First of all I do not have cancer. Just wanted to make that clear.
Two weeks ago I officiated a funeral for a friend of mine, Rick Drahos. I met him when I first came to Heartland as Pastor. He has been sick since before I was here. In the last couple of years I have seen him grow, and was even able to baptize him. But I have also been with him at chemo treatments, hospital visits, a birthday party. A week before he passed our church threw him and his wife Cris a 36th Wedding Anniversary Party. Within days he was checked into a hospice house, and a few days later he went to be with Jesus. I watched him suffer for 2 years. I prayed that God would heal him and take away the pain. Which God did eventually heal him by giving him eternal life in heaven in the presence of Jesus. Rick persevered until the end. He fought for life. And through it all the most heard phrase out of his mouth was "I dont want to complain."
The last few months a lady named Brittany Maynard had national attention while all eyes were on her. She was dying of terminal cancer. She knew her life was about to end, that she would suffer. She moved to Oregon so she would be able to plan her own death through suicide. She would get infront of her suffering so she would not have diminished quality of life.
This morning I was watching CBS This Morning and saw this story. Please watch. It is worth the time. Lauren Hill, not the singer, is a young woman who I respect. I will never meet her, but instead of ending her life before the suffering began she chose to follow her dreams of playing college basketball. Lauren will not have regret. She is facing everything that life brings her way and is going out like a champion.
3 People facing terminal cancer with different approaches.
