Read more about Rod's current battle with cancer at the end of this page. You can also read the daily mailing from about 11/27 on to get more info. Click here to go to the daily mailing page.

Stomach Cancer:

My Cancer Testimony!

by Rod Stringer

I stand before you this evening, as one who has seen God! Yes, you heard me right, I have seen God! I have seen him in my brothers and sisters in Christ. John writes in 1 John 4:12: “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” John says that as we love one another, as God has taught us to do in His Son Jesus Christ, then God lives in us. I have seen God in the lives of Christians, as they have reached out to me with love over the last year and a half.

Sometimes we wonder if anyone really cares about us, if anyone really loves us. I don’t wonder anymore, for I have been showered with love as I have faced my battle with cancer. Jesus said in John 13:34; “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” As Christians, we are to be a people of love. A people who reach out to one another in love. I can tell you from first hand experience, Love is alive and well in the Church of Jesus Christ!!! Love is alive in the Church because God is love. Love is alive in us because Jesus, the embodiment of love, is alive within us. Again, 1 John 4:11-12 says; “...God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

But the amazing thing about God’s love, is how His love is at work in our lives, even when we don’t realize it! Have you ever wondered why things happen the way they do? So many things in our lives just don’t make any since to us. Why did that business deal I was so sure of, fall though? Why didn’t I get that promotion at work? Why did I lose my job? Why did my son have to move so far away from home? Why did the drought have to last so long and ruin my crops? Why did I have to get cancer? And of course the biggest question of all: Where is God in the midst of all this? And why did He allow, or even make, this all happen?

As Christians, we often fail to realize just how big and great our God is. We often forget how God can move in our lives. How He can work in the midst of seemingly hopeless situations, and bring about His marvelous will. Simply because He loves us.

Over the last year and a half, I have come to realize, in a way that I never did before, just how mighty, and how loving, our God is. I have come to realize, how involved God is in every aspect of our life as a Christian. I have come to realize that He is bigger than any challenge we may face in this life. I have come to realize, that we serve a mighty God. That He is willing to move heaven and earth, to meet our needs. Why? Because He loves us. I have come to realize, there is no challenge in this life that we cannot over come as long as we are willing to take it in prayer, to a God that loves us more than we will ever know.!

Have you ever become unsettled in your job, in your life, and didn’t know why? I remember, back in late 1997 and early 1998, that I was becoming unsettled in my ministry. At that time I was the minister at the First Christian Church in Inverness, FL. Why was I beginning to think about making a change, of looking for a new ministry? I didn’t have the answer, all I knew was that, after ten years, I was ready to make a change.

But as we look back now, we have a better understanding of the why. Moving to Kentucky in July of 1998 was a big decision. But that move allowed us to be close to family for the first time in about twelve years. Living near Lexington, we are about six hours from my home in Ill. and Pats home in Pa. This turned out to be very important. As it allowed some part of our family to be with us about every other weekend during my illness. That wouldn’t have been possible if we were still here in Florida. The move put us in the backyard of Markey Cancer Center, at the University of Kentucky, where the doctors were that we would need. It put us in the midst of a church that would take us under its wings and love us though a very tough time. It put Pat in a job, that had great insurance, and that allowed her time off to take care of me.

In the Spring of 2001, Christy decided to lay out of college during the upcoming fall semester. For the first time in about six years we wouldn’t have a child in college. Her decision meant, that Pat didn’t have to worry about someone being at home with me, or how I was going to get to my radiation treatments. During the summer, our dog, Blackie Lee, became sick, and had to be put to sleep in July of 2001. At the time we didn’t realize why we had to lose our dog. But now we realize, that during my illness we wouldn’t have to worry about what to do with the dog, or with having to care for him while I was sick.

It was amazing how God was working all this out ahead of time, and we didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. Without us knowing it, God was lovingly preparing us for what was to come!

