Seeing the Good in It

WHERE IS HOPE FOUND IN TIMES OF DEEP SUFFERING?

At the age of twenty-two, Phil Z was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Instead of starting his new career as a fourth-grade teacher and getting engaged to the
love of his life, he experienced uncertainty and despair in the face of tests, surgeries,
appointments, medications, and a myriad of devastating symptoms caused by both
cancer and treatment.

In your darkest times, who is there for you? What is your source of strength and peace?
What promises can you cling to that actually bring hope? These are the questions
Phil wrestled with as he learned that his determination and self-confidence were no
longer enough. This wrestling led him to a greater intimacy with God and a desire
to help others in similar situations. This is how Phil’s Friends--a ministry that sends
cards and care packages to those with cancer--was born.

With reflection questions at the end of each chapter, Phil encourages readers to
see God’s hand in the story of their lives and discover the good in even life’s most
difficult circumstances.

Phil Zielke was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2004. He had been in the most advanced stage of the disease for nearly nine months. Following his diagnosis, Phil endured aggressive chemotherapy treatments at the University of Chicago Hospital. When he showed no more signs of cancer, he went on to begin his first year as a fourth grade teacher in the fall.

In April 2005, three months away from his wedding to fiancée Carrie, Phil received the news that his cancer was back. He not only had to postpone his wedding, but also step away from his teaching job to begin treatment once again. At the height of those treatments he underwent several days of lethal chemotherapy followed by a stem-cell transplant.

Going through the disease two times, there were moments that were blanketed by feelings of hopelessness. But as challenging and dark as these trials were, something hopeful and positive was birthed. Using his illness and what he had learned through that journey, God equipped him to help others in similar situations. It was on Phil’s hospital bed that the vision of Phil’s Friends was born. Phil was inspired by the thoughtfulness and selfless love of others when he received a care package, encouraging cards and an outpouring of prayerful support throughout his journey. These were simple reminders that brought the hope he needed. In November 2005 Phil was cancer-free; he then resumed teaching, shortly thereafter married his love Carrie, and began living out the calling God had placed on his life.