Cancer survivor helping others find hope through ministry
Sioux Falls native Chris Lawrence to host luncheon about fighting fear of cancer
Chris Lawrence knows a thing or two about cancer.
His mother died of glioblastoma (a type of brain cancer) last May.
His father was diagnosed the same year with stage four colon cancer and Chris, himself, was diagnosed with stage four ductal cancer when he was 37 years old and a new father.
“I understand how challenging cancer can be. This month is the 10-year anniversary of when I was diagnosed.” says Lawrence, the founder and executive director of Hope Has Arrived - a nonprofit ministry started in 2018 as a direct result of his cancer fueled battle.
“Cancer has cut a deep wound in our hearts,” says Craig Lawrence – Chris’s dad. He and his wife of 56 years endured treatments and side effects of chemo together.
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Cancer has had a profound impact on the family.
“It’s made me more grateful for the time I have, especially to be there for my wife and my kids and extended family, but it has also motivated me to want to help others find hope” says Chris.
Lawrence, a Sioux Falls native, will give a presentation on navigating the fears of cancer May 8 at a free luncheon.
Hope is the key to navigating the cancer journey, he says.
His father agrees.
“As a human being, knowing all that I have learned and all that I have endured, how can I stand by and do nothing for the suffering?” says Craig Lawrence, who helped set up the ministry.
“When I’m at the cancer center, I look at the faces – no one wants to be in that building.”
Providing emotional tools for those tormented by cancer and its treatments is the basic premise of Hope Has Arrived.
Offering support through stories and suggestions from folks who have been there helps define a path through the suffering.
Hope is not just optimism.
Spiritually, hope is a confident expectation and assurance in God’s promises, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Hope is also different than faith, which is defined as a deep confidence in a person, concept or divine entity. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Cancer removes the staircase.
Many individuals have been touched by cancer, yet it’s not always a death sentence.
Scientific breakthroughs have saved 18.6 million people in the United States, which is a bit more than 5 percent of our population, according to the American Cancer Society.
Talking about cancer is difficult for most families. The best thing a friend or relative can do for a newly diagnosed cancer patient is to be a good listener, says Charlie DeRidder, retired chaplain of the VA hospice and care team and board member of Hope has Arrived.
That means listening without judgement or trying to fix things.
“Listen without an agenda,” he says.
“People want to know how much you care and if you are willing to listen to them. They want someone to walk with them through the mess,” DeRidder says.
A cancer diagnosis upends your whole world. “Everything is reprioritized.”
“You recalibrate all your energy and become aware of your mortality,” he says.
Facing fears, loss and disappointments, patients often seek a relationship with a higher power. Hope Has Arrived helps uplift cancer victims through prayer, and a realization that others have faced similar circumstances.
Hope can sustain you through treatments and pain, says DeRidder. However, if the treatment is ineffective, it’s important for the patient to realize what’s ahead, he says.
The sufferer must make peace with dying.
“There are four things for the afflicted to say,” says DeRidder. They are:
1. Please forgive me.
2. I forgive you.
3. I love you.
4. Goodbye.
All are difficult to say but the stories, tips and advice found on the hopeagainstcancer.org website can be useful to victims and their families to start a conversation.
It’s a place to share your history, gain strength and find peace, DeRidder says.
The narratives are “pointing others with thoughtful care and guidance. They will inform you about the emotions and reactions you’ll have.”
It helps you realize, “you may face a cancer diagnosis, but it can be faced.”
To attend the presentation:
Cancer survivor Chris Lawrence will talk about fighting the fear of what’s ahead at a free luncheon at the Country Club of Sioux Falls, 3400 W. 22nd St. Sioux Falls.
Friday, May 8 from 11:45-1:15 p.m.
Presented by the Cru City Ministry of Sioux Falls and by Hope Has Arrived, a global, non-profit ministry registered in Sioux Falls.
RSVP to david.larson@cru.org
For more information about Hope Has Arrived go to hopeagainstcancer.org
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