You get what you focus on.  In the case of Wilbur's wife, f.e., she only reinforced her disease by continually focusing on it, feeling guilty/disappointed etc. But on another level, she may have wanted the experience for her soul growth, and the experience may have been part of her soui contract for that lifetime.  Plus, death itself can be a healing. 

I guess it comes back to that old New Age axion, "it's all good."

Much of the book are journal entries by his wife during this time (which was a 5 year battle) ... and because she had been a long time meditator and "spiritually advanced" person her own guilt, disappointment etc at her "inability" to heal her body --- she often asked the questions about whether her illness was karmic, or lack of working hard enough on herself ... over and over -- the conclusion to the book is truly awesome.

I highly highly recommend it.  Bring kleenex.

Christine

Once people discover the principle of "As above, so below" they are eager (and I was and am) to heal their body.

With the maxim of "As above, so below" in mind, people figure that if their mind/soul/spirit is purified and healthy that their body must be healthy, too.  And many people are discouraged, and take it as a sign of failure as an aspirant, when they find themselves still sick, still overweight, or underweight, or diabetic, with dandruff, or whatever.

...I've been considering that the teaching of You-Create-Your-Own-Reality and As Above, So Below isn't a teaching for the physical body or ego per se.  The teaching, perhaps, is really aimed at the inner you and aimed at disengaging you from the ego--which could involve detaching from perfect-pictures of physicality.

Even saints get sick.  Sickness is not necessarily a symptom of non-evolvedness. 

If we meant to transcend physicality, then there must at some point be a detachment from concern for its health maybe.