Here is a video I did over a year ago giving a sketch of what I went through as a result of my desmoplastic small cell round tumor sarcoma:
November 27, 2010
For anyone still checking in here, please pray for a young guy named Rory Wheeler; he too, unfortunately, is battling the same kind of cancer that I had (Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor – sarcoma). He is a believer, and has a very supportive family and fiance. You can check out their update blog here. Please pray with the same fervency that you prayed for me with; Rory and family really need it!
Rory is the guy in the white shirt, that’s his fiance next to him (Kristen); and then the rest of his family (I’m assuming his parents and siblings) behind them. It is encouraging to know that Rory is just as much in the hands of the Lord as I was (am)!
PS. While I’m at it, there is a little guy named Alex (he’s only 5) who has the same kind of cancer too! I’ve been in a bit of contact with his sister, would you please pray for him as well? He has surgery this Monday to remove a couple of his tumors, and then there is one tumor in his chest that is currently inoperable. This little guy has been enduring all kinds of chemo, as well as radiation; and now he will be going through surgery. His sister knows the Lord, please pray that little Alex’s parents would also come to know Jesus.
August 31, 2010
A quick update. We went to the oncologist today, to keep it short and sweet: I am CANCER-FREE!!! The doctor has us scheduled to come back for another CT in 4mos, we are just praising the LORD!!!! You guys have been an awesome support through this amazingly hard time; we just appreciate you all sooo much! The LORD is good! Keep a look-out for new posts here, and more frequently; I am going to start writing on some reflections that I have as a result of this season. Praise the LORD!!!
PS. If you know of any employment that would be great too . . . I was just laid off from Toyota with 25 other comrades (the LORD’s timing is even amazing with this, we were covered with excellent health benefits through the bulk of this season, and will be through the union for another few months — thank you, LORD).
August 25, 2010
It’s time for another update, and some more prayer requests:
1) This August 30th I am going to be having a CT-scan (it’s already been 3mos. since my last chemo), and then we will meet with my oncologist the following day. Please pray that everything is all “clean,” and that the cancer has been totally eradicated or annihilated — whatever word you prefer 😉 . Thank you all for the prayers, and support.
2) Today I found out — as I was slated to head back to work Sept. 1st — that I have been laid off from Toyota (along with another 25 fellow employees); this is very disheartening news, to say the least! Please pray that the LORD would provide employment for me, and quickly. I will be looking for ministry and Bible teaching positions; so if your church has a need in that area please let me know, and I can supply my resume. My ministry background is primarily in the area of evangelism, and then Bible teaching/theology (so an ideal position would be to be a pastor of evangelism and Christian education, but I am open for other areas of ministry as well).
What a season of life (we all have them, don’t we?). You all are an awesome support, thank you!
P.S. I still plan on posting here; sorry for the infrequency.
August 17, 2010
Everyone please pray for a guy named Sean Moore. He is a friend of some friends — he and his family (of 5 kids) attend our friends church — and he was diagnosed with a rare pediatric cancer (don’t know the name) a few months ago. He has undergone 6 weeks of radiation, and is now back at Johns Hopkins where he will be having a 25hr surgery performed tomorrow (he has already had a prepatory surgery a few days ago that took a few hrs — and he has not been doing good after that one). It is a contained tumor at the bottom of his spine, and they will be removing the whole thing. He has already undergone surgery, a couple months ago, which left him with a colostomy bag and a “urine bag” (for lack of a better term); there are also other side-effects that he is also having to deal with (like inability to be intimate). Please pray for this hurting brother, they believe they can get the tumor; and have given him a favorable prognosis. He has endured, and still must endure soooo much! His wife’s name is Angela, and they just need our prayer support more than ever; and especially tomorrow as they start this amazingly long procedure.
Nothing is too difficult for our God!
I lay Sean before you now . . .
July 26, 2010
We are in the home stretch, I am recovering further for about the next four weeks; and then I should be back to work (yaaaaay!!!). We have come into some unforeseen expenses with our car, as far as maintenance and repair; so I am going to ask for one last time — Lord willing — if any of you might be able help support us a bit further financially. You all have been so great, and I feel kind’ve weird even asking at this point; but we continue to have a need through the beginning of September. I thought I would just throw this out there; there is certainly no obligation, but if the Lord leads in that way we would most appreciate it! Thank you everyone, I will continue to do updates here; I am going to be having a CT scan in the next few weeks, when we get closer to that, and I get a date, I’ll let you know so that you can be praying.
Thanks to all of you (that’s an understatement); we are blessed to have friends, brothers and sisters like you all!!
July 15, 2010
Please pray for this little girl, Daisy Love; she is struggling with what is called a “Wilms Tumor” (a pediatric cancer, like mine was). I was looking at our former church — Crossroads Community Church in Vancouver, WA — and I just came across her website through the churches’ site. Please pray for her, her condition is serious; but not too serious for the LORD, for whom nothing is too difficult (see Jeremiah 32:17). Go to her site here: Daisy Love
July 15, 2010
Starting to really see some light at the end of the tunnel here. I am done with chemo, that’s official as of yesterday, and now I’m just going to be in a season of healing. I just wanted to thank every single one of you for faithfully praying for us during this season — please don’t stop 🙂 — we would not be making it without you, and the power of Christ that you all have “released” through your prayers and your participation in the intercessory work of Jesus (cf. Heb. 7:25)! To be honest I feel really invigorated; I feel like I’m starting to slowly wake up from a bad dream or nightmare, are we totally through this yet? I don’t think we’ll ever totally be through this. Cancer is something that is always a concern; but you know what, all I can do (like all of you) is trust the LORD for every breath that I take — dependence on Him is even that much more intense in light of this horrific disease.
