On Wednesday evening March 25th around 9pm, I started taking Braftovi & Mektovi (3 weeks after official cancer diagnosis)…a pairing of pills that some refer to as “chemo pills” but technically they’re a targeted therapy based on the genetic structure of my particular cancer. And I am one of many patients (probably thousands at this point) with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma who are benefiting from this particular pairing of oral medication in tablet and capsule form.
Along with this targeted treatment, prayer has been the other super effective “weapon” in the current melee struggle against cancer. Obviously, prayer feels a bit more subjective in terms of how one evaluates results and efficacy of treatment, but I’m convinced that intercessory prayer has made a tremendous difference and is the primary reason I got access to those pills in time (along with the tenacious bull-doggedness of my amazing wife!)
I have been absolutely blown away by the number of people who have let me know that they have enlisted their small group, a Sunday school class, their church, or other communities of prayer. Any attempt to adequately express gratitude to all who have been praying falls woefully short of the mark…but I would like to shoutout one particular community here in this post. After attending Mt. Vernon Nazarene University (’90-’93) and then staying connected with the campus in various ways (youth and college ministry connections, faculty friends, etc) over the past 35 years or so, it has been a tremendous blessing to have many friends on campus advocate and pray for us during this nearly overwhelming season of hardship.
On one of my darkest days (physically) I got word that a prayer chapel was being dedicated to Dr. Charles and Nota McCall who made a tremendous impact on so many young lives at MVNU. Dr. McCall is responsible for my ability to recite the Greek alphabet with a slight east Texan accent! He also helped sparked my passion for biblical languages generally. As we were dealing with some life & death issues on Tuesday March 24, we received a beautiful encouraging card from our Alumni & Development Friends along with word that some were gathering for prayer on our behalf in the new McCall Prayer Chapel. As I looked over that post and listened to Dr. Bob lead the Doxology, I remember feeling an actual tangible sense of the healing presence of God through those prayers. And it has stirred up a deep desire to visit that particular place of prayer as soon as possible to express gratitude but also to continue leaning into whatever divine healing activity the Holy Spirit has initiated through our friends and fellow prayer partners in the MVNU community.
So for anyone who might be within range of the McCall Prayer Chapel this coming Saturday April 11th at 1pm, please feel free to stop by as it will be a special time of prayer and also of sending the choir off on their Spring Tour. Many thanks especially to Dr. Bob & Diana Tocheff for all their generous care of alumni & friends like myself! It will be a delight to spend an hour or so with any who can join us.
3 weeks after that, I was being transferred from Bethesda North to The Christ Hospital where I was put on a BiPAP machine to help me breathe more efficiently since I was having increasing difficulty getting my lungs to get enough work done when it came to exchanging gases. You can see this heavy-duty mask in this photo as I’m realizing I have to wear my reading glasses upside down to get them to work with the mask. And sometime that day, we were confronted with the big question. What if intubation becomes necessary??
