As an avid cyclist, for years I wanted to participate in the 24 Hours of Booty, a popular bike event in Charlotte, North Carolina, that raises money for cancer research, but something always prevented me.

In 2014, I finally made it, signing up early and training hard. I sought to honor my dad, who died from cancer in 1995. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in his late 60s but then later died from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

What I didn’t know at the time of the ride I was also facing it myself.

Delaying the news

A few weeks before the ride, at my routine checkup I mentioned that I had noticed a small bump on one of my testicles. My doctor sent me to a urologist, who after examination, suggested a biopsy, but I opted to delay it until after I completed the bike ride.

During the ride, I rode 100 miles throughout the night.

Prior to the ride the race organizers selected me to share a few words in front of the crowd of 1,200 riders about why I was riding, because I mentioned my dad’s story when I signed up.

I was thankful to have participated and to help raise money and awareness for the cause.

Facing reality

A few weeks after the ride, I returned to my doctor to get the biopsy.

After getting the results, my doctor looked at me and said, “You have cancer, and you have a lot of it.” He showed me a diagram on his computer of the prostate that was color coded red and green—and there was a lot more red than green. All twelve samples were positive for cancer.

Then he shared my options for treatment and surgery, but I was cautious and wanted to get a second opinion.

Getting a second opinion 

I started researching prostate cancer on the Internet and an ad popped up. I filled out the form and 45 seconds later, the phone rang, and it was a scheduler from Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Georgia.

The lady tried to encourage me by saying, “Well, prostate cancer is slow growing, so you have plenty of time.”

These words set me off and underscored my fear.

“How do we know that it didn’t spread 10 minutes before you called me?” I said. “How do we know it’s not going to escape 10 minutes after we hang up? I respect your opinion, but for me time is of the essence.”

She responded by getting me an appointment less than three weeks later.

Metastatic prostate cancer

At the appointment, the doctor strongly recommended I get surgery to remove my prostate, especially after seeing evidence on scans that the cancer appeared to have escaped and could spread to other areas. He confirmed I had Stage 4 prostate cancer, or advanced prostate cancer.

I was in full fight mode and wanted to get it out of my body.

How I find hope, strength and peace against cancer.  

Especially in the beginning, my biggest source of hope was the support of family and friends. I have a wife, two daughters, and a grandson, and I wanted to be around for them.

But I was also about to discover another source of hope—or to be accurate, rediscover it.

7 weeks that changed me

After surgery, my PSA level did not drop to zero like I hoped. So, I opted for radiation, which meant staying seven weeks at CTCA facility in Georgia.

Those seven weeks fundamentally changed me. The place didn’t feel like a hospital, but more like a nice hotel, with a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Besides treatment, I participated in cathartic exercises, like music and art, which is how I learned that I could paint well.

They also gave us the option to attend spiritual services.

Each week, I attended a class, “What God’s Word Says About Healing,” on Monday nights and a worship service on Wednesday at CTCA, which was more than I had done in years.

Spiritual awakening

I was raised as a Baptist and as a kid my mom would sometimes have to drag me to church. Later, when it was my choice, I attended occasionally.

I had faith, but my commitment was lacking. Being around the pastoral care group at CTCA, it changed my outlook. I grew interested in my relationship with God again, and he became a source of hope to help me fight cancer.

At one of the trainings about what the Bible says about healing, I was reminded of God’s love for me—that I’m the apple of his eye and it is God’s will that we be healthy. It was powerful. During those seven weeks, I never missed a worship service or class about the Bible.

After the seven weeks ended, when I returned home I began regularly attending church.

How cancer has changed me

At times, when my cancer started growing again, it’s underscored the importance of time, because the odds may not be in my favor.

Cancer has made me appreciate the little things, like a sunset or sunrise. When I hug my wife or kids, I hold them longer, because you never know when it might be your last one.

Where I’m at now 

After radiation in 2015, my PSA stayed stable for about a year. But then the enemy attacked me again and I was placed on a hormone therapy medication. My PSA stayed undetectable for about four years.

However, my enemy is relentless and spread to my lymph nodes in 2020. I was now considered to have Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer. Since earlier this year, I’ve been on a clinical trial that I have seen some good results. Currently, my PSA has risen, but it’s still lower than when I was first diagnosed.

I do not plan on giving up this fight. Through Christ all things are possible.

Sharing my hope with others

On a recent visit to a local church, they invited me to share about my cancer experience.

I walked up to the front and said: “I’m David Bentley. I was diagnosed with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer and it saved me.”

People in the audience looked at me as if to say, Wait, what did he just say?

So, I explained more about how my fight with cancer helped me appreciate my life more and drew me closer to God.

Advice for others

Cancer is an all-out war. It’s natural to be concerned, but don’t go the gloom and doom route. Choose to fight because you owe it to yourself and your family and friends. As it states on a wristband I was given early on, “No one fights alone!”

Live life to the fullest every day. Don’t leave things undone or unsaid. We all have a finite number of days on this earth, and we should not waste them.

Also, remember that you, too, are the apple of God’s eye. Know that he cares for you and can give you hope with whatever you are facing.

 

For more about how to begin a relationship with God see Knowing God Personally.

To unlock the power of prayer see Asking God for Help.

For a 7-day email series on finding hope, see The Pathway to Hope. 

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