Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow fought back tears in an emotional video while talking to fans about his church minister Ravi Zacharias’ who Tebow says influenced him throughout his life and is currently battling bone cancer.
In an Instagram video, Tebow discussed Zacharias’ health, saying that the church minister has been battling a rare bone cancer since March, and Tebow revealed to fans that Zacharias was told that there were no more treatment options available for his disease since it has spread despite responding to chemotherapy.
Read More“I’m so grateful for Ravi and his life and our friendship and everything that he has helped mentor me in," Tebow said. "I just want to share so many of these stories, how he's touched your life, how he’s touched my life, to be able to encourage him before he goes home to his forever home with his Heavenly Father.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_8fQARgYOh/
Coping With Losing A Loved One From Cancer
Whether it’s a family member, or a close friend, losing a loved one to cancer is a difficult process for someone to say the least. In interviews with SurvivorNet, people shared their experiences with cancer losses and how they coped.
Doug Wendt lost his wife Alice to ovarian cancer after being married for 25 years. He told SurvivorNet that he'll never really get over losing Alice, but he does hope to move forward and help those in need.
“We're never gonna move on, I don't even think I want to move on, but I do want to move forward," Doug says. "That's an important distinction and I encourage anybody who goes through this journey as a caregiver and then has to face loss, to think very carefully about how to move forward."
Cancer Spreading To The Bones
Although it’s unknown what type of bone cancer Zacharias is battling, the disease is extremely rare in adults and occurs when cells that are in the bone begin to grow out of control. The types of cancer that can form in the bone include non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Additionally, some cancers may start in one part of the body, but if they are metastatic they can spread to the bone such as breast cancer.
“One of the common presentations that we see with metastatic breast cancer particularly is hormone receptor positive breast cancer that might come back in the bone that’s incidentally found,” Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet. “For a variety of reasons, particularly hormone receptor positive breast cancer likes to live in the bone. [So] first line of attack for that, particularly if a woman is feeling well, is to use hormone therapies.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