Around the last week of August (2001) I began to notice that when I swallowed it hurt a little. We went to Illinois to see my Dad and Mom on Labor Day weekend. While we were there, I noticed that it began to hurt even more when I swallowed. When we returned home, I decided to see our family doctor. I realized that this was probably something more than acid reflux, which I have had problems with for years.

Dr. Harrison, set me up for a barium swallow with Dr. Kohn. Which I had on Monday, September 17th. I was anxious for the results, so I picked them up myself from medical records and took them to Dr. Harrison on Wednesday, September 19th, which happened to be my 48th birthday. Upon seeing the test results, the doctor had me immediately admitted to the hospital for more tests Well, almost! I was suppose to go from the doctors office straight to admitting, where they were waiting for me. But instead I snuck home first. After all, I couldn’t be admitted without having my laptop computer with me.
 

The next day, after having an endoscopy done, Dr. Khan had the very tough job of telling me that I had advanced stomach cancer. He told us that this particular cancer does not respond to chemo or radiation. Which meant that there was nothing the doctors could do for me. Dr. Kohn had the tough task of telling me that I had about 3 months to live.

But there was something that we could do! For several years I have sent out an daily e-mail to over a hundred people around the country. It’s called Rod’s Recitations! (The name has changed now to “Union City Connections”) I am only beginning to understand the real reason why God had me begin this e-mail ministry. The next day I sent out an e-mail, asking for people to pray for me and my family. Immediately, God’s people lovingly took my problem to the very throne of God in prayer. And a God who loves us more than we can ever know, began to take the broken pieces of my life and put them back together again!

Dr. Khan set up an appointment for a endo ultrasound, at UK Medical Center in Lexington, (28th) the following week. It confirmed the diagnosis. However, Dr. Nicoles, was aware of something that Dr. Khan was not. The prayers were already being answered. He was aware of a new 10 year study, that was just completed a few weeks earlier on stomach cancer. The study said that chemo and radiation were effective, when used along with surgery.

But there was more. He set me up with Dr. Hannah at Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, a surgeon that had participated in that very study. In fact, Dr. Hannah is the doctor, that other doctors came to, to learn how to do the kind of surgery I needed. Oh how the loving hands of God were at work, answering the prayers of His people. The words of Jeremiah 29:12-13 were becoming a reality: “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. [13] You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God’s people were praying with all their heart, and God was answering.

Surgery was scheduled for Monday, October 15th. They wanted to admit me around 10:00 a.m. on the 14th. But there was a problem. That was a Sunday, and I was going to preach that morning. I told them to hold my bed, and I would see them later that afternoon. I kind of made a habit of being a little difficult. That night, I was suppose to drink about a gallon of go-lightly. The name and its effects have nothing in common! After a couple of drinks I became really sick. To the point that I was vomiting blood. About that time, Dr. Hannah, my surgeon came into my room. I asked him why I had to drink all that stuff. He said that it was to clean out my lower bowels, just in case they nicked something during surgery. I remember looking him right in the eye and saying, “You’re a better surgeon than that. You arn’t going to nick a bowel and I’m not going to drink any more of this stuff.” He thought for a minute and said, “Okay!”

I also remember making a deal with a nurse one night following surgery. I would wake up around 4 in the morning, in a lot of pain. I would have to call a nurse to come and give me more pain medication. If you have been in the hospital, you know it takes the nurse a while to get to your room. Then they would have to get the medication, come back and give it to you. Then it would take a while for the medication to take effect. All of which could take from a half hour to over an hour, and during all that time, your hurting! So, I asked my nurse to please give me my medication at 4 a.m. whether I was awake or not. She said she couldn’t do that. The medication was narcotic and I had to ask for it before she could give it to me. I said, “Well, I am asking you right now, to give it to me at 4.” And you know what, she did! The strange thing, she was the one nurse I really didn’t like very much, until that night!

