“I sat in my car, and I was flipping through them, and I was like, this is not mine. This isn't mine.” 

The cat scan results had come as a shock to Dawn Sherrill - 17 spots on her right lung. It had been 20 years since she smoked her last cigarette.  

“It's not mine! It's, it's, I was in denial.” 

A month later in March of 2021, Dawn and her husband Jason met with her pulmonologist to hear the results of a biopsy. It was cancer, specifically, non-small cell adenocarcinoma. 

Dawn said, “And I looked at him and I was still in denial. I said, well, what stage is this cancer? And this is when it hit me. He said, you have stage four lung cancer, and it's metastasized all over your body.”

We asked Jason about that moment.

“I can’t talk about that,” said Jason.

Dawn was told there were two treatment options. The best was chemo with immunotherapy known as Keytruda.  The combination could give her up to five years. However, Keytruda therapy required a specific protein to be present in Dawn’s body to work. Without that protein, chemo was the only course of action that, at best, would give her little more than a year to live.

“And the first thing that came to my mind is, how am I going to tell my four children this?” said Dawn. “How? And I can't die. I have 10 grand babies. I want them to know me and have the relationship with me that I had with my grandma. I saw Jesus in her.”

“But I still knew who God was. And I still knew from all of my years of serving Him, 
He's never failed me once.” 

Jason said, “I trust God in good, bad, or indifferent, you know? I mean, I’ve seen things, I’ve seen way too many things to question who's in charge and you know, to ask Him why. Cause I'm not smart enough to understand the answer.” 

While she started chemotherapy immediately, it would take three weeks to find out if Dawn had the protein necessary for immunotherapy.

She said, “That was the longest three weeks of my entire life, not knowing.”

One day, her church showed up at the family’s home to pray.

“They all laid hands on me and my pastor, Art, he anointed me with oil. And the elders came around me and everybody was in a circle around. After they were done praying, they broke out in song. and they sing praise music over me. And it was like that heaviness, like it lifted,” said Dawn. 

It turned out she did have the necessary protein, and doctors were able to add the immunotherapy treatment to the chemo. Even then there were no guarantees.
“But even then, the success rate with the Keytruda they give me five years to live. That was it, one and a half to five years.” 

At this point, oncologist, Dr. Mary Malecek, took over Dawn’s care. 

Dr. Malecek said, “I don't have a crystal ball. I’m not sure how we're going to do we'll know more, you know, with our first set of scans, we'll know more as we see how your body's tolerating this.” 

Dawn began the treatments that would come around every three weeks, the side effects were devastating. Dawn, her family and friends continued to pray for healing.

"I had very few days that I doubted Him,” said Dawn. “Through the sickest of times. And God just has a really good group of doctors around me, and prayer warriors around me, and my husband, and my husband, and my husband, I can’t say enough.” 

One night, she woke up out of a deep sleep.

She said, “It was the weirdest feeling. I felt this warmth not just in my body. It was, I could feel something running through my veins. And I can’t explain it, I’ve never heard of it before. God told me that night He said, I was healing you.”

Then, after several treatments Doctor Malecek scheduled a follow up scan - the cancer had shrunk 25%.

“You know, whenever we see the tumor start to shrink, that's always a great sign,” said Dr. Malecek.

Treatments and prayers continued, and a second scan showed the cancer was continuing to shrink. By the third scan in October 2021, it was clear Dawn was cancer free. 
Dr. Malecek said, “So it's always wonderful when we see it, when we see someone who responds really well and really early like she did. And the big thing is that she's maintained that.” 

“If it wasn't for the drug and God's intervention and wisdom and knowledge, I wouldn't be sitting here today. I owe everything to Him,” said Dawn. 

Although Dawn eventually stopped chemo, she continued immunotherapy for another nine months. Today, she’s still cancer free and enjoys each day with Jason and their now 12 grandchildren.

Jason said, “He always wins. It's always His way. No matter what, no matter what anybody else says, doctors can say what they're going to say, He's going to do what he's going to do. I trust His word on it. He didn’t say Jason your wife is going to make it, she’s not going to make it, He just said trust me and I did, and here we are.”

“What an amazing God we serve. What an amazing God we serve,” said Dawn. 

“That's why this story is important to let people know there is a God who still heals. He's still a miracle working God because the Bible says that He never changes.” 

TRAGIC LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES 

In January of this year, Los Angeles was ravaged by multiple wildfires, resulting in the deaths of 30 people, the evacuation of 200,000 residents, and the destruction or damage of more than 18,000 structures.  The horrific fires mesmerized the country as people watched their incredible power.  One of those 18,000 utterly-destroyed structures was in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and belonged to Jake Steinfeld and his wife, Tracy.  It was their home of 30 years, where they had raised their four children.  Jake remembers January 7th well, as “evacuation day.”  “It was incredibly surreal,” he says.  “To see your house and all your belongings leveled was psychologically damaging.  It’s as if we all have a thin shell on the outside - like an M&M candy - and the shell broke.  It was incredibly emotional.”  He says those strong emotions made it easy to connect with others experiencing the same thing.  

