Doctor Explains Why He Believes Angels Are Among Us, sharing cases where faith, medicine and unexpected human help intersected.
Doctor Explains Why He Believes Angels Are Among Us, as veteran physician Dr. Marc Siegel shares extraordinary medical cases that shaped his view of faith, healing and the people who appear when patients need help most.
Siegel, a physician and medical professor, explores the relationship between spirituality and modern medicine in his upcoming book, The Angels Among Us. He argues that the word “angels” can describe not only spiritual beings but also ordinary people whose actions can have an extraordinary impact on someone’s life.
Doctor Connects Faith and Medicine
Siegel says his years working with seriously ill patients have convinced him that medicine and spirituality do not necessarily have to be viewed as opposing explanations.
His perspective is based on cases he has encountered during his medical career, along with stories from patients and families who described unexpected recoveries or encounters with people who arrived at crucial moments.
Rather than presenting faith as a replacement for medical treatment, Siegel describes the two as potentially existing alongside one another.
What Siegel Means by ‘Angels’
For Siegel, an “angel” can mean a traditional spiritual presence or a person who provides timely help when someone is facing an extraordinary crisis.
He says doctors, nurses, family members, strangers and religious figures can sometimes perform what he describes as “angel-like” work.
That broader definition forms the central idea behind his new book, which examines cases involving faith, human compassion and unexpected medical outcomes.
A Patient’s Unexpected Recovery
One of the experiences that influenced Siegel occurred during his residency training in intensive care.
He recalls an ICU patient who remained unconscious for about three months after suffering severe brain trauma. Despite a poor prognosis, the patient eventually regained consciousness and later returned to work.
For Siegel, the experience reinforced the importance of continuing to care for patients even when their prospects appear extremely limited.
“My role is not to decide who lives and who dies,” Siegel said. “My role is to relieve suffering and prolong life.”
A Veteran’s Remarkable Diagnosis
Another story involves U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Spencer Milo, who was diagnosed with what doctors initially believed was a terminal brain tumor following severe trauma in Iraq.
While seeking another medical opinion, Milo met a Benedictine monk. Later imaging determined that the tumor was benign.
Siegel includes the experience as an example of the unexpected people and circumstances that can enter someone’s life during a moment of uncertainty.
The Role of Faith During Medical Crises
Siegel’s argument does not dismiss the role of science or clinical care.
Instead, he suggests that faith, hope and human connection can become important sources of strength while patients undergo difficult medical treatment.
His previous writing on medical miracles similarly emphasized that unexpected recoveries can have both medical and spiritual interpretations, while warning against people who falsely promise miraculous cures.
A Story Involving a Shofar
One of the most striking accounts in the new book involves journalist Nikki Goldstein, who became critically ill with severe lung disease and an infection.
According to Siegel’s account, Goldstein was placed on a ventilator and was not expected to survive. A rabbi who happened to be nearby was asked to pray for her and later blew a shofar at her bedside.
The following day, Goldstein’s condition began improving, and doctors eventually brought her out of the coma. Siegel presents the episode as an example of the mysterious intersection between faith, medical care and unexpected recovery.
Medicine and Faith Remain Closely Connected
Siegel’s book explores a question that has followed medicine for centuries: how should people understand recoveries that appear difficult to explain?
His answer leaves room for both medical science and personal belief.
He argues that advances in medicine can themselves be viewed by people of faith as instruments through which healing occurs, while emphasizing the importance of evidence-based treatment.
‘Angels’ Can Be Ordinary People
At the heart of Siegel’s message is the idea that extraordinary help does not always arrive in extraordinary form.
Sometimes, he says, it may be a doctor making the right decision, a nurse offering crucial support, a stranger appearing at exactly the right moment or a religious figure providing comfort.
For Siegel, those encounters are part of what inspired the title The Angels Among Us and his belief that moments of healing can involve more than what is immediately visible.
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