Cancer Doesn't Stand a Chance!

It’s been a tough few weeks. It all started about a month ago when Elizabeth noticed a knot on her collar bone. After consulting her doctor and then an ENT, she was sent for a CT scan and a biopsy. The results came back as stage 3 Hodgekin’s Lymphoma. She met with an oncologist last Friday where the diagnosis was confirmed and the plan for treatment was formulated. We were floored. I’m not sure that there can be another reaction to hearing that your young, healthy wife has cancer. The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. There have been a lot of tears shed and a lot of restless nights.  Yesterday, as I was sitting in a waiting room (one of my new hobbies by the way,) I picked up a word search book and found this message on the front page. It reads:








“Watching someone you love waste away is like riding a roller coaster. Sometimes you are on top, but most coasters have more valleys than hills, mine sure do.
What will I be without her??”










Such sorrow. Such sadness. My heart breaks for this person whoever and wherever they may be.  This note made me realize something. This is exactly where I could be. I could find every reason to be angry, depressed, upset, and fearful. and yet…. I have hope. Hope in a Savior who has already conquered death; hope in a God who is not the least bit surprised by this crisis and yet is unchanging both now and forever; hope in a Creator that knows and loves us as only our creator can; and hope in a plan that He has for our lives.  A plan that brings glory and honor and praise to Him.  My prayer is that we will be a shining light through which everyone around us will see Him!
So what’s next? This morning, Elizabeth started down a long road to recovery. She had a port put in and chemo will start on Friday. She will have treatments every other Friday for the next 4-6 months. The good news from her oncologist is that 80% of all people with the same diagnosis are totally cured after 4-6 months of chemo. We are hoping, praying, and expecting for that to happen with Elizabeth.

While we told the kids that mom is sick, we didn’t use the word cancer because we feel like they are too young to understand all the different types and severities of cancer. (We didn’t want them to get scared because of their peers’ previous knowledge of cancer.) We told them that she has Lymphoma and that she was going to be getting medicine over the next few months that will make her pretty tired. If you have contact with them, love on them and feel free to let them talk about it if they need to.

Please join us in praying that:
• the chemo is effective and she is completely healed after 4 rounds/ months
• our children’s lives aren’t totally turned upside down and they are not overly stressed and fearful from the situation
• everyone will see God’s goodness and faithfulness through this journey.


We understand that this is a lot to digest. There just isn’t an easy way to say it. Please forgive us if we didn’t have a chance to tell you personally. We love you all and know the battle has already been won!!

"That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor. 12:10