The Man Who Cheated Death By Michael Bain

Albert Edward Bain died in August 2004,

which wasn’t unusual for a man of eighty-five.

But he had gone through so many encounters

with death that he practically cheated death

many times, including stomach cancer,

chemotherapy, torpedo attacks, bladder cancer

and all the side effects of

all of them.

In 1989, Albert was

diagnosed with stomach

cancer, which kills 95%

of people with stage four

stomach cancer, and his

doctor told him to put his

affairs in order, as he

only had 6 months to live.

Seeking a second

opinion, he found a

surgeon who was willing

to operate, but the cancer

had spread, and he lost

the beginning of his

small intestine as well as

two-thirds of his stomach.

Still not giving up,

Albert was treated by

oral chemotherapy and

had to repeatedly take foul tasting toxic

chemicals which made him violently ill, and

made him vomit frequently.

Amazingly he survived through this ordeal, but

he had an extremely small stomach from the

surgery, and was forced to eat meals in small

portions and frequently. Missing bits of his

intestine made him unable to process iron from

food and had to take supplements, as well as

vitamin B injections.

But Albert still did not give up. It was so

tempting to just let it all go, but he kept on

fighting everything that was against him. His

wife, Rona would make new foods each day to

help him to eat. It got so bad that it came to the

point where if his body weight dropped below a

certain point then he

would die. This went on

for the rest of his life.

In midst of all of the

cancer and stomach

problems, his love for

music never ended. He

taught students of all ages

and taught well until his

later ages, but never lost

his passion and his love

for music.

Albert’s old aged years

were not his only years

which tested his

determination and courage.

In 1981, he had a bladder

tumor removed the size of

a cauliflower.

Also during World War II,

whilst serving HMAS

Australia in the Pacific Ocean, an enemy

torpedo hit the ship but failed to explode,

sparing him and many others, their lives. He

then went on to walk through the ash and debris

of Hiroshima, three days after the famous bomb

which killed many.

Albert Bain was a very brave man, and lived

through times that would bring despair and

hopelessness to many, but lived on and enjoyed

life and battled on against the odds.