Andrew's "Sooner than Later" Post

Some of you may remember posts here on this blog about Andrew's battle with cancer this year... Andrew received some difficult news regarding an MRI: the cancer has spread into other parts of his body including, apparently, his spine. If the spine in fact has a cancerous tumor on it, it will not be operable. Andrew and Grace have decided to take a different approach to this next phase. Instead of trying to find ways to kill the cancer, they are going to find ways to enjoy the quality of life he has now--to make the most of what remaining days God grants him.

Please pray that they'll have great wisdom in discerning treatment methods, pain-relief methods, and moreover that God would continue to be magnified in their lives as The Greatest Treasure... for to die is gain.

Andrew and Grace Need You To Pray

This is from Andrew & Grace's blog. Please read and pray for wisdom to make the best decision evident to them.

I just don't know...

via Grace's Journal by Andrew Mark on 4/28/08

Our family is faced with the toughest decision yet. The docs at Mayo and my radiation oncologists think that my best chances of survival are to do another surgery and remove everything - remaining part of tongue, voice box, epiglotis, etc. That would mean that I would not be able to talk, eat, or smell, and I would breathe out of a hole in my neck. The radiation oncologists at Mayo and UMN think that this cancer is radiation resistant because it didn't die with last year's radiation so they don't think radiation will work this year.

It is believed that a massive surgery would increase my chances of cure, but not by very much. We had asked Dr. Yueh to do whatever it took during my surgery in March to remove the cancer, even if I could never eat or talk again but he opted not to cut it all out at that time because seeing the aggressiveness if my tumor and how it was scattered rather than in a single mass, it was unlikely that removing everything would get it all anyways. Dr. Moore at the Mayo Clinic thinks there might be a slightly better chance of survival if I was willing to do the surgery. The only thing is that Dr. Moore at Mayo wasn't the one who operated on me, so he didn't see how the tumor was behaving firsthand. On the other hand Dr. Yueh was able to see exactly how the tumor was behaving and made a decision in the operating room based on his extensive experience.

So I have 3 options:
1) A second course of radiation and chemotherapy
2) A third surgery plus a second course of radiation and chemo
3) Seek alternative therapies such a immunotherapy, nutrition, etc.

At this time there is not enough evidence that shows that a major surgery will greatly increase my chances of survival. If it was clear that I would survive, or perhaps have a decent chance at survival, then I would definately do it. Otherwise, I'm not so sure it is worth it because of is would greatly affect the quality of life that I have left. Besides, after having 2 surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy, a third surgery could have life threatening complications.

Please pray for claritiy in this decision, and that God would heal me of this disease and allow me to be a husband to my wife and a father to my children for years to come.

I am going to start chemotherapy tomorrow anyways, and radiation starts next Monday. So I have until the end of this week to decide. I am trying to get an opinion from Sloan Kettering and MD Anderson, and asking more questions of Dr. Yueh and Dr. Moore this week. Pray that those meetings will bring clarity to the decision.

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It's not fair!

Audrea and I have struggled recently over the seemingly unfairness of our house situation. We have never missed a payment on it. We put a downpayment on it (not 20%, but still not a 0% down). We have a nearly perfect credit score. Yet in the last year our house value dropped 17%--to a point where we now owe more on it than it's worth.

Many sellers today are taking one of two options: to "walk away" or to "sell short". (Selling short means working with the bank to only pay back part of the original loan value. In other words, if your mortgage was 150K and you asked the bank if they'll just take 135K.) The problem is, both options lack ethical integrity (unless in the latter you have simply asked for mercy from the lender).

We would never consider "walking away", but we have considered asking our lender for mercy to sell short. The problem is this: they're only doing this for those individuals who have been unable to make their payments. To Audrea and I, this seemed unfair. But if we think about it in light of this outstanding post from my friend Andrew, we simply must fall down on our knees in praise to God for His mercy in not giving us what we deserve.

Thank you, Andrew!

via Grace's Journal by Grace Mark on 4/21/08

ANDREW WRITES:

One of the hardest parts of the day is to sit with my family and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with them. An abundance of my favorite foods are strewn out across the table and my nostrils are filled with rich aromas of garlic, and breads, and pasta and sauces. I suddenly feel envious of others who get to taste and eat rather than having to inject medical formula directly into their stomach with a syringe. My mouth waters as I cherish vivid memories of being satisfied with a hearty meal after a long workout at the gym. Then I cringe in fear of not being able to experience that ever again. To be hungry for the rest of my life.

