My father is dying.

[2bLikeJesus]

My father, who is 80 years old is dying.  He has stage 4 colon cancer that has metastasized as well to his liver causing as the doctor stated "more tumors than can be counted" on his liver.  Last night he went into emergency surgery because his colon ruptured.  Needless to say none of this is operable or curable and prognosis is less than 2 months tops if he survives what happened last night.  Now for the good news. My dad has a very solid testimony of salvation and obvious influences of the Holy Spirit in his life.  However, my brother Jeff is lost, knows it, and doesn't care.  My sister I am not sure about.  She says she is saved but her beliefs are modern neo-evangelical "works salvation" since she believes every time you drop a stitch you need to be re-saved.  Has never read the bible and has no desire to (which I don't understand if you are truly saved).  My prayer is more for my brother and sister than my dad who is at peace with finally going home.  Prayer for him would simply be that he passes as comfortably as possible.  

Bro. Garry

In His will.  By His power.  For His glory.

[Baptist_Bible_Believer]

I take it your mother is already in heaven? I can say for myself after having lost my wife to ovarian cancer, as soon as God is finished with me on this earth, I'm anxiously awaiting seeing her again. When heaven grows sweeter when a very loved one is there, your father will be glad graduation day is approaching.

[Jim_Alaska]

Brother Gary, I am so saddened by the news of your father's condition, but also rejoice in the knowledge that he is saved and has persevered. These are the kinds of things that try men's faith. I know yours is strong and will prevail.

Please rest assured that I will be in prayer for your father's comfortable passing into the loving arms of our Lord. I will also, as you asked, be in earnest prayer for your sister and brother's spiritual condition.

Thank you for letting us know of this request and giving us the opportunity to pray.

[OFIB Preacher]

Praying for y'all here in KY.

[2bLikeJesus]

Update.  My dad came through his emergency surgery and is recovering well.  They transferred him from the hospital to a rehab facility last night.  After he is sufficiently on his feet again, then starts the decision on what to do about all the tumors on his liver.  The doctor stated that those types of tumors that result from a metastasized spread from a cancer in another part of the body, typically respond well to chemo.  That is where the real battle will come in that needs prayer;  my dad's willingness to go through extraordinary means to prolong his life when what he really wants is to go to his eternal home.  All that he has left on this dirt ball is me and my siblings, all his friends and both wives (my mom died young in her 30's of cancer) are already waiting for him.  Please continue to pray for the salvation of my brother and sister.  Because I live a separated lifestyle with standards based on bible principles, they think I am in some kind a weird cult and they are just waiting for me to drink the koolaid.

[Jim_Alaska]

Thanks for this update Bro. Gary. I have been praying diligently in regard to your request. I will continue to pray for your siblings as well as your father.

Regarding the issue of choosing chemo or no chemo, I would offer my experiences. Any good Oncologist will tell the patient that the final decision is the patient's. The doctor should inform in regard to every eventuality, but not try to steer a patient in a specific direction.

I lost my wife to cancer in 2007. She fought the disease valiantly for five years. While it is true that tumors from metastasized cancer do respond well to chemo, this is not to be understood as a cure in every case. My wife's experience was that while the response to chemo may be favorable, it is a roller coaster ride of shrinking tumors that rebound with time. This gives false hope and renewed chemo treatments.

The decision to do chemo or not needs to be well informed and discussed with his doctor. Chemo has the capacity to adversely affect a persons quality of life. Chemo does destroy cancer cells, there is no doubt. But it also destroys healthy cells, particularly those that have to do with the immune system. many times this tendency brings on unwanted immune system problems.

I'm not a doctor so I should probably not expound any more on this. I just wanted to caution about possible consequences that I have experienced with my wife's cancer.

[DaveW]

Brother Gary, ask the relevant doctor to research a thing called "Sirspheres" from a company called Sirtex.

They are a targeted treatment for liver cancers.

They have had good success, and they may be applicable to his situation.

