My best friend from church got the final word from his cancer doctor a couple of days ago.. “There’s nothing else we can do for you. Your (lung) cancer has spread and you have about 4 to 6 months to live.”

My friend (I’ll call him John for privacy’s sake) originally had lung cancer a few years back and, after treatment including removing a third of his left lung, was given a clean bill of health. Buuuutttttt, about a year ago it came roaring back. And it had spread to I don’t know how many places in his body.

John went to the doctor last year because he was having shortness of breath. The doctor sent him for a chest x-ray and found a new tumor on his lung. Worse, he had fluid in his left lung which he had to go once a week to get removed. On average, they would extract 500ml of fluid.

Then came the chemo. The first round he went through didn’t hit him too bad. His hair didn’t fall out, he retained most of his energy, had a good appetite, and so far so good. Buuuuttttt, it also didn’t touch the cancer. So enter chemo round 2. This one was a horse of a different color. Everything that didn’t happen the first time, happened this time. All of it.

Oh, and half way through the second round, they discover that he has 3 arteries which are 95% blocked. Need to get stents put in. Problem, the surgeon that would normally do it here refused because of the tumor on John’s lung. So he has to go to a nearby major city to find a surgeon willing to do the surgery. Finally gets that done and makes it back home in one piece.

But the chemo is taking its toll. John is a go-getter type, always on the move, always doing something, helping people, etc. With this round of chemo, his strength is zapped. He has very little energy to do anything. I would see him at church on many occasions where I could tell he wasn’t well, but he was just trying to power through. One does not simply power through chemo.

So, here we are a year later, the death sentence has been pronounced and all John wants to do is make a (possibly final) trip back to his home state and see his family. But it seems, even that is not to be. He and his wife were to fly out today, but when John got up and tried to start packing his bag, he was too ill to do so. They cancelled the trip (and miraculously got a refund!) and went to the doctor to see if anything can at least help him feel better. The doc put him on some medicine which seems to be helping…some.

On the spiritual side, we (me anyway) are trying to discern what God is doing or wants John to do. We know God CAN heal John, we just don’t know if that is the plan. John doesn’t come from a Pentecostal/Charismatic background, so he has difficulty praying what we would call “the prayer of faith”. And that’s fine. God will meet John wherever he is in his faith-walk. Since John doesn’t discuss “being healed” much, I don’t really know what, if anything, he thinks or expects God to/will do.

I’ve tried to be a good friend and brother to John, but I’m at a loss here. What do I do? What do I tell him? I don’t want to just spout trite Christian platitudes. I want to offer him genuine assistance. But what does one do for someone with cancer? I don’t know.

John. and his wife are considering trying to schedule another trip to their home state, but the price of tickets has already skyrocketed and John’s health is questionable. I hope they get to go. It may well be his last chance to see his family.

So, please pray for John and his wife. Pray that God will show them what to do and give them peace no matter what that is. Also pray, that if this is to be John’s last days, that he will not be in much pain. That has to be the worst part-pain.

This has to be the hardest part. Trusting God when your life is literally on the line. I pray that John’s faith remains strong and he will stay faithful to his Lord. I also pray that I will have the insight to be the kind of friend he needs.

Maranatha!

Yavoh!