On Ash Wednesday, we were told about some concerning “spots” on my chest Xray taken that morning. Even my untrained eyes could tell that this is not what a normal xray of the lungs should look like.
Less than 2 weeks later the pulmonologist called to report on the brochoscopy and biopsy to say, “Unfortunately, you have stage 4 metastatic melanoma and it’s aggressively taking over your lungs.”
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??
Up to this point, some of those palliative end-of-life-questions were mostly theoretical but now we were crossing the hypothetical barrier. On Tuesday morning 3/24/26, Deb and the kids all showed up along with several other close friends and family because we were on the verge of either starting some goodbyes or leaning into some desperate times of prayer and healing. Thankfully, the tide began to turn in my lungs. Once we got the targeted therapy pills overnighted from a special pharmacy (thanks to my tenacious wife who didn’t settle for the Friday delivery date) the cancer seemed to respond immediately by slowing its growth if not actually shrinking a bit.
So just two days before Good Friday, one of the hospital oncologists confessed during our discharge debriefing that privately, he and his colleagues had only given me about 3 weeks to survive and here I was about to be released to go home, only needing about 1 liter of supplemental oxygen to keep me breathing steady. My pain levels were back down in the 1-3 range and it felt like we had gotten some healthy momentum moving in our favor.
I’ve never entered Holy Week feeling so immanently close to my own mortality. For that reason, I think I’m experiencing the hope of resurrection more profoundly than ever, as well as a deep sense of gratitude as God seems to be allowing my time here with family & friends to be extended. Getting to reflect on that gift from my living room front-window view the last few mornings is keeping me grounded in this daily Holy Hope.
Thankfully, I don’t believe we need to experience such a close encounter with death in order to have a deep meaningful connection with this profound hope we have in Christ! We simply need to acknowledge what God has done for us in Christ and rest in that provision.
Praying for you Chris and loved hearing your reflection this week. Keep fighting the good fight!
Appreciate your encouragement so much, Elaina!
We could not be more thankful than we are at this moment knowing we see a living, breathing miracle! To God be the glory for the things he has done.
Bill and Theresa
And I think I have learned new depths of gratitude in the midst of all this. Although I could get hung up on “Why me and not others?” I am so thankful for God’s miraculous touch!! And not so much for myself but for the pain God has currently spared our family. Now to make the most of whatever time God allows to make the greatest possible impact for HIM! Thanks so much for your prayers and kindness in so many ways.
Amen! I have loved hearing this story.
Chris, I remember you as an extraordinary student at MVNU and how God used you in campus ministry. I knew then you were made to do hard things. Your faith and trust is inspiring. It’s easy to praise God when things are good; it requires another level of faith when you are confronted with terminal illness in the prime of your life. Thank you for sharing your journey and teaching us how to live each day as a gift! I believe in miracles and i am praising the Lord for answering prayers for you and your precious family. Know we are praying for you, Debbie, family, and doctors!
So grateful for your kind words, Janie! And your prayers are truly a gift…thank you!
So thankful to our good Father for answering prayers! I always say that I wouldn’t wish the cancer experience on anyone but I certainly wish that Everyone would experience His amazing faithfulness. It’s a liminal moment, you will never be the same.
So true, Renee! It’s not a club I was hoping to join but I do feel as though I just spent 4-5 weeks bonding with all those who have walked a similar path.
Thank you for sharing this Chris, my wife and I are being blessed by your story and your thoughts.
Thanks so much, Cesar. Prayers for you and yours!
I am so happy to read this good news on this Good Friday! You and your family have been in my thoughts/ prayers. It was encouraging to read and to help us all reflect on this Holy Week. Thank you!
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I can’t imagine the shock when you got the news. Your chest X-ray, wow. You have so many people praying. God is faithful. Many prayers for your wife and kids as they walk through this journey with you.
Thanks so much, Dawn…the outpouring of love through prayers of intercession have been simply overwhelming.
Good morning my friend. 1st, praying for you and the family.
I hesitated writing as it feels like nothing can be profound and encouraging enough to be worthy of your time. But then I realize that if nothing is shared, you will not be aware of people that are impacted by what you have shared. While it may seem surreal, know that God is indeed close to you and your family.
I had a heart attack a month ago. As they were pushing me in to have the heart cath, I watched the overhead lights go by and realized that maybe I should be praying. I was never afraid. For the first time in my life I was overwhelmed with the sense of peace that only comes from knowing God. I pray that God will richly bless, heal and restore. That hope will abound. That the comfort of His presence will overtake you and your family. I also pray for inspiration that as you share your experience… that people will be brought to a saving knowledge of God and that the Body of Christ would be edified and energized to deepen their personal relationship in obedience to Christ.
David
Hey David, it’s so good to hear from you and to hear a little of your recent experience with hope and mortality! Yes, may hope abound in our lives and overflow to those around us, my friend. And it’s been many years since I’ve tried to generate any consistent content in this format, but I am praying that God will use this opportunity, my story and how it “pings” those around me, to bring Him glory and nudge more people towards Christ. So grateful for your encouragement and the time you took to stop and share, brother.