[2bLikeJesus]

Edward Richard Santos Jr., 81.
Passed Away peacefully from this life and on to eternal life today January the eleventh at 11:45 p.m. A great Man. A great Father to us.
I am so honored to have had you for my father. Now is a time of tears for us, yet joy too, in knowing the unspeakable joy that is now his for all of eternity.
I look forward to the time when we will all be United again. 

 1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV) 
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Psalm 116:15 (KJV) 
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

We who are alive and remain will celebrate a race well run by my father. Well named was the Holy Spirit as the Great Comforter. Thank you Jesus for giving me the strength to be at his side when he entered into glory! All praise, honor and glory forever!

In His will. By His power. For His glory.

Edited January 12, 2019 by 2bLikeJesus

[RayJr]

Will pray for your family. 

[Baptist_Bible_Believer]

On 1/4/2019 at 12:49 PM, Jim_Alaska said:

Thanks for this update Bro. Gary. I have been praying diligently in regard to your request. I will continue to pray for your siblings as well as your father.

Regarding the issue of choosing chemo or no chemo, I would offer my experiences. Any good Oncologist will tell the patient that the final decision is the patient's. The doctor should inform in regard to every eventuality, but not try to steer a patient in a specific direction.

I lost my wife to cancer in 2007. She fought the disease valiantly for five years. While it is true that tumors from metastasized cancer do respond well to chemo, this is not to be understood as a cure in every case. My wife's experience was that while the response to chemo may be favorable, it is a roller coaster ride of shrinking tumors that rebound with time. This gives false hope and renewed chemo treatments.

The decision to do chemo or not needs to be well informed and discussed with his doctor. Chemo has the capacity to adversely affect a persons quality of life. Chemo does destroy cancer cells, there is no doubt. But it also destroys healthy cells, particularly those that have to do with the immune system. many times this tendency brings on unwanted immune system problems.

I'm not a doctor so I should probably not expound any more on this. I just wanted to caution about possible consequences that I have experienced with my wife's cancer.

I always felt that the doctor and his nurse were not willing to tell us the whole picture because it meant continued treatment even know they knew by then that it was time to look at alternate treatments. Rather, we were constantly greeted with, "You are looking good! Everything is going well!" Until it wasn't. We were always asking them to be very up front with us and tell us an honest prognosis - but it was always an unreasonable assurance that everything was good, that they were merely treating her situation as a chronic disease--such as with my diabetes. It was hard not to be angry when the end came, but we had a great God and we knew that in the end it was all according to His perfect plan for our lives. He never makes a wrong decision, even though the doctors are prone to look at treatment as a source of income.

When our daughter who is in the medical field encouraged us to start looking at something else, my wife was wheelchair bound and it was simply too late.

I believe that people should investigate all their options as early as possible and if the doctor is hesitant to have that conversation--it may be necessary to find another doctor.

6 hours ago, 2bLikeJesus said:

Edward Richard Santos Jr., 81.
Passed Away peacefully from this life and on to eternal life today January the eleventh at 11:45 p.m. A great Man. A great Father to us.
I am so honored to have had you for my father. Now is a time of tears for us, yet joy too, in knowing the unspeakable joy that is now his for all of eternity.
I look forward to the time when we will all be United again. 

 1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV) 
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Psalm 116:15 (KJV) 
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

We who are alive and remain will celebrate a race well run by my father. Well named was the Holy Spirit as the Great Comforter. Thank you Jesus for giving me the strength to be at his side when he entered into glory! All praise, honor and glory forever!

In His will. By His power. For His glory.

So sorry for your loss, but it was surely heaven's gain!

[OFIB Preacher]

On 1/4/2019 at 9:09 AM, 2bLikeJesus said:

Update.  My dad came through his emergency surgery and is recovering well.  They transferred him from the hospital to a rehab facility last night.  After he is sufficiently on his feet again, then starts the decision on what to do about all the tumors on his liver.  The doctor stated that those types of tumors that result from a metastasized spread from a cancer in another part of the body, typically respond well to chemo.  That is where the real battle will come in that needs prayer;  my dad's willingness to go through extraordinary means to prolong his life when what he really wants is to go to his eternal home.  All that he has left on this dirt ball is me and my siblings, all his friends and both wives (my mom died young in her 30's of cancer) are already waiting for him.  Please continue to pray for the salvation of my brother and sister.  Because I live a separated lifestyle with standards based on bible principles, they think I am in some kind a weird cult and they are just waiting for me to drink the koolaid.

