The Christian Advice Site is seeking advice.  After posting the introduction for a series on the Holy Spirit, it was discovered that my father's bone cancer is back.  He had a malignant tumor removed from his arm in December 2006.  Over the last few months, he has been experiencing increasing pain, swelling and distortion of that bone.  The local doctor who has followed up with him after his surgery ordered a CT Scan and full-body bone scan; the results are not promising. 

The closest bone cancer specialist is 3 1/2 hours north of where we live at the University of Alabama Birmingham Medical School.  Daddy will be returning to the specialist on Monday, July 28 to find out if, in fact, the tumor is back as the local doctors suspect, and what can be done.  Surgery is always a big risk because my father also has significant heart problems and an internal defibrilator.  Chemo and radiation are ineffective on the type of tumor he had, so if it is back we don't know what the next step will be.

We do have a few things in our favor: UAB is considered one of the best hospitals in the world, and his doctor is considered one of the best in America in his field.  But however skilled he may be and however respected the hospital is, it does not take away the anxiety and worry of a cancer diagnosis.

So, while I am asking for prayers for my father and my family, I am also seeking advice from readers.  If you have faced the "big C" diagnosis before, or a similar health crisis in an aging parent, how did you cope with it?  What role did your faith play in helping you deal with the situation?  What advice can you offer for others who are facing similar circumstances? 

Advise the Christian Advice Site by leaving a comment at the bottom or e-mailing your story to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  In seeking spiritual help for myself, I also feel there must be many others in a similar situation.  Maybe we can all get through it together. 

Bear ye one another`s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.  Ga 6:2

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