I wouldnt call us besties or even close friends. But we were friends nonetheless. Sean Trank and I shared cancer. Its a friendship akin to being the only two NBA players in a room. We knew we were different, that people tentatively ask questions; and especially that we had so much to celebrate and commiserate over like one else understood. Except instead of NBA, we both had cancer. Ive posted about Sean before, linked to his page Sean Trank Versus Lung Cancer and asked you to pray for him and Sarah. Well Sean passed away last week. He ended a 9 month battle with lung cancer and is with Jesus now. We attended his memorial service today. Katie and I were struck by how Sean tangibly used his cancer as a platform, not for himself but for the gospel. He capitalized on his suffering for the sake of others. On multiple occasions Sean mentioned how he hoped people would come to Christ through his story. And the crazy thing is, people totally did! Sean put himself into the messy parts of peoples lives even in the midst of a struggle that ultimately cost him his life. I think Jesus did that too; He went out of his way to intercede with people who were broken and needy. At the service today one of the pastors mentioned how Jesus prays for other people while on the cross himself. And if you visit Seans page youll see a powerful video clip of Sean praying for his own family before being intubated, literally on his deathbed. Its with a bittersweet heart that Katie and I mourn the loss of Sean while at the same time thank God for the life Hes given us. We are inspired by Seans passion for the gospel. Please pray for Seans family and wife. -Tim P.S. I know its been a while since posting. As you can tell, Im not as enterprising as Sean. Health-wise, Im doing very well. Doctors in Portland are genuinely astonished at my remission. Remind me to post more about remission and some crazy (good) works here. P.P.S Thanks a ton to Sam and Amy Beth, who supported us today at the Memorial. Also they are dating so please give Sam crap.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 04:55:23 +0000