Well, I’m getting a little ahead of myself. On Monday morning, October 15th I had surgery. I don’t remember, I was a little out of it, but Pat says that there were about 30 people in the waiting room during my surgery. Mom and Dad and my brother Chris were there. My three kids were there and several people for our church, including all four of our Elders. That morning, Dr. Hanna completely removed my stomach, spleen, half of my pancreas and the lower part of my esophagus. He also removed 49 lymph nodes of which 43 were malignant. I spent eight very difficult days in the hospital recovering.

The night before I came home, they gave me my first meal. Garlic beef stroganough and carrots. Now, you have to remember, I haven’t had anything to eat for over a week. I wasn’t even allowed to have ice chips. All I could do was suck on a little wet lollipop looking sponge thing. After 8 days, I was starved. Now, in retrospect, we should have known better than start out with garlic beef strogranough and carrots. But they brought it to me, I figured they felt life I could handle it. WRONG! After the first couple of bites, I became so sick. I started cramping and hurting so bad I couldn’t hardly stand it. Ron Marionneaux, one of the Elders from the church, happened to be visiting me when all this happened. Ron refused to leave until I got to feeling better. I really think that he thought I was going to pass out from the pain or worse.

One thing I have to mention. While I was in the hospital, Pat rarely left my side. And when she did, it was because she was asked to leave the room for a minute. Or maybe on occasion, to walk down to the cafeteria for a few minutes. I always knew that she loved me, I just never understood how much until then!

When I came home, I had a feeding tube in my nose that we were told would never come out. We were also told that I would never eat more than a tablespoon or two of food every couple of hours or so. I remember that when I got home, I had an urge for Lays BBQ potato chips. I couldn’t eat but one or two chips, but I will never forget taking a bite of that first chip. It tasted so good that I literally sit there and cried tears of joy. I also had an urge for fried liver and onions. I don’t remember crying when I did get to eat liver and onions, but it was good.

One thing our family will never forget was how things seems to arrive at our door, by our just thinking about them. Pat was saying one day, not long after I came home, that we needed paper plates and napkins. Well, before we knew it, someone showed up at the door with paper plates and napkins. Christy mentioned one day that it would be nice if we had some ham. You guessed it, within a couple of hours, a ham showed up at our door. This happened time and time again. My Mom and Dad were with us as some of this was happening. Mom mentioned several times one day that she wanted some KFC. Christy kept saying that we had a lot of food that needed to be eaten. Well, just before supper that evening, guess what showed up at the door? Mom responded by saying that she wanted pizza the next night. But if it suddenly showed up at the door, she was going home. Without Mom knowing it, Pat mentioned it to her boss the next day. Guess what showed up that night? And no, Mom didn’t pack up and go home.

Less than a month after surgery, they had me starting treatments. Doctor Hanna told my Oncologist, Dr. DeSimone, to treat me very aggressively. And he did! On that first day, November 12th, I had two different types of chemo at Markey Cancer Center, Carboplaten and taxall! I have since found out, that these are referred to as “The Big Boys” of chemo. Before they could give me the chemo, they first gave me about $1200 worth of anti-nausea pills. A half hour later they started pumping in the chemo, which took about six hours. Then we had to go to Berea for the radiation treatment, which was about 35 miles away. Along with the radiation, they put a fannie pack on me. This pack contained a third type of chemo that was injected into a port in my arm twenty four hours a day, five days a week, called 5FU. Altogether, I under went three rounds of chemo at Markey, and 30 radiation treatments in Berea, along with the third chemo that I took 24 hours a day, five days a week.

At times, the radiation burnt my esophagus to the point I couldn’t eat at all. We had to stop the radiation treatments for a week on two occasions. The chemo made me so sick, they cut back the dose on the third treatment. During this time I lost about 50 pounds and most of my hair. And I became so weak, that it was all I could do just to walk across the room. There were days, even weeks when I could hardly talk. There were days on end when I rarely smiled.

