The journey that Greg Stobbe and his family have been on the past four years is one that no family should have to endure. A year ago, on Sept. 15, Geena Stobbe passed away after a 3-year battle with a rare disease called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). It is a slow, degenerative illness for which there is no known cure, and she required 24/7 care as her body deteriorated. Geena and her family faced it with incredible grace and courage, and all the more so during a COVID-19 lockdown. This past year has been one of adjusting to daily lives without Geena’s amazing personality and joy. A difficult adjustment for any family most certainly, but especially one that was blessed to have someone like Geena as their wife, mother, and grandmother.

Unfortunately, now another new, and very serious, journey is in front of them.

When Greg was a toddler, a freak accident resulted in the near total loss of vision in his left eye. As an adult, that eye grew dimmer and was replaced several years ago with a prosthesis. Understandably, Greg is very protective of his remaining eye. Alarmed by some discomfort, he saw an optometrist, and was immediately sent to a retinal specialist in San Francisco. Last week, the day after Geena’s one year deathiversary, he was diagnosed with ocular melanoma, a rare yet malignant form of eye cancer, in his good eye.

The tumor is pressing against the optic nerve, and surgery and radiation treatments are now scheduled in mid-October to try and destroy the tumor. While the oncologist believes radiation will be successful, the procedure is not without risks, namely probable blindness in his only remaining eye. It is still unknown if the cancer has spread; however, this cancer spreads widely like fine sand, and would remain undetected throughout the body until fatal.

As so many of you have done these past four years, we once again ask for your heartfelt prayers for the Stobbes, and for Greg’s positive outcome in this new battle. We beg for the miracle of total healing that Geena didn’t receive. For many of us of faith, it is natural to ask God why He would put a family through so much. I’m not sure we will have an answer to that this side of heaven. What we do know is that we are asked to come alongside those that are hurting and suffering, and to make sure they are not alone on their journey, and support his daughters as they provide him with care during the month of October.

The Stobbes will be incurring much in the way of medical and travel costs during this time, especially as Greg will not be working. The treatments mentioned will be taking place in San Francisco and Sacramento, and will both require several, extended stays. Due to continuing COVID restrictions, low-cost to free cancer care accommodations are closed. Of the many things that concern the family right now, we would like to remove expenses from that list. If you are able, your contribution to help offset those expenses would be greatly appreciated by the Stobbes as well the people around Greg and his family that love them very much.

If prayer is also part of your giving, Greg’s surgery is scheduled for October 6, the day before Geena’s birthday. Radiation dates are scheduled for October 18-21. While there are various appointments in between, we ask that on these dates you pray without ceasing.