Story and photos by Ann Brock, staff writer
How one man’s enduring Hope and Faith has carried him and his family through a major life storm
Editor’s Note: This story contains excerpts from an article Robert Boese wrote about his experiences for the Christian Leader Magazine in March, 2020.
The morning sun has just beamed over the horizon, spreading its vibrant rays of light over the rich, fertile farmland in Corn, Oklahoma. The fields of ripening wheat are softly swaying in the wind as it graces the landscape that will soon turn to gold for the coming harvest. The livestock dots the pastures from afar, stirring in anticipation of the dawn of a new day. The baby calves run and leap—a sign of new life and hope. The birds are singing, and the doves are mourning as their songs ascend to their Maker in adoration and perfect praise.
Life can be so unpredictable at times. It’s amazing how quickly things can change, sadly without any warning. One day you wake up and all is well. The next day, however, can be quite a different story. Robert and his family have personally experienced the unexpected in their lives. Like a curve ball, they never saw it coming. The good news is Robert never struck out….. he is still in the game…… and running bases! Consequently, it has forever changed them and the way they look at life.
“I can’t believe I’ll probably be dead in less than a year,” I kept saying to myself as I mowed the lawn that late summer afternoon.
On the evening of August 14, 2017, I was sitting at my computer. My elbows were propped up on my desk and my hands were supporting my chin, when I felt a strange lump on the side of my neck with my thumb. I found it concerning enough to tell my wife, Julie, who thought I should have it seen by our family doctor. Just a few days previously, our family had spent a day at the lake. I had been wakeboarding and tubing and had some pretty wicked wipeouts. I thought this lump could be attributed to overdoing it a bit.
I decided to see our family physician, who advised me to watch it for two weeks. After waiting one week, the lump seemed to be getting larger, so I had an ultrasound and a needle biopsy. Two days later, my fears were realized, I had some type of malignancy in my lymph node and needed surgery to remove it. The morning of the surgery, August 29, 2017, my pastor texted me a verse, Deuteronomy 31:8; “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.” This verse became my comfort in the storm, and I kept repeating it in my mind.
While I was still under anesthesia, the surgeon informed Julie that the lymph node was completely black, indicating melanoma. He said melanoma is a skin cancer and for it to have gotten into the lymph nodes, it had to have metastasized (spread) from the skin to other areas of the body. A chest x-ray revealed additional tumors in my lungs. It was now considered to be Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma. An oncologist confirmed the diagnosis with a prognosis of six months to one year.
We called our children and invited them for supper the following day to tell them the news. Each of them responded differently, but by the end of the evening they were all sharing memories; there was a lot of laughter and crying in the room. Julie read a devotion that a friend had just shared with her. It talked about how God who created and knit us together in the womb, is continuing to stitch together each area of our lives; fulfilling His purpose for our lives. God was comforting us in our hour of need.
I wanted to make sure that Julie and our kids knew about the farms and cattle I took care of. Since Julie had own full-time career as a pharmacist, she didn’t have firsthand knowledge about my business. One Sunday afternoon our entire family loaded up in our suburban and I drove them around to explain the ins and outs of each farm and the cattle. Julie was voice recording me on her phone and taking notes as the kids asked a lot of questions, tentatively delegating each task to one another. God gave me peace that it would all work out. I asked a missionary friend to speak at my funeral and even talked to a friend about someone who might make a good future husband for Julie.
Sunday, September 3, 2017, our Senior Pastor was out of town. We shared my diagnosis with the Youth Pastor that morning and he shared it with our church. After the message, he asked our family to go up front. Our church gathered around and laid hands on me; many prayed out loud. It was very emotional; the moment was spirit-filled and awe-inspiring.
I read a quote awhile back that struck me and became quite a truth in my life. It went like this, “When you find out you don’t have long to live, your priorities change, and your boldness level goes way up.” I began an ongoing personal prayer for opportunities to share my faith. I started then and continue now to make it my mission to look for people who need a touch from Jesus. I don’t pass a hitchhiker without stopping. I talk to anyone who will listen. I have a testimony to share! It is amazing how God is leading me and opens my eyes to people in need.
I was referred to an oncologist, who after seeing my PET scan results, informed us that I was lit up like a Christmas tree. The cancer was in the lymphatic system throughout my body and had also spread to my lungs, spleen and an adrenal gland. She recommended immunotherapy. Her protocol was to infuse two medications through a central port, which I got that afternoon. One puts a tag on the cancer cells and the other boosts the immune system to attack those tagged tumor cells.
My first treatment was September 18, 2017. I felt fine for about a week but then started to feel like I had the flu, with a high fever. Blood work revealed my liver enzymes were super high. I was put on a high dose of steroids and after about a month, my liver enzymes finally went down, which was miraculous. I found out later that I was on the verge of stage 4 liver failure. My oncologist decided to discontinue one of the infusions, concluding that it boosted my immune system so much that it attacked my liver. I continued the other infusion every two weeks after that.
Nine weeks after my treatment and recovering from a life-threatening allergic reaction to one of the infused drugs, a PET scan revealed the number of tumors was already cut in half. Every nine weeks my tumors lessened.
In January 2018, only one stubborn active tumor remained on a lymph node in my abdomen. When subsequent scans showed activity had increased, my oncologist wanted to try radiation. We moved forward with 30 radiation treatments. Unfortunately, January 2019 scan showed there was no change. I am continuing my infusion every two weeks with PET scans every four months.
It has now been almost eight years since Robert was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. That same year Robert and Julie became empty nesters, entering a new season of life that brought them even closer together. Over the years they’ve grown stronger as a family, cherishing every moment they’ve been given.
They have watched two sons graduate from college and step into careers they are both passionate about. Their daughter and other son each launched their own business. Robert has played an active and invaluable role in each of his children’s lives—offering business advice and support, lending a hand when trucks got stuck in the mud, giving guidance on fatherhood, listening through life’s struggles, helping fix vehicles, build homes, and simply being there.
Most of all, he has been a steady, Godly example of what it means to be a devoted father and grandfather. Two of their children have found the loves of their lives, and Robert had the joy and honor of walking their daughter down the aisle—a moment for which she was especially thankful.
They have welcomed four amazing grandchildren and have had the privilege of being closely involved in their lives. Robert, their beloved grandfather, babysits two to three days a week, and they absolutely adore him.
In the past year he and Julie downsized and built the home of their dreams. Last summer, they celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary surrounded by the beauty and adventure of the Hawaiian Islands.