Can there be anything on God's good earth that is more satisfying than my wife's lentil soup or my mom's chinese cooking? Food is a wonderful thing and it used to bring me so much joy and satisfaction, but can I still have joy without it?

I struggle all day long to answer yes to that question. People often express their deep sympathy to me and say, "its just not fair that you would have to go through this. That really sucks". I often struggle in my mind thinking the same thing. The truth is that it isn't fair. My life just isn't fair.

Lets look at just a few of the facts of my unfair life.

1) Born 9/11/81 to loving parents, David and Joyce Mark.
2) My parents loved me.
3) My parents loved me so much that they never gave up on me despite my disrespect and rebellion. They always supported me.
4) I got to go to UCLA for college and experience so many things in life.
5) I became a Christian at the age of 20 and got to go to John Macarthur's church and learn so much about God through the bible.
6) I miraculously landed a job at Motorola, which I absolutely love. Going to work for me was exciting and fun.
7) I married the most amazing, beautiful, bright, caring person, aka Grace Uriarte.
8) We had AJ - the coolest kid on the block.
9) Then we got to have Gracie, sweet little Gracie.
10) Then I had cancer, but God restored me to complete health after that.
11) We got to move to Minnesota and we absolutely love it here.
12) I got cancer again and survived a very complicated surgery.

Its just not fair that I got to live richly for this long, while others die young. Its just not fair that God would sacrifice His only son so that I could be forgiven of my sins and receive life everlasting rather than perish in hell where there will be weeping and knashing of teeth forever.

Deut 8:3 says "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD."

When God rained manna down on the Israelites when they were starving they could only collect enough for the given day. God satisfied their hunger for a day, but He didn't provide for tomorrows hunger until tomorrow. Its true that cancer sucks because it could rob me of tomorrow. But it sure can't take away today. Joy is not found in tomorrow, it's found in today. Today I can find my nourishment in God who is my daily bread. God is making me hungry so that I might look to Him to satisfy me. Today I can rejoice because knowing God is so much more satisfying than the finest of foods.

Psalm 63:1 says, "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water."

The true hunger of a human being is not for food, it is for God. And only God can satisfy the hungry soul.

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Incredible Healing

God has provided Andrew with some astonishing recovery! He is talking which is far more than the doctors had anticipated. He was expected to go through months of speech therapy! Read here about God making the unbelievable believable.

Amazing Grace for Grace

When I read of the grace being given to Andrew's wife, Grace, in the middle of the suffering, I cannot help but weep and repent of my discontent, my unthankfulness, my lack of patience, my greed, and my stubborn and rebellious heart. Be blown away by reading her amazing testimony this morning.

Great Suffering

Back at Redeemer Bible Church in Minnesota there are a couple of dear families going through incredible suffering right now. One in particular has really been at the forefront as the husband, Andrew Mark, has been going through multiple surgeries to remove tongue cancer. He is currently in ICU and not "out of the woods" yet. Would you please pray for he and his family that God would bring him through this very difficult time?

Andrew has had an amazing testimony going into this surgery. The way that God has brought glory to Himself through this trial is truly worthy of the adjective--awesome:


Yet, in the middle of this trial, hiw wife, Grace, wrote in her blog that it seems like she is in the middle of the eye of the storm. Please pray that God would continue sustaining her with His grace. Please especially pray that her health would be protected in the middle of the physically draining process.

I have appreciated their godly response to this trial. They have demonstrated through actions and words John Piper's description of why suffering exists:

The Ultimate Reason Why Suffering Exists
The ultimate purpose of the universe is to display the greatness of the glory of the grace of God. The highest, clearest, surest display of that glory is in the suffering of the best Person in the universe for millions of undeserving sinners. Therefore, the ultimate reason that suffering exists in the universe is so that Christ might display the greatness of the glory of the grace of God by suffering in himself to overcome our suffering and bring about the praise of the glory of the grace of God.
John Piper, "The Suffering of Christ and the Sovereignty of God" in Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, ed. John Piper and Justin Taylor (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2006), 89.