Help Ethan as He Beats Cancer!

My son, Ethan, will soon be 27 years old and in July will celebrate 2 years of marriage with his wife, Loretta this summer.  They have just finished one battle, and now are facing a new one . Last September Ethan was diagnosed with T-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. He started chemo that very same day.  March 8, 2019, after 7 months of brutal chemo treatments, he was officially in remission and there were no signs of cancer in any of the tests. He started into maintenance treatments and he returned to work, feeling strong and rejoicing for the victory. 

After taking time to make peace with unexpected and very disheartening news, Ethan and Loretta are finally ready to share with you that his cancer has aggressively returned.  As if that is not a big enough battle, Ethan was told this week that he will not have a job to return to when he finishes treatment and is healthy again.  A new battle has begun.  

Specifics are this - thinking that Ethan had developed a severe case of pneumonia, Artesia General Hospital airlifted him to Lubbock Sunday, May 25, 2019. Throughout the week, however, further tests indicated that Ethan’s initial mass (from September) had grown five inches in the span of three weeks and was pressing against a nerve connected to his lungs. This resulted in a collapsed lung and temporary lung-paralysis that makes it difficult for Ethan to breath properly. Ethan has since been placed on breathing machines, and on Friday, he started his new regiment of chemo in hopes of shrinking the mass to relieve the pressure from the nerve. If the chemo does not reduce the size of the mass within the week, the doctors want Ethan to start radiation treatment immediately following the chemo.

Here in the next few weeks, Ethan will be transferred to either the Mayo Clinic in Arizona or to MD Anderson in Texas for a month of intensive chemo and possibly a bone marrow transplant.

Friends, we would be lying if we said that Ethan and Loretta (and we, their family) were not devastated by this news—it was a very difficult pill to swallow, and though we did finally feel at peace, we spent the past week experiencing a wide-range of emotions (grief, anger, sadness, fear, confusion....). 

Despite all of this, we want to make it clear that our Father in Heaven is still abundantly good, and this circumstance does not dictate how Ethan and Loretta feel about God, nor should it dictate how you feel about God. He is just as good, as faithful, and as powerful today as He was when Ethan was first declared cancer-free. Make no mistake about it—God WILL use this cancer for good in their lives, and ours, and the lives of others. God turns everything around for our good…that is a promise! God WILL heal Ethan a second time…that is a promise!

Ethan and Loretta are entering this battle with an eternal mindset. Their lives, their marriage, their battle with cancer has a beautifully written purpose for the Kingdom of Heaven, and though times may get difficult, they are ready to fulfill that purpose.

During this time, Ethan and Loretta ask that you stand in firm, unwavering agreement with them as they, and we,  pray for complete and FINAL healing; as we pray against the side-effects of chemo on Ethan’s body, emotionally and physically; as we pray that Ethan and Loretta will have peace, joy, and strength; and finally, as we pray that God will use this cancer to transform the eternal lives of others in the name of Jesus Christ!

Thank you, as always, for your continual love and support. Thank you too, for any help you can offer financially for this young couple during their difficult and stressful fight. They do have insurance that will cover much of the treatment, but that will not help when it comes to bills, travel costs, and living expenses. God has been faithful, and will continue to provide, but He also uses people to meet the need.