Only one intact item was found in the rubble of the Steinfeld’s home – a small plate with a quote from Winston Churchill.  It reads, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.”  They took the words to heart and were determined to get through the incalculable loss.

In the days and weeks after their home was decimated, Jake says a few things started to give him a sense of balance again.  One was getting into the gym and working out, which has always been a boost for him.  Another was recalling the words to a poem, entitled “Don’t Quit.”  He’d left his copy in the house, hoping to return and find it intact.  Jake learned the verses when he was just 14 and was cut from a basketball team.  It’s remained a source of hope, and the title his life motto ever since.  Finally, Jake says he started to sense a “lightness, a rebirth, and rejuvenation” inside.  He says he’s not sure where it came from – “I’m not an incredibly religious person” – but he’s nonetheless grateful for it.  Living in an apartment for now, Jake and Tracy plan to rebuild a home on the very same spot as their former beloved dwelling.   

STATE AND PUBLIC RESPONSE 

KABC of Los Angeles reported just last week that of the thousands of structures destroyed, only four building permits have been issued in the two months since the fires.  The report also noted that LA Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive order that all city departments will streamline permits for all-electric homes (without natural gas), which are more fire-resistant.  “The public officials are not coming through,” Jake says, and that nothing’s being done fast – it’s all bureaucracy.  He called trying to file insurance for his home “torture” as he was asked to remember every item in his house.  

Jake says many ordinary citizens have donated funds to help the city, as have private companies.  He offers the example of a friend of his, an owner of the LA Kings, who joined forces with Mercury Insurance to help those in need.  They invited ten families from the ravaged Altadena neighborhood to a celebrity hockey game, then gave each of them a check for $5000 to meet immediate needs for replacement items.  Some family members broke down and cried at the demonstration of support.

During a recent interview on Fox News, host Brian Kilmeade encouraged Jake himself to run for CA governor.  He responded, “There was a dream that was California and I want to bring that back in the right way with the right people.  If there is a good strong interest, and the interest is right, and we see an opportunity, there’s a good chance that I’ll run for Governor of California.”

To find out more about Jake Steinfeld click the LINK!

CREDITS

Founder of FitTV and Body By Jake, 1980, developing fitness programs and merchandise / personal trainer, clients including Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford, whom he trained for two Indiana Jones films, 1984, 1989 / Host, Body By Jake TV series, 1988-1997 / lead actor, Big Brother Jake, The Family Channel, 1990-1994 / numerous acting roles in TV, film, and voiceover work for animated films, 1979-2018 / co-founded Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the first professional outdoor lacrosse  league, 2001 / New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author / Chairman, National Foundation for Governors' Fitness Councils since 2012 / married to Tracey, four grown children

Three-year-old Jun (John) often covered his mouth because other kids laughed at him.

“Kids called him Cleft boy!” his dad reported.  “Then he would get mad and chase them away.” 

The family lives in a remote mountain village in the Philippines.  Jun’s dad, Joel, has been taking care of his son while his wife cares for a relative in another province. Joel said Jun is becoming more withdrawn and losing weight. 

“He can’t really chew his food so he just swallows it straight. He hides in the corner during mealtimes. He would touch his mouth and said, ‘I want to get this fixed.’”

Joel is a farmer and barely makes enough for food. He can't afford to travel to a distant    hospital, let alone pay for surgery.  “I want my son to get an operation so he can study and have a good life. But if no one helps us that won’t happen.”

Then Operation Blessing met with the family and, thanks to YOU, paid for Jun to receive free surgery to repair the cleft lip.  Soon after surgery, we received some video from a friend’s phone showing the operation was a success! 

It turns out that MANY other children in the surrounding villages have children with cleft lips. So Operation Blessing is now working to help them as well!  

“Thank you for helping my son and for doing what you said you would do,” declared Joel. Though we are very far away, you still came and helped us.  Now many other kids will be helped as well!”

Do you know that CBN partners can reach people around the world for Christ every day? We invite you to join us in ministry together as we provide financial support to those in need through our life-giving surgeries, food and clothing programs, humanitarian aid, and so much more! When you give today and become a CBN partner, you’ll help transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ! Join us now!

10-year-old Avika had questions about the religion she was being taught at home. As a Muslim, she was taught to pray five times a day and read the Quran. She says, “In Islam we were told that Allah is God. I remember my parents always encouraged me to attend the Quran reading after school, but I didn’t understand it.”

Not far from her home, in a remote village in Indonesia, is an after-school program supported by CBN’s Orphan’s Promise. She says, “I joined the after-school program when I was in first grade. A friend invited me.”

It was there Avika received help with homework and learned about the God of the Bible through CBN’s Superbook, but it wasn’t until she watched the story of the First Christmas that she finally made a decision that would change her life. “I realized I was a sinner that day, I repented, and asked Jesus to forgive me and be my Lord and Savior. I felt so happy after I prayed because I knew that Jesus was in my heart and He forgave my sins,” shares Avika.

Now she prays that her family will come to know Jesus too. “I love to share about the Bible and Superbook with my family. They love to hear the stories.” Avika is thankful for all the people who have supported the afterschool program and Superbook.

Give to Superbook