The Genesis of Bob's Cancer Ministry

By Becky Hallman

The Accident

"Bob, do you mind if we put Tom in your room? He only has a few days left....."

That was a frequent question asked of Bob in his early twenties while at Kaiser Hospital.

As a pastor, Bob excelled in so many arenas, one of which was his amazing ability to make hospital patients laugh and enjoy lighthearted moments in the midst of their challenging health crises. In our many years of ministry, Bob and I made numerous trips to visit people, some of whom were suffering with cancer.  With no history of cancer in our immediate families, I used to wonder how Bob knew so much about cancer and its progression. I never got a clear answer from him until about a year ago. I was once again amazed at how God orchestrates and resourcefully uses everything in our lives for His purposes!

Believe it or not, Bob's cancer ministry began in his early twenties on Oahu. While landscaping his parents' backyard and wheelbarrowing a heavy load of rocks backwards, he tripped over a landscaping grater and suddenly felt excruciating pain in his left foot.  Thinking a dog had attacked him, he shook his foot and was shocked to see a metal rake handle flailing back and forth. Unbeknownst to Bob, a family member had tried to be helpful to him and unwittingly overturned the metal rake with its sharp tines pointing upwards. His left foot was penetrated in three places, bottom to top.  This should have been a quick fix with the doctor cleaning the wound and prescribing antibiotics.

 Unfortunately the bacterial infection got worse and Bob ended up at Kaiser Hospital with an incredibly swollen leg and infection line running all the way up to his groin. He was diagnosed with Osteomyelitis, a bacterial bone infection from the soil.  Apparently the Hawaii Kai area had been used for pig farming years ago. With Bob at risk with losing his left leg, doctors at Kaiser Hospital gave him the strongest antibiotics available, informing him that he could lose his eyesight or become sterile (thank God those things didn't happen!).  He remained in the hospital for two months, undergoing three surgeries and given repeated rounds of heavy antibiotics.  During this time, Bob was placed on the oncology floor since his open surgical wounds were highly infectious and cancer patients were unlikely to contract his infection.

 Accidental Ministry

Despite the gravity of his future, Bob's joy was contagious to all those around him--patients, visitors and hospital staff alike!  It wasn't long before doctors began asking him if he could visit a dying patient a few doors down.  That progressed to nurses placing dying cancer patients in his room, knowing that Bob would minister to them in their final stages of life. Once his infections healed sufficiently, the CEO of the hospital, who happened to be a believer, gave him permission to go anywhere in the hospital to minister to patients (more on this in the following story).  Bob had a new ministry and absolutely loved visiting people--encouraging them, making them laugh, praying with them, often leading them to Christ. 

One unforgettable vignette is the story of an elderly Samoan woman, in a coma and dying of cancer, who was placed in Bob's room.  This woman, yellow with jaundice and weighing only about 70 pounds was expected to die a month earlier but remained alive, even though she had been taken off life support and wasn't being fed. Bob had a wonderful opportunity to pray with her Mormon family.  Having read that coma patients lose their hearing last, Bob shared the Gospel with this woman and told her that she didn't need to be afraid or worry about leaving her family, as long as she was reconciled to God through faith in Christ. As he shared, he could see on the monitors that her breathing rate slowed and her face visibly relaxed. After praying the "sinner's prayer", Bob gently told her "It's time for you to go home and be with Jesus."  Bob then left the room, shared with her waiting 'ohana and encouraged them to tell their matriarch that they were releasing her to go Home to be with the Lord.  Amazingly, half an hour after her family left, she passed away peacefully. Baffled, the hospital staff asked Bob what he had done or said to her.  Bob had a remarkable opportunity to share with the nursing staff, leading a few of them to the Lord!  As mentioned earlier, the CEO subsequently gave Bob the freedom to go anywhere in the hospital to minister to people.  Bob launched a Bible study and prayer group with the hospital staff, which continued long after Bob recovered.

Fast Forward

 Years later, while at seminary in Massachusetts, Bob had to participate in a hospital chaplaincy ministry in Boston. Without knowing his previous experience, his supervisors placed him in the children's Oncology ward, where he ministered and prayed with young boys and girls who were facing terminal cancer.  When the staff realized he was so knowledgeable about ministering to cancer patients, they added adults to his caseload.  It was very fulfilling for Bob to lead people to Christ and to encourage them.

 God's ways are truly higher than ours.  He sovereignly allowed Bob to begin this cancer ministry early on; and He continued to use Bob's own cancer story to further God's purposes, inspiring others to use their unique platforms of challenges to point people to Jesus!

 Your Story

You have your own story that God is weaving together!  Be encouraged that our Sovereign Lord is allowing events and redemptively orchestrating everything in your life so that you have a ministry platform from which you can proclaim the love of Christ to a hurting world!

Leave us a comment telling us about YOUR Epic Life Ministry that God has led you to, and leads you through.