Life through Love: Heather’s Heroes

In January, my wife Heather was diagnosed with a nasty version of breast cancer with frightening statistics. Six months of chemotherapy, a mastectomy, and a second surgery to remove the remainder of the impacted lymph nodes followed. It has been a trial unlike anything imagined. Heather is the toughest person I know by far (she gave birth to two of our children, standing up, without so much as an aspirin). Yet chemo and cancer at a point reduced her to crying in the fetal position. Still, I have been amazed at the blessings God has provided through this trial: our marriage has never been stronger, our faith has grown, Heather has been forged like steel, and we have become more fixed on the permanent. But I do not write today about those blessings.

I write today about you. You have prayed for Heather. Many of you every day. You have asked how she is — sincerely and without pretense. I cannot describe what your support has been like. Many go through life relatively alone. They have friends through work, or church, or their hometown. Yet those friends are there when convenient or pleasurable, and often want something. They are friends of expedience.

You are not like that. Today proved it. Heather had a team called “Heather’s Heroes” to run the Komen Race for the Cure. Yesterday, Komen cancelled the race because of Hurricane Joaquin. NC was in a state of emergency. But Heather was having none of it. She organized her own race to meet at AG Middle School in Charlotte — the home of an F3 workout nearly every day of the week. Notice went out 18 hours before the race. All night long my phone buzzed with emergency warnings; lightning and heavy rain never ceased.

Yet at 8am, 54 runners and over 60 supporters — unflinching against the downpour — stood as witnesses to true friendship. They were there for love. God offers us life through sacrificial love. Today was all about love, and sacrifice for Heather.

F3 offers something special. We offer each other adversity. Daily. Through adversity, we sharpen and assist each man in mortifying his flesh so that it is ready to offer powerful love when the time comes. One such time was today, when my wife needed to make a statement against her cancer, supported by friends, her heroes. I am overcome with gratitude. Thank you.

Pictures of the Heroes can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7a5ag7sb88nd6c4/AAAi7ogAu1yYSzMJNOmD4GiVa?dl=0.