“Is Daddy going to live through this?” was the repeated question of the six-year-old boy. Daddy, in this case, was 44-year-old Jess, who was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma, a highly aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system. Jess’ cancer was so aggressive it went from stage one to stage three in the few short weeks it took to get a diagnosis.

The question posed by the six-year-old was weighing on everyone’s mind, including Jess’. “I’m a very strong person and I usually don’t need other people,” says Jess, who lives in the Chicago area. “I’m usually like a rock. But this shook me down to my knees.”

Jess had a solid Christian faith and supportive family members to rely on during his cancer battle. But he also benefited from the spiritual and emotional support of an instant network of Christian friends, thanks to the unique ministry of Phil’s Friends.

Jess remembers the day someone from Phil’s Friends showed up at his hospital room door with a duffle bag “care package” in tow. Inside the care package was a blanket, socks, hat, and other physical items helpful in the battle against cancer. But also included was a Bible, devotional material, Christian music CD and an invitation to receive ongoing prayer support. “They (Phil’s Friends) have been there throughout the whole thing. They’re always praying for me,” Jess says. “It was a great support for my family, too.”

In the year since his diagnosis, Jess has delivered multiple Phil’s Friends care packages to others battling cancer. “I tell them my story, that I’m a cancer survivor and there’s hope,” Jess explains. That hope is in knowing Jesus, he adds, and it’s delivered at a pivotal point in people’s lives when they’re facing their own mortality.

“This is the point where life slows down. They realize this could be the end,” explains Phil’s Friends founder Phil Zielke. “When those thoughts cross their mind, they want to be more open, they’re willing to be cared for. They realize what matters most: where they will go when they die. People need the hope that they have a Savior who died for them.”

Phil understood this truth lying in a hospital bed at age 24, battling his own cancer for the second time. “During my sickest times, I cried out to God and said, ‘Lord if it’s time to go to heaven, I’m ready. But if not, show me what You want me to do. I promise to devote my life to You and whatever You have planned for me.’” Within weeks of that commitment, Phil started Phil’s Friends, a Chicago nonprofit organization that provides Christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer.

Wheat Ridge Ministries was part of that genesis, providing a small seed grant to help Phil’s Friends create its first care packages. Now, three years later, Wheat Ridge is investing in Phil’s Friends again to help it grow from a regional effort to a national network reaching people with the hope of the healing Christ.

The Wheat Ridge grant will allow Phil’s Friends to hire Phil as part-time executive director and volunteer coordinator, where previously it had no paid staff. By resigning from his teaching position and focusing solely on the mission of Phil’s Friends, Phil will be able to recruit, train and coordinate the 500-plus Phil’s Friends volunteers who are the hands and feet of the ministry as they reach out to people battling cancer. This year alone, volunteers will deliver 1,000 care packages – the bridge that opens the door to people hearing about the hope Christ provides and accepting the ongoing prayer support, cards and personal visits Phil’s Friends volunteers offer.

Without the Wheat Ridge grant, “We wouldn’t have had the funding to make this happen,” says Phil. “We needed full time leadership and a coordinator. We wouldn’t have been able to take (the organization to) the next step. By taking the next step, it’s opened other doors because people have realized how serious we are about it.” One example: on the heels of the Wheat Ridge grant came an offer for free office space that allowed Phil’s Friends to move its operations from Phil’s basement to a stand-alone office.

Phil also credits Wheat Ridge’s expertise as a critical resource in the development of Phil’s Friends. Phil had ongoing counsel with Wheat Ridge staff as he brought his vision to fruition, developed a board, built an infrastructure, created management systems and tackled challenges like fundraising. "They’ve helped with their expertise. They’re open to meet with me whenever I need to. That’s a whole other aspect of the ministry. Wheat Ridge Ministries has been fundamental,” he says.

Moving forward, Phil envisions a network of Phil’s Friends chapters throughout the U.S., helping transform the lives of the 1.2 million people who are diagnosed with cancer each year. “God transformed my life during my fight with cancer, including my priorities, attitudes, and my outlook on life. To this day I will say that cancer was the best thing that has ever happened to me. God was my source of strength, and I want other cancer patients to know the strength and peace that can only come through faith in Christ,” Phil says.

Thank you for partnering with Wheat Ridge Ministries and Phil’s Friends to deliver this message of hope to those embroiled in the battle of a lifetime. Through your faithful prayer and financial support, you become a conduit for God’s transforming power in people’s lives.

Written by Jennifer Halupnik