Chaffey - God and cancer : finding hope in the midst of lifes trials

God and Cancer:

Finding Hope in the Midst of Lifes Trials

by Tim Chaffey

Copyright 2009, 2012 by Tim Chaffey

God and Cancer:

Finding Hope in the Midst of Lifes Trials

by Tim Chaffey

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 978-1-60791-373-3 (Paperback)

All rights reserved solely by the author. The author guarantees all contents are original and do not infringe upon the legal rights of any other person or work. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author. The views expressed in this book are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Scripture taken from HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

Other Books by Tim Chaffey

(See end of this book for more details on these resources)

The Sons of God and the Nephilim

Old-Earth Creationism on Trial: The Verdict Is in (co-authored with Dr. Jason Lisle)

God Means What He Says: A Biblical Critique of the Framework Hypothesis

The Truth Chronicles series(co-authored with Joe Westbrook)

(1) The Time Machine

(2) The Contest

(3) The Rescue

(4) The Thief

(5) The Chase

(6) The Discovery (due out in spring 2013)

Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions Vol. 2 (Gen. ed.)

How Do We Know the Bible Is True? Volumes I & II (contributor)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

I would like to say a huge Thank You to the following people that helped make this book a reality:

- Pastor and English teacher Glenn Andes for your advice and finding time to proofread the manuscript.

- Dr. Tommy Mitchell for your encouragement and your insights contained in Appendix B.

- The amazing team of doctors and nurses at St. Marys Hospital in Green Bay and all the other medical personnel that treated me during my illness. You saved my life.

- All the faithful believers that kept me in prayer during my battle with leukemia.

- My friends and family members for keeping me company in the hospital, whether in person or by phone calls, emails, or cards.

- My lovely wife Casey. You stood by me and were a rock every step of the way. You are so much better than I deserve, and I love you more than words can say.

- Most importantly, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You walked with me, and at times, carried me through the valley of the shadow of death. You paid the penalty that I deserve, have given me eternal life, and I am privileged to give you my life in return.

Preface

You have cancer. These three words are some of the most dreadful words anyone could ever hear. Millions of people have lost their lives due to this awful disease, so hearing these words from ones doctor will strike fear into the bravest of souls. These words are almost identical to the words I heard from my doctor on July 12, 2006.

Actually, the words I heard on that fateful day were, You have leukemia. At the time, I was 32 years old and in pretty good physical shape. I never thought I would have to worry about cancer until I was at least in my forties, and since my family has not had much of a history with the disease, I felt pretty safe. I was wrong.

In a moment my world was turned upside down. Everything was going well in my life. Everyone in my family was healthy, and we had been spending a great deal of quality time together over the summer. My career was going well as I was preparing to start teaching Bible classes again after a year in the science department. I believed that God had been preparing me for this moment, and I was excited about the opportunity to start teaching the subject closest to my heart. My speaking ministry was starting to pick up, and I had just finished the rough draft to my first book.

Everything was greatat least thats what I thought at the time. Little did I know that I was dying on the inside. Those three words changed my life forever. I spent the next month in the hospital fighting for my life and several more months recovering from the side effects of four rounds of chemotherapy. In fact, as I type this sentence, I am still feeling some of the effects of the treatmentsmore than four months after my last dose of chemo.

Thankfully, I am now a cancer survivor. I am one of the lucky ones, if there is such a thing. A large percentage of people who hear those words will never get a second chance at life. I believe people should use the knowledge they gain from their experiences to help others who are going through similar situations. This is my primary purpose for writing this book. I want to provide hope and comfort for people who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis or have a loved one who has been diagnosed.

I am also a Bible-believing Christian. I believe that God has a purpose and plan for everyone in this world. When tragedy strikes, it is difficult for many people to believe that a loving God is in control of this world. My hope is that by the time you have finished reading this book, you will be able to see that the existence of cancer and other horrible things in this world do not negate the existence of God nor should they cause one to despair and lose hope.

Whether you agree with my views of God and the Bible or not, the practical advice given at the end of each chapter may prove beneficial. I simply want you to understand where I am coming from. When I use examples from the Bible, it is important for you to know that I believe these were actual people who went through real struggles in real history. To help convince you of the historicity and inspiration of Scripture is beyond the focus of this book; however the final section of this book will cover some basic material in this area for those who might have questions.

That being said, I invite you to go on a journey with me. This journey started in the summer of 2006, is continuing as I write this book, and will continue for the rest of my life. May you be encouraged and find hope in the following pages.

Each chapter in the first section of this book will highlight a different segment of my ordeal with leukemia. It will begin with the initial symptoms, move on through the diagnosis and treatment, and conclude with my recovery. Through each step of the way, I will attempt to provide hope to those going through similar difficulties by offering practical advice and theological insights. One thing that I have always believed, and had firmly reinforced during my battle, was that having the right attitude goes a long way in getting through tough situations.

Some medical terms are printed in bold type the first time they appear. There is a glossary at the end of the book to define these terms.

Part One:

My Story

Introduction: Somethings Wrong

The summer months are usually a wonderful time for a teacher. The summer of 2006 was shaping up to be another summer of reading, research, recreation, and relaxation. I enjoyed getting up in the morning while it was still cool and going for my daily walk. This gave me a chance to plan my day and to spend time thinking about whatever was on my mind.

In the last week of June, I began to notice that something was askew. My normal walk was a three-mile route and if I was feeling especially ambitious, I would go further. The first sign of trouble was that it seemed harder and harder to make it through the entire route. At first, I didnt think much of this as I simply chalked it up to being out of shape. I told myself that all I had to do was to keep pushing myself and soon it would get easier.

One day near the end of June, I woke up with the worst leg cramps I have ever had. I could not think of anything that I had done to aggravate my legs, but it still never crossed my mind that something serious was going on.

At about this same time, I noticed dozens of tiny purple spots on the top of my feet. Not knowing what to make of these, my wife and I did what everyone does these dayswe searched the internet to find out what was causing these spots. Our expert conclusion was that they were simply a result of a heat rash. After all, ones feet can get pretty warm during a long walk in the summer. I would later discover that we were way off on our diagnosis.