In this episode, you'll hear: 

• Why would someone be embarrassed to tell people they are suicidal?

On March 10, 2017, David was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. His doctors told him if he didn't start treatments immediately, he would have three to four weeks to live.

Right before his diagnosis, David was working as a youth pastor, had just met the woman who would become his wife and was living his dream life. Shortly after their engagement, he began noticing symptoms and was misdiagnosed a handful of times, but eventually, the correct diagnosis came.

Over the next nine months, he had seven hospitalizations, spent over 100 nights in the hospital, endured four rounds of chemotherapy, received a stem cell infusion, and received 37 blood transfusions. Thankfully, on December 19, 2017, his cancer was in remission.

In the years before his diagnosis, David went through several seasons of depression and struggled with suicidal thoughts that he kept to himself for nearly three years. Eventually, he gained perspective on the long-term impacts of suicide and how it would negatively affect the people around him. He never knew how important the lessons he learned in middle school would be when he was diagnosed with cancer. He learned that leaning on people and relying on loved ones is one of the most important factors in making it through hard times. When he was younger, he felt like he could never tell anyone he was hurting, but when he faced cancer, he found he had to do it, and that was one major factor that helped him stay alive. David tells us there is great power in just being there for people who are struggling. Treating them like people and giving them time where they can forget the struggle and remember what it means to be alive.

There is a lot in life that can't be controlled, so David seized every opportunity to take control of what he could. Whether it was shaving his head when he began losing his hair from chemotherapy or realizing that gratitude is a mindset and cultivating a mindset is also a choice. Sometimes being faced with death is the thing that shakes people into developing a mindset that will help them go forward for the rest of their lives. This rang true for David. Cultivating a positive mindset, learning gratitude, and finding humor in the dark times will serve him regardless of what is happening. Cancer threatened to kill him, but it actually gave him this life he loves so much and a chance to make the most of it. 

“You have to be ready at all times, everyone, to hear those words… Are you prepared if you heard those words today? Are you okay with your life? Are you satisfied with your life? Do you feel like you made an impact?”

In this episode, you'll hear: 

• Why would someone be embarrassed to tell people they are suicidal?

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Connect with the guest:

• Dr. Frank Bevacqua

Resources:

• Battles & Blessings: My Experiences with Cancer by David Rees

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson