Below is a powerful letter from Dreama Belcher Stephenson. Her father, Sterling Belcher, promoter of the "Tripple Creek Bluegrass Festival" has been diagnosed with bone cancer. This, quite naturally, has Dreama and her entire family in distress. I felt Dreama's email request was so heartfelt that I wanted to share it with all of you.
Hello everyone,
This week I asked for prayers for my father Sterling as it was believed he was having mini-strokes. After a whirlwind of a week and being told 4 different things it is now pinpointed. My dad has been diagnosed with bone cancer, which came from his prostate. On Sunday, Daddy lost time for a while and went to the emergency room with blurred vision on Monday. An MRI showed he had several mini-strokes, but this didn't explain the blurred vision as it's not a characteristic of stroke. Next he was told a blood clot formed and went to his brain causing a series of mini-strokes even though they still can not figure out where the clot came from in his body as his heart shows him healthy as a horse.
On Wednesday night I told my mother to please don't let him leave until the blurred vision was explained, because something in his brain must be causing a problem. Daddy himself asked on Thurs. morning for his Sugar, Cholesterol and PSA to be checked. And that is when the doctors found his PSA at 250. This lead the primary doctor to tell Daddy on Thursday night he had brain cancer not damage from strokes. But this sounded strange to us all. Daddy had his prostate removed almost 4 years ago from an aggressive growing cancer by one of the best doctors in the country "Dr. Partin" and we were told they got it all and have believed that ever since the surgery. As it turns out and from my dealings with Johns Hopkins today they knew the cancer had spread outside of his prostate when it was removed. The oncologist (not the primary doctor) talked with my dad this morning explaining that it's unheard of, to have prostate cancer go directly to your brain and the neurologist still believed a clot went to his brain after all, causing the stroke that got him to the hospital.
So last night, and today some x-rays, a cat scan, and a bone scan were all performed and the bone cancer was found in different areas throughout his body. They don't see it in any organs except around the area his prostate used to be. Testosterone can fuel the cancer and they want to possibly begin there, but as most of you know, bone caner is incurable and it's more about slowing it down and buying him some time. It's a painful way to leave this world.
So I come to you now and I'm asking everyone to please ad my Dad (Sterling Belcher) to your prayer circles and church lists as I believe in MIRACLES. A miracle brought my daughter to me and my husband Larry and I've heard of many cases where cancer just disappears. Our daughter is the first grandchild and Daddy was just talking last week about how he hoped to see her grow. He just turned 70 and for those of you who don't know him... he's a go getter, strong man, work-aholic, would give this shirt off his back, sweet man...I'm not ready to lose him yet and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for any prayers you can lift up for him
Thanks so much,
Dreama Belcher Stephenson
Below is Sterling with his grand-daughter Faylon Whysper Stephenson
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