It was during this time that we were adding a new 5000 square foot addition to the church. By the way, we live right beside the church (we did at the time, since then we have bought our own home). I didn’t know Charles Locker, our contractor, at this time. But on the occasional warm winter day, when I was feeling up to it, I would walk over to the building briefly and say “Hi!” Charles told me weeks later, that when he first say me, he didn’t think I would ever live to see the building completed.

But let me tell you the rest of the story. On Thanksgiving Day, a month after surgery, I had had about all I could take of my feeding tube. It had started making my throat sore. When ever I swallowed it would rub against my throat and really cause a lot of pain. As I was setting at the table, and everyone was enjoying their Thanksgiving meal, I was struggling to eat. With every little bite, my throat would hurt. Finally I looked at Pat and she gave me that “Go ahead” look. I walked into the bathroom, and with my son Adam’s arm around my shoulders, I slowly pulled the feeding tube out of my nose. For the first time in days, I walked back to the table with a big smile on my face. And with a face that finally looked normal again!

But now, without the feeding tube, I had to really work on my eating. Every couple of hours I had to eat a few tablespoons of something. And I had to drink enough to keep from getting dehydrated as well. If I didn’t, they would have to put the tube back in again. Somehow, I ate enough to survive without the tube. Oh how prayers of God’s people were being answered.

I still had a lot of trouble drinking, and ended up in the emergency room with dehydration. And to keep from becoming dehydrated again, I had to take IV fluids every evening though the month of February and into March.

Finally my treatments ended on January 17th (2002). But the effects lasted for about another month. In fact, I think I felt sicker during the month following treatments than during them. On January 25th, I had my first cat scan following my surgery and treatment. It failed to show any sign of cancer.

What a mighty God we serve! In Luke 18:1 we read; “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” God’s people were not giving up on me or on God, and God was hard at work in my life.

By the first of March I was eating most anything I wanted, and the amount was increasing. I was also beginning to drink better and was able to get rid of the IV fluids. Although I was still very weak, my strength began to slowly return. On February 26th, I had a more extensive cat scan, it too came back clear. James tells us in James 5:16; “ ...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” A lot of great Christian people all over the country were praying, and their prayers were and are effective.

On Sunday March 24th (2002), I returned to the pulpit for the first time since my surgery. I had told the Elders that I thought I would be out of the pulpit for about 6 weeks prior to my surgery. I was out a total of 23 straight weeks.

Today I am eating most anything I want. Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, 6 inch subway sandwich. And I am able to eat a fairly normal amount 3 or more times a day. I not only eat a good breakfast, lunch and supper, I often eat a sandwich around 2 or 3 in the morning (I no longer eat during the night, as I am now able to sleep all night). I do have to admit that I get cramps most evenings, and I have to lose the meal to get rid of them. I am also able to drink normally, except that I don’t drink when I eat or for about an hour afterwards. For some reason though, I have switched to drinking Pepsi instead of Coke.

Where does it all go, since I have no stomach? That’s another interesting story. Dr. Hannah, my surgeon, told Pat right after surgery that he was not able to create a food pouch for he as he had planned. Which means that there was just a straight shot from my throat into my small intestines. That’s why I would only be able to eat a couple of tablespoons full of food every couple of hours. However, as I said, I am eating much more than the two tablespoons full. So, where does it all go? I had a small bowel follow through test on July 2nd, 2002. As I watched the video screen I could see my digestive system outlined on the screen. And there it was, a pouch just below where they had connected my esophagus to my small intestine. How did it get there? I think I know. God put it there!!!! Out of His love for me, God did what the Doctor couldn’t

I am no longer on any medication of any kind. I do, however, have to sleep in an elevated position. That is because I no longer have a sphincter valve to keep things from coming back up into my esophagus. And, I can’t run anymore. I have tried to jog from the church to the house, but my body just won’t let me. Which means I have to be careful and not make Pat mad at me, because now I can’t outrun her!

