Beloved Friends and Prayer Partners,
Two months ago today I walked into Florida Hospital Celebration Health in Celebration, Florida to undergo a surgical procedure called a radical robotic prostatectomy. For years it has been my privilege as a pastor to meet with surgery patients at the hospital to pray for them and to comfort their families. Even though I had stood beside a hospital bed countless times looking down at the patient, I could never quite understand what it must feel like to fully surrender your life and body to a surgical team and wonder what your life will be like on the other side of the operation. Now I do!

If you have been tracking my progress since my surgery, Cindy has shared with you that we have been told I am now “cancer free.” My surgical margins and lymph nodes were clear and the surgery was a complete success. My most recent lab report indicated that my PSA is less than 0.1, which they consider “undetectable.” My surgeon, Dr. Vipul Patel, has been quite encouraged at my progress and expects me to make a full recovery.

Cindy and I have shared with you in previous entries that we are humbled beyond words that you would take the time to pray for us and ask for God’s healing power to be present in my body. I want you to know that God has heard your prayers and granted me His healing grace. These past two months have been nothing short of miraculous. From the surgical procedure and throughout my recovery, I have experienced the presence of God’s abundant healing power.

As I reflect upon my experience, I believe that God has been teaching me a number of valuable life lessons. I thought I would share a few of them with you:
I have heard people tell me that cancer is “a gift.” I could never clearly comprehend what they meant by that statement until now. During these past months since my diagnosis, I have been surrounded and encouraged by those who have blazed this trail before me, people that I refer to as “real heroes!” We had an instant bond and could share with one another about what really matters in life.

A disease like cancer causes us to re-prioritize our lives and you quickly discover the things that we can so easily take for granted—most of which centers around relationships.
God has wired us for relationships and we can get so caught up with all kinds of distractions that really don’t matter. A disease like cancer causes people to begin to cherish the relationships they have with others and realize that people are a priority.

The reality is that even though I have been told that I am “cancer free,” I realize that every day is a gift from God and we don’t have the promise of tomorrow. Once a person experiences cancer and becomes a “survivor,” he or she realizes that it is only God’s grace that will keep it from returning.

The entire surgery experience has taught me just how dependent upon others we can be at times for the simplest things…a drink of water, repositioning your body in bed, standing on your feet, walking, opening the refrigerator, etc. Surgery can quickly humble a person who is used to being self-sufficient!

Recovering from surgery can also be a depressing experience. Even though I was told I was free of cancer and my progress was going very well, I was not used to being so limited in my mobility. There were constant reminders that I was not able to get back to life as normal as quickly as I had desired. I learned that there are some things in life you just can’t hurry! It was during these times that words of encouragement and insight from those who had experienced major surgery were the most helpful to me.

My prayer remains that this entire experience will cause me to be a more grateful person, a more compassionate pastor, and a more devoted disciple. I truly desire to maximize my God-given potential in this next season of my life. I pray that God will use me to help other men facing prostate cancer or a similar disease to navigate their journey with faith and hope. As I have shared with our church family, there is no reason for a man’s life to be cut short because of this type of cancer. By God’s grace it’s not only treatable, but also curable.

As I close this journal entry, may I say again how humbled I am that you would take the time to follow my journey and pray for my recovery. I thank God for your concern and your willingness to lift my name before God. I want you to know that at the two month mark I am not only back to work, but I am back to the gym, and beginning the trek back to where I was physically before the surgery. I find that throughout most of the day I tend to forget that I even had surgery. That, my friends, is nothing short of God’s amazing grace!

Please know that if you are aware of anyone who is struggling with this type of cancer that I would be honored to speak with them and help them to navigate through the maze of emotions and decisions. You may have them contact me at my office at 352-332-8770. If you are interested in information regarding my surgical team, you may click on http://www.globalroboticsinstitute.com

Thank you again for being a part of “Team Denny!” May God pour out His abundant blessing upon you and your family.

With gratitude and appreciation,

Denny