Wonderful share Chris. Thank you 🙏 When I first read it, I was thinking you were saying that at discharge they were only giving you 3 weeks but it was actually at the time of the initial diagnosis. Hope your Resurrection Sunday is a good one!
Glad you were able to interpret that part of the story since I was struggling a bit to articulate that clearly! 😉
Friend, everything that you and your entire family have been through in the past few months is mind boggling to say the least! I’m so grateful your Debbie was persistent and that the wonder medicine came just in time to give you and your family more. More time, more love, more togetherness, more of God’s amazing closeness, more blessings, … so much more!
I’ve always cherished your friendship and our days of serving God in ministry together, whether on a traveling team or in student chapels and Boost. I’m grateful for who you’ve always allowed God to be in and through you. Grateful for your steadfastness and grit. Grateful for you.
Teri, your encouraging words and prayers are such a gift right now. Love how you’ve named a couple of qualities I’m striving so much for…steadfast & grit!! 😎 🙌🏼
Chris,
Thank you for sharing. Steve and I are continually praying for you, Debbie, and the kids. Sending love and asking God for healing and continued strength. Please know your are in our thoughts and if there is anything else we can do just ask!
Lisa, your encouragement and prayers are such a gift right now…thanks to you both and we welcome the healing and strength coming through your prayers. Much love!
From your brother-from-the-same-mother, so awestruck by the dedication to ministry and your own faith you’ve been all of these years modeling in front of me as my brother. I (and the rest my family) continue to pray for healing to be seen both from the medical interventions in the immunotherapy but also directly from God’s hand. I also continue to pray for an amazing restoration of your body’s health directly by the Great Physician, Jehovah-Rapha, so that He alone gets the glory for all He has done now in your life and all the days, weeks, months, and years leading up to where we are today.
Hey (literal) Bro!
Your comment and your heart shines warmly on this weakened chill “frame” today…thank you!
You all have been a constant source of encouragement, prayer, and support for our whole family.
Thankful for you brother, thank you for sharing your reflections.
What a beautiful and transparent word. Appreciate you brother and praying for you daily. Look forward to talking soon. You are loved!
Thank you so much for sharing. Continued prayers Chris for you and the family. Love you brother.
Glad and grateful, for you and your family, for the news of how the treatment is helping. Thank you for sharing so openly and vulnerably in this season of reflection – I see and am moved by your trust in the worst of times. Continuing to urgently pray for you all. God holds you, Chris.
As I began to think about what to say to you, the song that filled my mind was “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”. I can think of no better song or Scripture to pray over you. So I will continue to pray but I will also sing and know that the Lord sings over you as well. May His Presence be so close and may you see the goodness of the Lord right here and now in the land of the living.
If you insist?! I receive that song gladly 🙏🏼 Thanks for your prayers and your encouragement.
Our God is awesome and able. Your story took me back 42 years ago when I was released from my first chemo treatment just in time for Easter. I was part of a test protocol that was being done in two cities, Nashville, where I was at Trevecca and Seattle. God’s perfect timing. My test became protocol. Prayers in your journey.
wow, amazing story…thanks for your prayers and encouragement!
Chris, the Lanham 5 from Bethel are praying for you. We still need to get in that section hike.
Yes, indeed! Let’s get together soon and scheme a bit! 😉
And we are SO grateful for your prayers and the support of our friends at Bethel Naz has ALWAYS been such a gift. Much love…
I’m so grateful and thankful for the hundreds (if not more!!) people who helped lift you up in prayer for at first just holding out until the medicine got there and then for healing all throughout the entire process. It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken and prayed in such a “real” way with God. And I’m planning on keeping it up because what we have today is a start-but I’m praying and believing in your complete and total healing……
Your commitment to pray with us towards complete healing is absolutely inspiring and encouraging, my friend & brother!!
Thank God for life-extending medication delivered in the nick of time, for friends and family who have stormed the heavens with their prayers, and for your beautiful faith in the midst of so much sudden adversity. You’re a real example to me of courage and hope.
So grateful for your encouraging words, Jana…thank you!
There are no words to express how tremendously hard this must be for you and the family for all this to happen in such a short amount of time. Each day is truly a gift. You are and have been an encouragement to me as a friend. “You” have been and continue to be a “Gift” to this world however long or short God allows you to be here. My heart is broken for you and those close to you. Just know what you have in influenced my life and so many other people beyond words or measure. I pray for healing, encouragement, the Holy Spirit’s loving embrace and peace of mind. Only God can deliver that and I feel that He has and will in these days to come! “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine…” You are loved!
Thanks for these encouraging words, Kevin. It’s unfortunate that it takes such a drastic bit of trauma to help one appreciate all the Kingdom stuff that happens over a lifetime, but I’m so grateful for all the friends like you who have been part of our journey and then show up with grace and kindness in these difficult times. Thank you!
Well Done…Good & Faithful Servant
Thanks, Stretch!