Was I ever discouraged? You bet! Was I ever depressed? You bet! There were times when I was nauseated, sick and hurting for days on end. Even $100 plus nausea pills didn’t give me any relief. There were days when I didn’t care if I lived, and would have preferred to have died on the spot. But it was during those times that I felt the love of God in a very real way. During those darkest days, I received up to 15 cards a day. Each one telling me that someone cared, that someone loved me. That they were praying for me. You will never know how much that encouraged me. You will never know the strength those expressions of love gave me as I faced this horrible battle.

I am convinced, that the impossible was accomplished in my life, by the power of love, expressed in the prayers of God’s people! The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 11:6; “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” God’s people believed that He could do the impossible in my life. They put their faith in God, and God rewarded their faith, and mine, by bringing healing to my life.

Don’t ever think that you are powerless when you face the challenges of life. Don’t ever think that God can’t use the circumstances of your life, no matter how bad or horrible they may seem at the time, to bring about something wonderful in your life. As Christians, we must understand, that God can and will work all things out for our good, if we will trust Him. Why? Because He loves us! God is very capable of turning our problems into His solutions, into His blessings.

And don’t ever think that there is nothing you can do. If someone you know is sick, or hurting, or going through a rough time, you can love them with the love of Christ Jesus. And you can pray! Pray to a God who is love and who loves you more than you can know. And if your love is sincere and you pray in faith, believing, our loving God will hear and will act.

Remember, we serve the God of the impossible. Who spoke a universe into being. Who raises the dead. Who walks on water. Who calms the sea. Who takes the sin of the world upon himself. Who defeated sin and death once and for all on the cross of Calvary. If you love one another, and pray for one another, God can and will do amazing things.

Yes, I have seen God, in the loving prayers of His people! John writes in 1 John 4:12; “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

P.S.

June 23, 2003

Just a follow up note to let you know that I am still doing great. I still get cramps and have to lose a meal most days, usually in the evening. And there are still days that are fairly rough. But for the most part I am doing great. I work in my yard and garden. I am preaching and teaching full time at the church. I am eating most anything that I want, even hot peppers, and I eat almost a normal meal three times a day. I still get tired fairly quickly and have to rest often. And in the last few weeks I have even gained a couple of pounds. The doctors are amazed at my progress. The last time I ran into my surgeon, he took at quick look at my chart and then said, “You shouldn’t be here!” That was about a year ago and I am still here! What a mighty God we serve.

The last time I saw my Oncologist was in April, 2003. At that time my CT scan looked normal and the doctor said that he didn’t want to see me for six months.

June 30, 2004

Another follow up note. I recently had a follow up with my Oncologist which went very well. My latest CT scan does not show any sign of cancer. In fact, the doctor says that if I continue to do well, that he will pronounce me cured of cancer in January. Praise the Lord!!! Isn't it amazing how powerful our prayers are. And I do thank everyone for their prayers on my behalf. Now, keep in mind that I still have to live with the consequences of my illness. I still have problems with getting sick most evenings and having to purge my system. That will most likely never change. And I still don't have the energy that I once had. But other wise, I am doing great.

January 19th, 2005

I had my 6 month check up yesterday. They did a CT scan and of course took blood. When I saw my Oncologist he was all smiles. It seems that my CT scan was clean, they couldn't find any problems. The doctor said that he felt that if anything was going to show up that he would have expected it to show up by now. In other words, he thinks the cancer is all gone! And the blood work seemed to agree, it showed that my kidneys and liver were working normally. Which is important as the doctor expected that if the cancer did return, it would show up in the liver first. Once again all I can say is "Thanks" for your prayers on my behalf. God has and continues to hear and answer your prayers on my behalf. What a mighty God we serve! I will go back to the doctor in about eight months.
 