Some folks have already started to ask what I’ve learned from this season? And frankly, at this point, my head is still spinning (and my feet hurting); the only thing that really emerges as something I’ve learned is that Jesus is IT! And my family is the greatest gift I’ve ever been given, besides Jesus Christ, of course! I look at my wife, I look at my kids and just am floored by how precious they are; the idea of leaving them early is the worst idea I have had to ponder throughout this season — I love’m!!! This makes me think about THE Father, and how He felt as He sent His Son; as Jesus opened the door of heaven, knowing that He was leaving to die — the Father’s love is greater than I can imagine!
I will be posting more thoughts and thank yous in the days to come. I thank you all for your continued prayer; the greatest prayer request is that this cancer will never come back again — please pray that it won’t!! Thank you all . . .
July 10, 2010
**Here is a repost from when this whole thing was just getting started (just a few days before I started my first chemo cycle), I first posted this December 1st 2009; and I just wanted to note that this cry and prayer to the LORD by myself and all of you guys has been answered (the tumor is gone and so is the cancer!). I wanted to add one more prayer request: I really need prayer for my feet (they are hurting me quite a bit, just pray for a speedy recovery in this regard; and then of course that the cancer will never come back — just that we will experience the peace of the LORD even and especially in this recovery time). Anyway, here’s that repost, I really like the prayer of Hezekiah:
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I’ve been praying like Hezekiah; interestingly the disease, the deadly “boil” he was stricken with sounds very similar to the kind of thing I have (I looked up the description of his boil). I am not saying that every circumstance between Hezekiah and myself is the same, but that I can certainly resonate with his situation; and I am crying out to the LORD for the same kind of healing (albeit I would prefer more than 15 yrs, as the LORD tarries 😉 ). Here is what Hezekiah said:
10 I said,
“ In the prime of my life
I shall go to the gates of Sheol;
I am deprived of the remainder of my years.”
11 I said,
“ I shall not see YAH,
The LORD[a] in the land of the living;
I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world.[b]
12 My life span is gone,
Taken from me like a shepherd’s tent;
I have cut off my life like a weaver.
He cuts me off from the loom;
From day until night You make an end of me.
13 I have considered until morning—
Like a lion,
So He breaks all my bones;
From day until night You make an end of me.
14 Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered;
I mourned like a dove;
My eyes fail from looking upward.
O LORD,[c] I am oppressed;
Undertake for me!
15 “ What shall I say?
He has both spoken to me,[d]
And He Himself has done it.
I shall walk carefully all my years
In the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live;
And in all these things is the life of my spirit;
So You will restore me and make me live.
17 Indeed it was for my own peace
That I had great bitterness;
But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption,
For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
18 For Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
19 The living, the living man, he shall praise You,
As I do this day;
The father shall make known Your truth to the children.
20 “ The LORD was ready to save me;
Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments
All the days of our life, in the house of the LORD.”
21 Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”
22 And Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”
I am being assured by the LORD, and I am believing that He has been speaking, that He will extend my life as well. As I read the passage above, verse 14 probably is the one that most resonates with me; this is an exhausting experience, but one that continues to be met with God’s grace — which is inclusive of all your prayers and encouragement. I never thought I might have something in common with Hezekiah, I never thought His prayer would become my personal cry; but it has! The difference between Hezekiah and myself, that I am hoping for, is that I will finish strong (like Paul); and not finish life like Hezekiah who seemed to become very egocentric, and self-consumed (which astounds me, given the grace He received from the LORD). Please join me in praying like Hezekiah.
July 5, 2010
We have decided that it’s time for me to stop my chemo. As many of you know I had surgery in May to remove my cancerous tumor; that surgery, because of all of your prayers, was a total success! We have been doing some follow up chemo since then — I’ve done two cycles since surgery (a total of nine cycles including the seven prior to surgery). Before we started the post-surgery chemos, the doctor told us that how many we decided 
to do was basically up to us (he said he expected to get through a few cycles). Given the side effects of the chemo, and the fact that the surgery was totally successful, and the fact the doctor said all of this follow up chemo might be for nothing; we decided (I kind’ve decided, and Angela is supporting me in this decision) that IT”S ENOUGH!
We are following up, now, with some major lifestyle changes; I am following an alkaline diet, taking some supplements to help my immune system to be highly bolstered, supplements to help alkaline my body, following some “alternative” protocols, and simply trusting the LORD to take care of us as He has thus far.
One more concern with “over-doing” chemo is that, as the doctor told us before we ever started, the chemo I’ve been on (besides the terrible side-effects it produces short-term) can produce other kinds of cancers in the future; and beyond that, the chemo can actually make my cancer resistent to future treatments — if over-done now.
We thank you all for the continued prayers and support. Now I will be in a period of recovery. My feet still have neuropathy, and will need some time to heal (please pray that that is a quick process). And please pray that I have years ahead of me on this earth, as the LORD tarries His return. I have a total peace from the LORD about all of this, and believe given the risk-benefit — relative to the chemo treatments — that this is the right timing to go ahead an move forward with life.
The Evangelical Christian 