Bill Bellican’s Battle with Pancreatic Cancer

Bill Bellican is a wonderful husband and father of three who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer on October 26, 2020. 

Bill received his doctorate in Formational Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary. He has been a counseling pastor at Central Church in Collierville, TN for 25 years. Bill has also taught counseling courses at Victory University in Memphis and Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL as an adjunct professor. 

In the fall of 2020, Bill began experiencing symptoms including appetite loss, back pain, and weight loss. His early scans revealed that the cancer was not only present in the pancreas, but had spread to the outside of his stomach, liver, omentum, and surrounding lymph nodes. Dr. Tauer at the West Cancer Clinic (Germantown, TN) formulated a treatment plan of very aggressive chemotherapy, but set grim yet hopeful expectations, stating only 20-30% of pancreatic cancer patients respond to the chemotherapy. The treatments are quite brutal, causing dehydration, weakness and fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. After the first two chemo infusions, Dr. Tauer scheduled a CT scan (Dec. 15th) to assess whether or not the cancer was responsive. Miraculously, the tumor has shrunk, and Bill proceeds with further chemo infusions every other week. Additionally, he receives fluids at the clinic almost daily to help combat the dehydration and nausea. Dr. Tauer said that this cancer will eventually take Bill's life, however, he is hopeful that with the cancer's response to chemotherapy, he will be afforded a bit more time. 

I hope that this GoFundMe account will help Bill and his family feel financially secure in this trying time of life. Because of the severity of his battle against cancer, he retired early from his counseling and teaching positions. Let's help Bill focus on the fight for his life by relieving some of his worries and showing our love and support. He continues to trust in the Lord's goodness, seek His comfort and strength, and minister to others through faith during this difficult time. 

Bill encourages his friends and family to follow his Facebook page [Celebrate Recovery/ Collierville], where he posts updates as much as possible. He currently asks for prayers for the following: 1. To regain his strength and build up white blood cells 2. That his future chemotherapy infusions have minimal side effects 3. That the tumor and cancerous cells continue to shrink so that he can spend as much time as possible with his family 4. That while Bill believes total healing by God is possible as nothing is impossible for God, ultimately, Bill desires that God's will be accomplished. 

Bill and his family are overwhelmed with gratitude for your outpouring of love and support. 

The Anchor Holds