care in treating such injuries.
When we walked into the intensive care unit the day after the surgery, though Matt was smiling and laughing, he was completely paralyzed. Many friends and colleagues surrounded him, and I found it challenging to get to his bed. Our son was in excruciating pain. He described the sensation as though his body was burning and a truck was sitting on his chest. The only place we could touch him was on the top of his head or his shoulder.
Living in Bliss Through Life’s Challenges
Surprisingly, Matt was joyous throughout the weeks he spent in intensive care. This spirit of joy continued throughout the following weeks of rehabilitation therapy. The doctors told us he would walk again, perhaps in six or seven months. They were optimistic because the spinal cord had not been severed. Two weeks after the accident, as Matt sat in a wheelchair like a rag doll, barely able to hold a spoon, he said, “Mom, I am going to walk out of here.” I wanted to believe him desperately, but his appearance told me it wasn’t likely.
He had been an elite athlete before the accident. Matt received a Jeep Chrysler award for skiing and also won an Iron Man Triathlon while in medical school. He had just completed his residency at Stanford and was working as an Emergency Room (ER) physician. He previously worked one shift at the hospital, where he was now a patient. Matt knew the human body well and was determined to recover fully from his back injury. He worked hard while going through physiotherapy, determined to walk out. He was also an artist, so he converted his hospital room into an art studio. His relentless determination, combined with his joyous spirit, was an inspiration to all. The accident happened on November 17. Matt walked out of the hospital on crutches six weeks later!
During physical therapy over the next year, Matt told Stan and me that the happiest time in his life was when he was completely paralyzed. He saw himself in the middle of a web of love. Everyone was connected to him and each other. He described himself as being in a state of ‘bliss,’ a word that was not common in his vocabulary. Matt had a high IQ before the accident; after that, his IQ was even higher!
“Resilience had quietly and gently woven itself into the fabric of our lives, a serene acceptance of things that happen as ordained by God for our ultimate good."
Matt continued to paint over the next year. His paintings sold in galleries on the West Coast for thousands of dollars, which generated income until he could return to practicing medicine. In less than one year after his brush with death, Matt returned to work as an ER physician.
Swami’s Grace Overcomes All Adversities
Immediately following the accident, we were by Matt’s side every day. I observed I had not cried about our son’s tragedy. I asked Stan if I could be in shock because I wasn’t feeling anything but complete happiness with every slight improvement Matt had made. Stan said he felt exactly the same way–centered, peaceful, and filled with joy with each minor sign of progress. It was clear that Baba’s Grace had removed all our fear and worry.
The following days, weeks, and months were filled with more miracles. Baba made His love and presence known to us in a heightened state of Constant Integrated Awareness. Resilience had quietly and gently woven itself into the fabric of our lives, a serene acceptance of things that happen as ordained by God for our ultimate good.
I have reflected upon a quote from Swami that spoke to us so eloquently, “I will take everything from you until you want nothing but me.” These two significant crises we experienced felt like we were losing everything, including precious life itself, with Stan two months away from death and the near-death drowning of our son. Without Swami’s Grace, the outcome of these events would have been entirely different and for the worst. These dramatic miracles, combined with a life filled with peace, joy, and laughter no matter what appears to be happening, are cherished gifts He has given us.
Surrender Only to God
Part of resilience is knowing we are never alone. Baba is our nearest and dearest friend. He knows our soul, and tests are inevitable to measure our progress. We navigated these difficult situations with faith, perseverance, and the security of Baba’s love. He gave us signs of His presence along the way, from dreams and physical manifestations to synchronistic events and appearances of angels in the sky. The challenges became less daunting, knowing we were actors on the stage of His divine drama. What appears to be real is an illusion. With complete surrender and a lifetime commitment to our beloved Baba, He gives everyone the strength to hang on, to have resilience over time, and the vision to see all of life’s dramas as merely passing clouds.
Mrs. Jayne Wetschler
USA
Mrs. Jayne Wetschler is an interior designer by profession who has served as an SSE Teacher, Service Coordinator, Vice-President, and President at the Pittsburgh Sai Center, USA, spanning 15 years. Her deep interest in spirituality, nutrition, and the interconnection of the body, mind, and spirit has shifted her focus from designing home interiors to redesigning one’s ‘inner ‘space.’ Along with her husband, Dr. Stan Wetschler, she conducts Health and Wellness Programs and Workshops for people of all ages, especially cancer patients.
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First published in Eternal Companion Vol. 2, Iss. 4