A MATTER OFPERSPECTIVE
Cancer Loses Every Time, Part 1

By David R. Currie,
Executive Director

In my last column I wrote “a personal perspective” about the struggles my family has faced with my mother breaking her shoulder and my stepdaughter fighting breast cancer at age 38. I mentioned how we had all taken strength from our faith and how we knew that death awaits us all but that ultimately death was nothing to fear because we have life eternal through Christ.

Since writing that article, things have gotten a little more “personal.” I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. On the day Candi, my daughter, had her mastectomy, my doctor called me to tell me my biopsy was positive.

Cancer is such a nasty word, such a nasty disease. Mother calls it the “silent killer.” I am hardly able to comprehend there is something inside me that will end my physical life much earlier than I would like unless I do something about it. I can have the prostate removed since the cancer appears to be contained at this point or take one of several forms of radiation. Soon I must make a decision about undergoing a radical prostatectomy.

The good news is I will probably be cured. In fact, I will probably die of something else other than prostate cancer. However, it does not feel good. I suddenly feel much more vulnerable, much more temporary.

My good friend and former college classmate, Bob Webb, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Corsicana, recently led the devotional at a Howard Payne University trustee meeting. Bob faced death several years ago before receiving a liver transplant. He put into words what I had been feeling. He said that because of Christ, he was not afraid of dying; he just was not ready to leave his family or the life he loved.

When I was diagnosed, I kept thinking about mother, my children, my wife, my sister and her family. I am not ready to leave those folks yet.

Mother needs me to preach her funeral. Candi needs me to help her in her battle with cancer. My daughter-in-law, Shanna certainly needs my “grandfather” skills with her two small children. My oldest stepson, Chuck needs me to see the big buck he kills every year. My other stepson, Scott needs my guitar instruction. Lance and Chad are not grown up yet and we still haven’t been to every baseball stadium in the country.

Loretta would miss being woken up by me as I crawl into bed late after writing an article. She’d miss being able to say, “you are so inconsiderate, why do you have to make so much noise, be still for goodness sake.” And I’d miss hearing it.

Finally, I have a ranch full of cedar bushes, mesquite trees and prickly pear that I’ve promised myself will be gone before I die. I just don’t have time to die right now.

I doubt anyone has ever died that didn’t have a plate full of things they still wanted to do, see, accomplish, etc.

I also know I’m not ready to leave all the authentic, traditional Baptists who have supported Texas Baptists Committed so strongly and become an extended family to me. I’m not ready to stop leading our efforts to preserve the Baptist witness in America.

I also know this; cancer will not ultimately defeat Candi or me. It may end our physical life someday, but even if it does, it will not defeat us.

Recently, breast cancer took the life of Betsy Taylor, our church financial secretary, at age 54. Because Betsy, and her husband Tom, were such people of faith, their own daughter was able to say at her mother’s funeral, “some say Mother lost her battle with cancer, but not being in pain anymore and going to be with Jesus and other members of her family, doesn’t seem to me to be losing.”

Right, very right. Teach these truths to your children and their children. Pass that faith from generation to generation. That is what TBC is about.

I’ll write a second article about cancer and it’s connections to Baptist life a little later. For now, thank you for your prayers for me, Candi, Mother, and especially for Loretta as she copes with both a daughter and husband with cancer.

I know many of you reading this have also traveled down this path, and sadly in some instances, not defeated it in this life. This is a part of life for all of us. There are no “yellow brick roads” to the wizard, but there is a road of peace and comfort, the road of life with Jesus walking beside us and living inside us.

Having you as a faith family to walk with my family is a great comfort to us. Thank you.

June 2003