Linda

To our son Rich and to all those who are praying for his complete healing:

I feel like this website is for Rich, but I feel like I need to express my thanks and how much it meant to our family, and in order to do that I need to tell my side of the story.

We were in total shock when Rich broke the news that he indeed did have a large brain tumor Dec. 18, 2003. In a whirlwind, we were able to get a flight and were flying out of Kalispell by 10AM Friday. When I called my friend to cancel our exercising and told her why, she said, “No, not our Richey!” Brent was in the United Kingdom, and the Lord worked it out so he could change his flight to LAX instead of Seattle. Rich was in the hospital when we arrived, but we were able to take him home in our care until Dec. 24th when the surgery was scheduled. As we were notifying our friends and family, we were so encouraged by all the people who were praying. My niece sent out many emails and someone would say that they told their grandma in Georgia to pray, etc. We had people praying in most of the western states and a few others. Anyway, kiddingly Rich said we should try for all 50 states, never dreaming that would become, in fact, a reality and we would indeed have people praying around the world.

We were happy to have the time together as a family, but there was no spirit of Christmas celebration. We all seemed to have an inner strength facing the surgery. We delivered Rich for surgery early on Christmas Eve day. Then we proceeded to wait and wait—11 hours for word. There are no guarantees in surgery of this kind on the brain. It was good that it was in the right side of his brain, but still there could be all kinds of side affects, even his face dropping because they had to cut his jaw muscle. Perhaps he would not be able to walk, talk, remember things, have eyesight problems, or any of a million things we all take for granted. After that agonizing wait, the doctor came out with the news that he had indeed made it through the long surgery, and the first thing that Rich said was: “Doc, I forgot to give you the CD I made for you.” His mind was sharp as a tack even as he was coming out of the anesthesia. God was answering prayer. However, the prognosis was not good. Bob, Brent and I were totally devastated by the news. His tumor was malignant. However, we chose to look into the Word and base our feelings on God’s Word. Our whole Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent in ICU with Rich, catering to his every need and reading and praying. On Christmas Day they got him up, tested his eyes and reflexes, had him do math problems and memory problems, and he passed all of them with flying colors. How fast can you count backwards from 100 by 7’s? I know I could hardly keep up with as fast as Rich counted with his head all bandaged and swelled. We knew we were getting our Richey back. God was answering prayer.

On the fourth day they let us bring him home in our care. I guess I felt like I did when he was a baby and we brought him home. He was so fragile, I was afraid we couldn’t take care of him right. Brent was his special night nurse who gave Rich a snack and his meds. Because we had to be very quiet and let him rest, I then had time to read emails. Many a time I would just sit at the computer and cry as I read the prayers of people whom I did not even know who were praying for Rich’s recovery. We would tell him about the prayers, but at that time they were ministering much more to the rest of us. We did not tell him about the bad prognosis until he had more strength and could handle it. God knew that Bob, Brent, and I needed the strength of the prayers of the family of God. Meanwhile, my good friend had set up a website and more people every day were signing on and registering their state and praying. There would be times that we would be so low, and someone would send a scripture, and God would lift that heavy burden and give us strength to go on. It was so hard to watch our son suffer with the shaved head, the huge backwards question mark scar, his black eyes, his swelled head, and oh, the pain. But through it all, God gave him such a good attitude. He never complained or yelled at God. His pastor and his church family were like gold and they ministered so much to us during a time when we felt so alone.

It wasn’t long until we had people praying in 30 states and 5 provinces and 7 foreign countries. Then 35 states and so on. I had to call a friend in Montana about something and found out that she somehow had not been notified about the surgery, but no matter, she said, we will just take up the mantle of prayer now when maybe others have left off. During this time we constantly read the Word and prayed as a family. We had some wonderful times with the Lord in the midst of us and we knew He never leaves us or forsakes us.

As the word of Rich’s surgery went out, more people signed on until we did, indeed, have people in all 50 states and around the world praying for him. What a God we serve and what a wonderful family of God we are part of! I cannot express to you how much it meant to us to have people we did not even know holding us up in prayer. We did feel those prayers and were able to make it through this difficult time.

Since Rich’s prognosis was not good, he had to take treatments. They started him on chemotherapy immediately. However, it is in pill form, which is not so hard on his body. They said he would be on chemo for a year. He also had to take radiation, and he has one week of radiation left. Through this he has done amazingly well. We returned home the first of February, so he has been alone since then. They wanted to put him on driving restrictions, but his surgeon said it wasn’t necessary, and he has been able to take the treatments in his home area. Of course, his skin has some burning and some hair is falling out, he tells us. He is, in general, tired, and as he is getting to the end of the treatments, the effects are compounded, and there are more days when he doesn’t feel well. We are trusting God that He will bring him through even this with no side affects. His job is waiting for him and he will probably return about the first of April.

We serve a mighty God. Our family will never be the same. We all have to trust and thank God for each day of life He gives us. But we will ever be thankful and in debt to all who prayed. We will look forward to meeting all of you, even if takes eternity. Please continue to pray for Rich’s complete healing. Also for this last difficult week of radiation and the results of his upcoming MRI on Wednesday, March 10. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19 God bless you lots, everyone and we love you, Rich.

Dad, Mom and Brent