NPUC PRESIDENT JERE PATZER DIAGNOSED WITH LYMPHOMA
Dr. Jere Patzer, who serves as president for the Seventh-day Adventist Church's North Pacific Union Conference based in Vancouver, Washington, has been diagnosed with lymphoma. He and his family are currently assessing medical options and will likely begin a treatment program immediately, with the place and form of treatment yet to be finalized.
Patzer's diagnosis is a rare Nonhodgkin's type of lymphoma known as a mantle cell lymphoma seen in less than 5 percent of lymphoma cases. Nonhodgkin's lymphoma, which affects more than 50,000 individuals throughout the United States, involves the cancerous growth of cells in the body's lymph system. An additional 7,000 cases involve another type of lymphoma, commonly called Hodgkin's Disease.
As NPUC president since 1996, Patzer has not only provided leadership for Seventh-day Adventist churches throughout the northwestern United States, but also for evangelism projects around the world. He has just returned from a two-week evangelistic journey to Bolivia during March where he was the featured speaker for a public television and satellite broadcast for South America and Inter America. Facing this new challenge, he is of good courage. In his words, "We'll take this a day at a time. We are strongly convinced that this is a spiritual battle as much as a physical one. I never aspired to have 'cancer survivor' on my resume but now I desperately want to become one. With our strong family support, the prayers of so many like you, the best medical treatment that can be procured, if it's God's will, we plan to make that a reality."
Patzer's associate, Bryce Pascoe, who serves as the NPUC executive secretary, will help to fill in for some of the presidential duties, while Patzer receives treatment. Cards or messages can be transmitted to the Patzers through his executive assistant, Cindy Stewart at 360-816-1400 or emailed directly to him at
jere.patzer@nw.npuc.org. Additional public information will be available from time to time at
www.npuc.org and
www.gleaneronline.org.FULL STATEMENT FROM DR. PATZER...
A MESSAGE FOR OUR FRIENDS
Last Friday afternoon, April 7, Sue and I were visiting family in Spokane and I stopped by my former family practice doctor's office to pick up an antibiotic for a persistent little cough I had picked up in Bolivia. Five hours later with x-rays, CT scans, blood work, etc. we left to face our kids with the news that I had lymphoma. Since then we have had additional tests here in Portland and we have received the almost conclusive diagnosis that I have a rare, aggressive stage four mantle cell lymphoma. Currently we are networking and looking at treatment locations and will hopefully be able to finalize that in the next few hours. It will, I understand, be a very strong and aggressive treatment that I will be receiving.
So where does that leave Sue and me and our family? Fully dependent on the Lord and we have indeed recommitted our lives to Him. Having lived a rather charmed life this was not on my radar screen and certainly not on my agenda. We can already see little signs that God is with us and this is obviously reassuring. As you know, we just returned from Bolivia where we did another public television and satellite series for South and Inter America. I preached on the topic of the great controversy between good and evil, specifically suffering. One of my points was that tragedy is no respecter of persons and down through history most of God's special saints have lived through times of suffering. We don't come close to qualifying as a special saints but conversely neither do we deserve better treatment than they. We'll take this a day at a time. We are strongly convinced that this is a spiritual battle as much as a physical one. I never aspired to have "cancer survivor" on my resume but now I desperately want to become one. With our strong family support, the prayers of so many like you, the best medical treatment that can be procured, if it's God's will, we plan to make that a reality.
Admittedly I still feel quite well and at this point we are not spending our energies on "asking why." We know that the Devil is an equal opportunity destroyer. However, at one point I did say to Sue, "Assuming I survive what could we possibly do different with practicing our healthy lifestyle, (and in her words, being an obsessive compulsive fitness practitioner)?" So when I asked the oncologist, "How did I get this he said it is a white male disease that is currently on the rise and very possibly environmentally activated." So for now we'll leave it at that.
I'm very sorry to add to your burdens but in times like these we are in desperate need of the prayer support of our family and friends. So thank you for keeping us on your daily prayer list.
JERE D. PATZER
Previous Topic
Index