Praise the LORD for the good report, praying for the salvation of your siblings and for wisdom for your dad and yourself.

[OFIB Preacher]

11 hours ago, 2bLikeJesus said:

Edward Richard Santos Jr., 81.
Passed Away peacefully from this life and on to eternal life today January the eleventh at 11:45 p.m. A great Man. A great Father to us.
I am so honored to have had you for my father. Now is a time of tears for us, yet joy too, in knowing the unspeakable joy that is now his for all of eternity.
I look forward to the time when we will all be United again. 

 1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV) 
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Psalm 116:15 (KJV) 
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

We who are alive and remain will celebrate a race well run by my father. Well named was the Holy Spirit as the Great Comforter. Thank you Jesus for giving me the strength to be at his side when he entered into glory! All praise, honor and glory forever!

In His will. By His power. For His glory.

Praying for y'all during this time of bereavement.  As the song title says, Earth's loss is Heaven's gain.

[2bLikeJesus]

It is impossible to explain the experience of being at a saints side as they step into the loving arms of Jesus.   As hard as it was to watch someone in their last hours as their body is shutting down that moment of peace at the end was something special and the place that it happened will always be special to me now.   God allowed me to witness something amazing at his death that I simply must tell you about.

My dad during his last 18 hours was pretty much in a comma and unresponsive in any way.  His eyes had not opened once in that time.  He had a normal during dying breathing pattern that was hard to watch in the end consisting of apnea where he would stop breathing for up to 20 seconds and then start again for exactly 9 breaths before another round.  This went on for 15 hours.  Then came his  last and this was amazing.  He went into apnea, then for this first time took one breath, opened his eyes, looked off into the corner of the ceiling, smiled and was gone!  I was stunned.  I believe God may have lifted the vail over his eyes and let him glimpse what was coming or angels in that final second of life.  An experience I will never forget.

Bro. Garry 

In His will.  By His power.  For His glory. 

[Baptist_Bible_Believer]

18 minutes ago, 2bLikeJesus said:

Then came his  last and this was amazing.  He went into apnea, then for this first time took one breath, opened his eyes, looked off into the corner of the ceiling, smiled and was gone!

Amen! What a wonderful testimony of dying grace. And what a precious last memory for his children to see. You mentioned that you have some relatives that do not yet know the Lord. Were they in the room?

[1Timothy115]

2 hours ago, 2bLikeJesus said:

It is impossible to explain the experience of being at a saints side as they step into the loving arms of Jesus.   As hard as it was to watch someone in their last hours as their body is shutting down that moment of peace at the end was something special and the place that it happened will always be special to me now.   God allowed me to witness something amazing at his death that I simply must tell you about.

My dad during his last 18 hours was pretty much in a comma and unresponsive in any way.  His eyes had not opened once in that time.  He had a normal during dying breathing pattern that was hard to watch in the end consisting of apnea where he would stop breathing for up to 20 seconds and then start again for exactly 9 breaths before another round.  This went on for 15 hours.  Then came his  last and this was amazing.  He went into apnea, then for this first time took one breath, opened his eyes, looked off into the corner of the ceiling, smiled and was gone!  I was stunned.  I believe God may have lifted the vail over his eyes and let him glimpse what was coming or angels in that final second of life.  An experience I will never forget.

Bro. Garry 

In His will.  By His power.  For His glory. 

My mother went home this past June. Thank God for my mother. She had a very peaceful form of Alzheimer's. Never a mean word nor anger she just passed into glory one evening. I didn't get to be by her side when she went but, I know Jesus has her now. Praise my Savior, I will see her again.