Alec Hill - Living in Bonus Time: Surviving Cancer, Finding New Purpose

F OUR OUT OF TEN OF US will be diagnosed with cancer during our lifetimes. This vile diseasewith its incredibly diverse portfolio of manifestationstouches virtually every family.

Today, there are more than five times the number of cancer survivors than just a half-century ago. None of us asked to join this club, but we are grateful to still be alive. Although each of our stories is different, we share common fears and hopes. Profound questions arise: Why am I still here? Where is God in all this? Can anything good come out of my suffering? How should I live differently now?

Cancer changes us. Beyond the alterations to our bodies, we have the opportunity to learn profound spiritual lessons. Facing mortality, our assumptions, priorities, and behaviors are all open to change.

Bonus time is a metaphor borrowed from the sport of soccer. During ninety minutes of regulation time, the clock is not stopped for injuries, fouls, or substitutions (as in basketball). Instead, a designated referee mysteriously tallies all the breaks and then adds extra time. Players dont know whether the game will last another two or twenty minutes.

Cancer survivors live in metaphorical bonus time. We can point to a doctors estimate of when our lives might have ended but did not (our regulation time). The additional months, years, or even decades we receive is not borrowed timethat implies something negotiated or loaned. Rather we live in bonus time, a season of grace.

How we live in bonus time matters. As survivors, we are stewards of a great trust. Not everyone gets the opportunity that we haveto have our souls reordered, to encounter Gods presence in unique ways, and to serve others with remarkable motivation.

For the most part, the Lord has felt incredibly close through my various treatments. But, to be honest, there have also been stretches of deep confusion, incredible frustration, and intense sadness.

My hope in writing this book is to help youmy fellow pilgrims and your familieswalk a perilous (and sometimes wondrous) journey. As a follower of Jesus, my reflections revolve around Scripture. In addition, while the narrative is rooted in my experience, profiles of others have been added to broaden the conversation. These are real people, many of whom I have known personally. Reflection questions at the end of each chapter encourage you to apply lessons learned to your own life.

A word to caregivers: you are my heroes. Thank you for the sacrifices you make. I hope this book honors the critical role you play. Far too often your needs are ignored as focus is placed on patients like me.

A brief note about myself. I was reared in Seattle by an amazing single mom and under the wings of two older brothers. In high school, I came to faith and attended (on scholarship) a remarkable private school that included the two future Microsoft founders. While in college, I volunteered for three years with Young Life at an urban high school. After law school, my regional World Relief team resettled one thousand refugees a year.

In my early thirties I became a professor and later a dean. My wife, Mary, and I reared two wonderful daughters. As a family, we enjoyed camping, reading, and the chronically bad Seattle Mariners baseball team. Unexpectedly, I was selected to lead InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, a campus ministry based in Madison, Wisconsin. For fourteen frenetic years, I was part of an incredible missional community. We now reside back in the Seattle area.