Not too long ago, I shared that I was facing a few issues with my health. We thought it may be something with my heart, but found that it was severe sleep apnea.

Now, however, we have hit another roadblock with my health.

And it is with great humility and thankfulness that I ask for your prayers.

A week ago, I was diagnosed with skin cancer after a biopsy on the edge of my ear. At this point, my doctor is unsure just how serious it may or may not be. There are two main kinds of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. He said that it is not basal cell, but he also did not say that it is melanoma either. After the surgeon collaborated with my doctor, it has been determined that it is squamus cell carcinoma. This is a slow growing cancer, and, while not as bad as melanoma, is still something to be eliminated as quickly as possible.

This diagnosis is especially frightening to me since I lost my father to skin cancer that metastasized to his brain in 2011. Part of me wants to scream at the injustice of this (I lost my brother, father, and grandfather to various cancers, and my mother is a cancer survivor. Couldn’t we be done with cancer?!). On the other hand, I rest assured that God’s purpose for my life will be refined through this. Through trials such as this, God builds character and faithfulness, and I look forward to what he can bring from this.

I know, in comparison to other varieties of cancer, this is more mild and has a high success rate in treatment. Nevertheless, I covet your prayers, both for healing and for my family as they struggle to understand what God can accomplish through this. Pray especially for my kids. Their experiences with cancer, in my dad and brother, have been very frightening, and they will need as much strength as possible to rely on God through this.

Also, pray for my wife. She is the strongest woman I know, and she does so much for our family. This is additional stress that she must cope with, on top of mothering a very busy family.

And finally, pray for me. Pray for healing. And also pray for peace that I may accept the fact that this is something that must be dealt with and strength to endure until it is finished.

Thanks for being a part of this community. I am deeply thankful for each and every one of you!

Be deliberate, Dad!

Thank you for your prayers. And if you have any thoughts or encouragement, you can leave those in the comments by clicking here.