January 24th, 2006

Over the last year I have been to my oncologist a couple of times, the last was back in late November, and he continues to tell me that everything looks great and he feels that the cancer will NOT come back. Praise the Lord! I had an endoscopy done back in November to see how my pouch was doing. There was some concern that it was too large and that it might rupture at some point. However, my gastroenterologist said that it looked great. He doesn't think there is any problem with it rupturing. The bad news was that he also didn't see anything that could be done to keep me from having to throw up everyday. You see, when I eat some of the food stays in my pouch and doesn't flow through as it should. That is because of the shape of my pouch, the entrance and exit are a little higher than the middle part of the pouch. Food gets in that area and can't come out. This causes anywhere from mild discomfort to real pain. So I have to purge my pouch, usually in the evenings. My family tends to refer to me as being bulimic. The other problem that I have is that I still become tired very easy. I would have thought that I would have regained my stamina by now, but I guess that is not going to happen. So, I have to pace myself and I have to rest frequently. Between the throwing up and being tired by the end of the day, I usually stay home in the evenings. But, because of your prayers and God's gracious answers, I am able to continue to preach and teach and serve as a part of the Body of Christ.

June 6th, 2006

Pat and I went to see Dr. DeSimone and I am both thrilled and somewhat sad to say that it was our last visit with him. Doc said that I was doing great and that he didn’t need to see my again. From what the CT scan was showing there was absolutely no sign of any cancer, so his joy was done. I said that I was thrilled and we are. What a ride the last five years have been. But, we are also a little sad because we have some to depend on Dr. DeSimone to reassure us that everything is alright. It’s amazing how important that reassurance becomes after you have dealt with something as painful and deadly as cancer. But as I have thought about that, that is exactly what we get each week as we come to church and gather around the Lord’s Table. We get God’s reassurance as we remember what His Son, Jesus Christ, has done for us. We are reassured that as long as we continue to seek His will and His desire for our life, as long as we seek to live for His each day, that we have a home waiting for us in His wonderful heaven. Maybe that’s why when we miss church and miss coming around that table that we feel something is missing in our life. That something is God’s reassurance. Once again, Pat and I want to thank everyone for your prayers over the last five years, they have meant so much to us and have literally moved the hand of God in our lives. But, don’t stop praying for us, for your prayers continue to make a difference in our lives. And, I still have problems with my eating and getting sick each day and with getting tired quickly and easily. One thing that I have been taught in the midst of all this, among many things, is that even though the disease (or the sin) has been dealt with, we still have to live with the consequences of it. In my case, I have to deal with not having a stomach and I always will in this life. But then, God give us the strength that we need to so just that, to live successfully for Him regardless of the consequences of our past. Isn’t God Great!!!

If you have questions about my experience, feel free to contact me at rstringer@cheerful.com 

December 4th, 2007

My doctor told us from the beginning that even though he pronounced me cured of the stomach cancer, that it most likely would come back in some way shape or form. Well, it has! We know that I have a lymph node in my chest that is malignant. I have had trouble with my neck and my tail bone, we think the cancer is there as well. In fact, I will have a CT scan tomorrow to get a better idea of what we are looking at. At the moment I have cut back what I am doing at the church to just preaching on Sunday morning as I get tired very quickly. Now, if you have read my story, you we have been down this road before. God was with us then and He is with us now. And like before, I am asking for your prayers. God does hear and He does answer, I am living proof of that as the doctors said I wouldn't live more than about 3 months 6 years ago, and your prayers changed that. I don't know what God's plan is for me at the moment as we deal with cancer again. But I do know at least two things: One, God can heal, He is the great physician. No mater what the doctor tells us this week, God can bring about healing, if that is His will. Second, God can and God will bring good out of this bout with cancer. I have had the opportunity to be an encouragement to many over the last six years, and I know that He will use me now in some way to touch the lives of people for Jesus as we go though this again. As you can imagine, this is very hard on my family. So I do ask that you especially keep my wife, Pat, in your prayers, along with my children, Christy and her husband Bill, Melissa and Adam. Also, my Mom and Dad who are very concerned and worried about me. Just remember, that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us. As you read the 23rd Psalm, keep in mind that we don't stay in the dark valley, but that God successfully leads us through to the other side where there is light and joy for ever.