An update on Ben and Anthony

I've had a guest in my home from Estonia for a week. She came last Wednesday night and is leaving in the morning to return to her home. Our church here in Bradenton has a friendship relationship with her church in Tallinn, and so we invited her to come this year so that our congregation could get to know her a bit. Being Baptist, we've eaten our way through the week. Yesterday I had some ladies in for lunch so that they could get to know her a little better, and we had a grand time. Eunice came. She's the lady who sees that all the animals get fed when she's at her home in Georgia. She's also the lady who, when she called Verizon about her DSL, got Jesus on the line. I think I wrote about that. He told her she could talk to him anytime. He is there twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week...a true story! But that's not what I wanted to write about at all.

Ben, the young man, of whom I've written several times, had what was his final surgery just after the first of the year. He is recovering, but he has a long way to go.

His wife writes: "Dr. Christiansen said that Ben is considered 'in remission with resected tumors.' That just means that he's had tumors removed. So, at this point, he's clear, no more further treatment that we know about. He's actually been in remission since June, so we will continue seeing Dr. C monthly for blood tests and scans until next June, then we'll see him every two months for the next year, and it keeps going down from there for the next 5 years. It's hard to believe this is really over, especially since he's still feeling so bad. But if we can make it through these next few weeks, I think we'll start seeing a rapid improvement.

The swelling in his legs has gone down, but his belly is still uncomfortably large. He is eating a tiny bit more, so that's good. I, however, have come down with a dreadful sore throat, so you can pray that the antibiotics will do their job, and I'll be better by Monday when I go back to work.

Thankfully Ben's dad is coming up on Monday to stay for the week. I will feel a lot better about getting back to work knowing that he's got someone here with him.

Sometimes when I think over the past year, I marvel that we have any friends left considering the amount of drama and trouble we've been. But you all have stood by us and really helped in so many ways, so we really thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And we thank God for His goodness in spite of all of this pain. "We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name." Ps 33:20-21

Continue to pray for Ben and Liza.

Anthony, the young man who needs the bone marrow transplant for Fanconi's anemia, is in Cincinnati for the procedure. About half the money has been raised, but the doctors said that it could not wait any longer. The transfusions were being needed more frequently. The donor has rearranged his schedule to be available for Anthony. He is not a perfect match, but is close.

Anthony is a student at Bradenton Christian, the same school my children attended. At one of the basketball games not too long ago, the referees presented the family with a check for $3,000. The refs from their association had each given up a night's pay to give to him. BCS's arch rival, Sarasota Christian, had a fundraiser for him last week. All the proceeds from the food sales that night were given to him. Someone donated all the food, $14,000 was raised; someone matched that amount, and then I was told that someone drove up to the school and gave $1,000. He had heard about the fundraiser on the radio.

Dick Vitale, the voice of college basketball, who lives in Sarasota, sent a present to Anthony. Inside was an autographed basketball, shirt, poster, book and note of encouragement.

At on of the local public high schools, the basketball coach is finalizing plans for another basketball benefit Feb. 3 when their team hosts BCS. Proceeds will help not only Anthony but also a senior varsity basketball player from the public high school, who has non-Hodgkins lymphoma, the coach said.

The upcoming benefit deeply touched BCS Coach David Magley.

"Both of the teams are affected with players who are sick," said Magley. "This is a pretty big deal for a public school to do something like this."

Please remember these boys in your thoughts and prayers and their families as well.