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Twice Saved by the Blood Rick Henson Mindy and I moved from central Louisiana to Rankin County in late 2000. I served as pastor of a Rankin County church and Mindy taught at an elementary school in Jackson. Since I can remember, I was the picture of health. I was high energy and folks often referred to me as the Energizer Bunny. In 2002, I traveled to Romania with evangelist Gary Bowlin at the recommendation of Allen Stephens. He and I journeyed to Romania eleven times together and I traveled seventeen other times without him, all by 2016. Add in five awesome trips to Israel between 2006 and 2013, plus serving as pastor of a growing church, writing a weekly article in the Rankin County News, and often writing the thirteen-week Sunday school lesson for the state Baptist paper, and you can tell I stayed busy. In early 2016, my back suddenly began to hurt. Doctors thought it might be a hairline fracture in my T7 vertebrae. Late in August 2016, I saw my doctor for a type 2 diabetic test. Being concerned that my back still hurt, she had my blood tested for protein. By the first week of September, Mindy and I heard Dr. Que at Jackson Oncology tell us I had multiple myeloma. In this pernicious blood cancer, your white blood cells attack your bones in multiple places, hence the name. Mindy and I cried and prayed together. She supported me and encouraged me as I began chemotherapy. I took weekly chemotherapy from September 2016 until July 2017. Everything you’ve heard about chemotherapy is an understatement. Chemo saps your strength and steals your sleep, fuddles your brain, and ruins your plans. Imagine the worst 48 • SEPTEMBER 2023
flu of your life for four out of seven days a week, and you never know which days will be affected. We knew that God was with us always, and believed He would lead us through this ordeal. Yet, our faith had never been tested in this way. I had been through this with many church members as a pastor, though I had never experienced anything like this before. Since the doctor put me on high steroid doses, I instantly became fully diabetic, taking insulin injections daily. I continued as pastor and, though I missed a few Sundays, I did my best to serve the church and its members for that year. In the spring of 2017, I had kyphoplasty on my T7 vertebrae. The doctor filled in the broken parts of the vertebrae with a type of bone cement to prevent more collapse. That lowered the pain and frequent injections make the pain bearable. The standard treatment is chemotherapy for as long as it takes to decrease your rogue white blood cells. After the chemo decreases the cancer enough, most people have their own stem cells taken out of their blood in preparation for a stem cell transplant. However, before the foundation of the world, the Lord Jesus knew me, and He knew I would need spare parts. I have an identical twin, Ralph, who lives in Meridian. After eleven months of chemo, I entered UMMC August 12, and received a dose of strong chemo that day and the next. By the 14th the chemo had killed all my blood, stem cells, and bone marrow. I lived on infused blood. On Monday August 14, I received a bone marrow transplant from Ralph, including stem cells. The photo of us was taken the afternoon of the bone marrow transplant. Mindy stayed by my side for the next 24 days in UMMC as my body absorbed the new marrow. I do not remember many of the days. The sickness is hard to describe but more intense than the chemo. My church graciously gave me 120 days off to get through this. I needed it since I had to stay in isolation for 100 days at home after leaving the hospital. I wore masks before it was cool. As a child, as I felt the Spirit of God calling me to salvation, I asked Jesus into my heart, surrendering my life to Him. My sins were forgiven and I was washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Then in 2017, my brother’s bone marrow and stem cells from his blood saved me again. I was twice saved by the blood. Praise the Lord Jesus! For the next few months, our home was in quarantine. All food was prepared specially with multiple strict cleanliness measures. I slept many days, too weak to get up for long. More than once, Mindy had to give me the attitude pep talk for often I dwelt in a dark place. I knew she loved me before that, but I then saw her love in action for well over a year. Slowly, I began to improve as Ralph’s bone marrow took root in me and began to make red blood cells, five types of white blood cells, and platelets. Mindy worked hard to get me through the chemo, transplant, and isolation. I loved her since I met her in 1974. Now I love her more and ever appreciate her devotion to me. By Thanksgiving 2017, I was better and returned to work. Life slowly returned to normal until March 2018 when I had emergency triple-bypass heart surgery that failed, and I had to go through it again three weeks later. Both surgeries failed, so the doctors used seven stents to get my blood flowing. One of the chemotherapies can lead to heart problems. Through all that, thank God I did not experience a heart attack. Within a few months after the last stent, the leaders of the church I served for 17½ years forced my resignation with one-day’s notice. As unworthy as I am to serve anywhere as pastor, I thank God that He allowed me to serve Him there for that many years. After all we endured, I knew God had plans for us. Obviously, it was not at that church. We understood that no church would call a 64-year-old pastor with recent serious health issues, so we began to explore other options. Within a few months, we decided to pursue work in real estate. We earned our real estate licenses and began working with Rita McIntosh, owner of McIntosh and Associates. We became two of the associates. God blessed our work and continues to do so. Through a series of heavenly events, we became members of Bethel Baptist Church, off Highway 468 south of Brandon. The godly members there welcomed and loved us as Mindy became the pianist and I the minister of music. After four years as minister of music, I became the minister of outreach and evangelism in February of this year. Every day is a blessing, as we continue to see God’s hand in all areas of our lives. Though not as energetic as before, I still have more than enough energy to work and serve the Lord. I thank God for my brother, who is my best friend and hero. I thank the Lord daily for my wonderful wife, Mindy. We are closer than ever. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, for I am twice saved by the Blood. Hometown RANKIN • 49
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