Hi, my name is Jeff, and I am married to an amazing wife, Caren. Isn’t it wonderful to serve our Mighty Savior Jesus Christ? There is no diminishing the power of His blood.
I was raised in Corpus Christi, TX. Growing up we attended a little Pentecostal church known as Glad Tidings Assembly of God. It was here where I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. After High School, I left home, joined the military, and fathered two children. Overtime, I drifted away from God. The things of God that were important to me began to fade. Sin had taken control of my life. I was bound to alcohol, smoking, profanity, etc.
Suddenly, at age 53 the unexpected happened, I was diagnosed with stage iv cancer: Renal Cell Carcinoma. My symptoms consisted of my body swelling, stiffness in joints, coughing, red flush tone in the face, white hallowing around the eyes, and blood in the urine. We went to Urgent Care and tests were run, my right kidney was abnormal in size, lab test results were abnormal. We were referred to a Urologist and that is when he gave us the news, “You have cancer, stage iv”. This news rocked us back on our heels.
My right kidney had grown to a large size of approximately 6.1 x 4.13 x 3.74 inches. However, it wasn’t a kidney any longer, it was a large cancerous mass. A normal size adult kidney is 4.72 x 2.36 x 1.1 inches. Shortly after, we had an appointment with an Oncologist who sat with us and stated that there is only an 18% chance of surviving this type of cancer. Our hearts sank into our stomach, our minds didn’t understand, we were lost and without direction. We left the appointment scared and in tears as we tried to comprehend what we had just heard: I was dying.
As we pulled out of the parking lot from our visit, I notified my parents that we were coming over to tell them of the doctor’s findings. We sat at their breakfast table and told them. They couldn’t believe what they just heard, their son, has stage iv cancer. My dad looked at all of us and said, “We are in the fight of our lives!”. We all stood in tears, with heads bowed, we held hands, my dad led the family in prayer praying and cursing this cancer in Jesus’ name. In my heart, I knew where I stood with Christ; I had left God however, God never left me. While my dad was praying, God was dealing with my soul. Afraid, a sinner, and sick with cancer, I prayed and with a humble and broken heart asked the Lord’s forgiveness and to heal me. We notified the pastor of the church we attended, and he came to our home with another member on April 9, 2021, anointed me with oil, laid hands on me, and prayed for me.
That same week God spoke to me and said to call Cancer Treatment Centers of America (now City Of Hope). My wife called CTCA, explained our situation, and quickly, on 4/10/2021, we were on our way to Phoenix, AZ. A nephrectomy was performed on 4/19/2021. Then, in September 2021, a tumor was found in my brain, and it was treated with radiation for five days. Today I am still alive. The Lord saved me, and He is doing a good work in me. Hallelujah!
During this journey, The Lord called me to follow Him, Jesus Christ and help others. I answered this call. Sharing my story is my testimony. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer and needs prayer or needing prayer for anything you may be going through, please contact me. I will be glad to pray with you and for you. There is HOPE. You are not alone in this fight.