Since he was diagnosed with a grade IV cancerous brain tumor last summer, Craig Farnsworth has been in “deep prayer mode.”

A Baha'i since 1970, he was already in the habit of praying every day. But it wasn’t until the “instant the universe shifted” with the diagnosis on July 19, 2007, he says, that his connection with God kicked in at a high level.

Readers on this website were introduced to Mr. Farnsworth last year when he was diagnosed with the tumor.

Most mornings, Mr. Farnsworth and his wife, Susanne Alexander, read the Baha'i long healing prayer aloud, alternating paragraphs. He also frequently turns to the short healing prayer and to a much-beloved prayer for spiritual growth to help him during this difficult time.


Susanne Alexander and Craig Farnsworth Mr. Farnsworth, who, with Ms. Alexander, directs the spiritually based Marriage Transformation Project in Cleveland, has one more round of chemo to go, unless tests show he needs more. He says his last MRI showed “no visible tumor regrowth,” so he’s now focusing on coping with the side effects of the chemo, radiation and three surgeries (two for infection).

Prayer, says Mr. Farnsworth, is one element in his Fact-Based Spirit-Guided Path, which he talks about on his blog. The plan consists of prayer, meditation and visualization; eating well, taking supplements and exercising; and welcoming the healing power of medication and focusing on maintaining an “excellent quality of life.”

Of all the components in his plan, Mr. Farnsworth says prayer is the anchor in the couple’s life. Ms. Alexander agrees, saying their morning prayers help them “detach from our worries and the myriad things we’re managing,” which included coping with the fact that Mr. Farnsworth’s son, in an unfortunate coincidence, was also being treated for a brain tumor. He’s now recovering, as well.

Although it has complicated their lives at times, the couple have continued their monthly prayer meetings at their home and added a spiritual study circle. Mr. Farnsworth missed the first study circle due to being in the hospital, but prayed for the group from a distance. The study circle has just completed a series of sessions focused on prayer, and Mr. Farnsworth was able to attend all of them.

Ms. Alexander says the gatherings, along with regular prayers, are “a relief and a release,” as well as a “healing connection with close friends.”