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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