Having been a pastor since 1969, I have walked with many families through their darkest valleys . . . valleys of tragic accidents, unexpected death, serious and sudden medical diseases, gunshots, prison, loss of relationship or career, stillbirths, and domestic violence. Most families find their way into the darkest valley at some time, and many seem to experience it more than average.
The dark valley for me has been cancer. When I was 18, I had a malignant melanoma that involved a major surgery and lesser outpatient surgery to finish the treatment. When I was 34, I had stage 2 testicular cancer which involved two surgeries and several months of chemotherapy. This was before good anti-nausea drugs and it was tough. With three young children, I prayed to live long enough to see them reach adulthood. Fast forward to 2008 when I was diagnosed with incurable stage 4 leiomyosarcoma with numerous tumors in my liver and a large tumor around the tail of my pancreas. This has meant two years and nine months of chemotherapy, without an end in sight. Now my wife, Joy, and I pray that I will see our six grandchildren grow to adulthood.
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