Help David Destroy Cancer

--Latest Status as of 1/9/24: updated to account for money donated elsewhere. For those who haven't found out yet, our dear friend David has passed away; see latest update for more details. As for this main area, I have updated the budget to reflect the funeral expenses, for those who feel led to help Amber in that way.--

Our dearly beloved friend David Northrop is battling for his life right now with cancer. Thankfully, there is a treatment that can work, but it is very expensive and David doesn't necessarily have much time because of an inoperable tumor blocking his intestines completely. Please pray about and consider if God lays on your heart to support David and his wife Amber to get the treatment he needs, which may potentially save his life.

In November of 2020, David was diagnosed with a rare cancer, called small bowel adenocarcinoma, when after many misdiagnoses a blockage was found in his small bowel and surgery done. They removed a tumor that had been growing there a while. Within a year, 2 more tumors were found to have grown and began blocking so a 2nd surgery was done in the fall of 2021.

It has been 20 months since that time and after much nutritional support, and specific medicines more tumors have grown back albeit slower than previously before. David, since he is an Air Force veteran, was able to have these surgeries generously covered at no cost and largely the last 2.5yrs David and Amber have been reliant on God's provision and very generous family and friends when God puts it on their heart.

Unfortunately, the VA only provides chemotherapy to treat this rare form of cancer and unfortunately chemo has not cured patients who had this disease. Immunotherapy was not an option either. He and Amber have sought medical help outside the VA short term that seemed somewhat helpful, but unfortunately, that has not been enough. Now the cancer has returned and requires a completely different solution besides surgery, since the position of the tumors is making it essentially inoperable.

David and Amber are facing a monumental task that only God can help David overcome. They have been praying for miracles daily the last 2.5 yrs, quoting scriptures, receiving deliverance and healing prayer.

And there is hope. Recently they have discovered a special treatment in Houston, Texas at the Burzynski Clinic, which has a long history of success treating tumors through antineoplaston peptides. But unfortunately, the treatment is expensive and they cannot do it alone. And there isn’t any way to know at this point how many months of treatment David will need; it could take 6 months for this type of cancer. But we just won’t know until we get further down the road and see how the treatment goes. So I (Levi) will update this as we get more information. But for today, what we know is that David will need at least 2 months of treatment, so that is what the below list of needs are based on.

By the way, the plan is for them to fly to Houston, be there 2 weeks, and then be able to come home and have the treatment administered from a pump/nurse there.

The Budget (updated 1/9/24):

$37,651 is the total.

Thankfully, David and Amber have already been blessed by amazing people who have offered to cover their airfare and to give them a place to stay while they are in Houston. Would you consider helping with the rest? Even if you can give only a little, it will mean so much to us.

My wife and I (speaking as Levi and Gretchen) are close friends of theirs. 8 years ago, David married us, and Amber took our wedding pictures. They are some of our closest friends. When I understood how dire it had become the last few days, I immediately felt moved to help in any way I can.

David is one of the most joyful, compassionate men I know, and also an amazing man of many talents. God has taken him all over the world and he has deeply studied Hebrew culture and context and brought that understanding to so many believers through seder Passover meals; many people know him that way, but he has so many interests that he is able to engage people on almost any topic. He is such an amazing paradoxical man: a writer, an entrepreneur, a scholar, but also the life of any party, a world traveler, and so many other things, not least of which is a good faithful husband to Amber and a friend to me.

David and Amber did not want to ever ask for funds but they are now surrendering to whatever they feel God wants them to do. I know they are really stepping forward in humility and vulnerability to share all of this with you. If God lays it on your heart to bless them, they will be so grateful. This cancer is aggressive and if they could, they would have left for Houston yesterday, but unfortunately, treatment cannot be done until the money is raised, so they are waiting on the funds.

Thank you so much for considering giving. We can make this happen together.