Imagine being a 16 year old all-star and state champion athlete in Texas. And now, imagine being that athlete and being told you have basically an incurable cancer. Yeah. And you thought you had a bad day. Right?
Osteoblastic osteosarcoma is that incurable cancer I just mentioned.
And Jeremiah Thomas was that 16 year old all-star and state champion athlete in Texas. Yes, unfortunately I said “was.” Because Jeremiah’s body succumbed to cancer a couple of years ago. Osteoblastic osteosarcoma is a bone cancer that’s resistant to radiation therapy. And Jeremiah had tumors on his spine and one on his chest. So, that led to a lot of pain and even paralysis from the waist down.
(Side note: I know, from personal experience, about tumors on the spine. I dealt with one on my spinal cord, near the base of my skull, years ago. And it caused a lot of pain. And even led to numbness in the fingers and palm of my right hand. Fortunately, the tumor was spotted before it did even more damage. But I can imagine, from that experience, a little of what Jeremiah must have felt.)
Even from the time of the diagnosis, Jeremiah was only “given” a 10% chance for survival. That’s how dastardly osteoblastic osteosarcoma is.
But the great news is, he was a dedicated Christian. And He was unafraid and unashamed to tell people about Jesus. Even after he couldn’t walk he said, “I can still preach from a wheelchair.”
And he added, “What was truly amazing to see was the ministry opportunity that was given to me when I got sick. As soon as I got sick, my testimony blew up. Constantly people were texting me, encouraging me, giving me their testimony and their blessings and prayers.”
Jeremiah was also committed to saving unborn babies.
Right up to his last days, he spoke out against abortion. And he used his “wish,” from the Make A Wish Foundation, to speak on the phone with Texas Governor Abbott and to ask him to abolish abortion.
But life is real. And living has real consequences. None of us inhabit a fairy tale planet.
So, Jeremiah’s cancer grew. It expanded on his spine and increased in his lungs. And the ulcerated tumor on his chest grew. And none of the hospital’s treatments worked. Once again it was an incurable cancer. Jeremiah died.
But not before he wrote a prayer and published it on Facebook. Here’s what he said…
“I don’t deserve Your healing but Lord You will always deserve my praise. Through death or life, may Your great name be lifted up and everything that is of me fall to the waste side. Oh Lord, strengthen me that I may fight the battle with a courage Satan cannot tamper with. If You take me home or leave me here to fight a little longer, may it be Your breath in my lungs and Your song on my tongue. Lord I consecrate myself to the full advancement of the Kingdom of God! Lord, I love You and I can’t wait to see You face to face. Amen. Christ is not for sale and non-negotiable. To God be the glory, no matter what the future holds.”
Before I’d ever heard of Jeremiah, a social media friend wrote to me and told me about him. And the social media friend, who knew about me through my music on a radio talk show, asked me to consider writing a song for Jeremiah and his family.
So, I looked into the story.
And I was moved to use Jeremiah’s own words in a song. That song became “Jeremiah’s Prayer.” And thousands of people heard it and liked it. Maybe you will, too.
Just in case you can’t see the embedded video, here’s the link to it: https://youtu.be/74bW4uU9Nbg
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