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.
Related: Beautiful Embrace — College Football Player Returns To The Field For The Undefeated Minnesota Gophers After Beating Cancer In His Bones
“I think it’s really important in life to have heroes, and especially in the faith, and one of my heroes of the faith is a man named Ravi Zacharias,” Tebow said in the video. “He’s not doing very well.”
In order to honor Zacharias, Tebow asked fans who know the minister to share heartfelt messages about how he’s impacted their lives and Tebow plans to share the notes with the minister and his team.
“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.”
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.
Related: Actor Patrick Dempsey Asks For Donations To His Cancer Nonprofit, The Dempsey Center — Cancer Patients Need Help Now More Than Ever
“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.”
Doug Wendt says he doesn’t want to “move on,” but “move forward” after losing his wife to ovarian cancer
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.
Related: “I Want to Donate My Bone”: LL Cool J Will Do What it Takes to Help With His Wife Simone’s Cancer Surgery
“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.”
Dr. Elizabeth Comen explains how breast cancer can spread to the bone, and treatment options that are available
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
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
Related: Beautiful Embrace — College Football Player Returns To The Field For The Undefeated Minnesota Gophers After Beating Cancer In His Bones
“I think it’s really important in life to have heroes, and especially in the faith, and one of my heroes of the faith is a man named Ravi Zacharias,” Tebow said in the video. “He’s not doing very well.”
In order to honor Zacharias, Tebow asked fans who know the minister to share heartfelt messages about how he’s impacted their lives and Tebow plans to share the notes with the minister and his team.
“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.”
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.
Related: Actor Patrick Dempsey Asks For Donations To His Cancer Nonprofit, The Dempsey Center — Cancer Patients Need Help Now More Than Ever
“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.”
Doug Wendt says he doesn’t want to “move on,” but “move forward” after losing his wife to ovarian cancer
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.
Related: “I Want to Donate My Bone”: LL Cool J Will Do What it Takes to Help With His Wife Simone’s Cancer Surgery
“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.”
Dr. Elizabeth Comen explains how breast cancer can spread to the bone, and treatment options that are available
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
