In 2020, Todd Olund experienced severe headaches that made him miss work at his construction job.
After a few trips to the doctor, he was eventually diagnosed with leukemia. Prior to the diagnosis, Olund said he’d been running from God. He didn’t take the time to pray.
Olund told “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley on the program that will air at 9 p.m. Oct. 11 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “I had a problem, but I didn’t take the time to pray. At that point I was just in such great pain, and it was almost an accusing attitude that I had. That, ‘God, why do I have this? Take this away from me.’”
In a dark room with a wet rag over his eyes, Olund’s wife Anne came in and told him the diagnosis. In that moment, Todd experienced relief.
“Alright, now we know the problem,” Todd said. “Let’s go get it fixed. At that moment it was almost like God grabbed me and said, ‘Listen, my son, it’s time for you to listen to me.’”
Todd needed to meet with a hematology oncologist immediately. This is where Anne said they experienced the beauty of Christ’s miracles. While making an appointment, the receptionist made a call to a patient and explained that Todd needed to get in immediately. The patient on the other end of the phone said, “Give him my appointment.”
During this appointment, Todd and Anne realized the severity of Todd’s diagnosis. The doctors informed them that Todd would need to get his affairs in order. Todd immediately went into chemotherapy treatment.
Next week’s Oct. 18 “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Oct. 19 and 2 p.m. Oct. 20, will continue Todd’s story of healing and faith.
The program that airs Oct. 11 also includes a discussion with Katie Steiner on how to remain genuine in faith in the workplace. Also, Lacy Apfelbeck with Edge of the Red Sea Ministries and talks about efforts to help those suffering from mental health issues.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
