What is a person to do when peering in the face of death-or any difficult circumstance? What if that person is only fourteen years old? How can a mother rest in God's sovereignty when His ways seem so hidden and confusing? Before encountering this crisis, Darryl came to believe that God is good and all His ways are best. Hearing a bleak prognosis with little hope for cure, Darryl believed that if God planned it that way, it was the very best for him! Living out the passion of the apostle Paul, Darryl became known as "the boy who's not afraid to die" He accepted suffering with joy by remembering Jesus's pain tolerated for him on the cross. In his final words, he expressed, "Jesus died for your sins and my sins. I'm going to see Him" Even in his dying moments, he wanted others to experience the love of Jesus. His life demonstrated that joy comes from Jesus and is not dependent on circumstances. Life, suffering, and even death had a purpose because of a gracious and loving God. When his time came, he eagerly stepped into the presence of Jesus. His desire would be the same for you! Fantastic! As a pediatrician and as a parent, I urge you to read this book. God's greatness is seen throughout as we observe real parents and a real adolescent struggling with very real tragedy. Devouring page after page, I was inspired with great lessons about parenting, godliness, grieving, and endurance. May we all grow to share Darryl's eternal perspective. Phil Fischer, MD Professor of Pediatrics Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota USA This book is a victorious cancer story without parallel. Darryl used suffering as a backboard for proclaiming the joy of Christian victory. His disease and demise are an excellent lesson to teach us that "all preachers do not have a three piece suit and an ordination certificate" It is an easy read and will stimulate your own witness. Chuck Davis National Representative Africa Inland Mission Darryl never f DON'T CALL ME POOR A Mother Grieves and Grows as her Teenage Son Courageously Fights Cancer By EVADENE STRANSKE Trafford Publishing Copyright © 2012 Evadene Stranske All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4669-4176-2 Contents 1. The Year We Burned The Candle........................................................................12. It's A Boy...........................................................................................93. Snapshots Of Darryl's Preschool Years In Africa......................................................184. Transition To America................................................................................295. Campus Life In Colorado..............................................................................376. A Paper Boy In Lakewood..............................................................................437. The New Year Begins With Enveloping Gloom............................................................528. A Disciplined Life Finds Strength In God.............................................................659. New Medications Provide Hope.........................................................................7810. Rocky Mountain News Story Generates Phone And Mail Storm............................................8311. Back To School......................................................................................9812. Family Challenges Persist...........................................................................10713. Beckoned By A Graduation We Vacation In California..................................................12014. Increasing Pressure At Home In Colorado.............................................................13015. I'd Rather Be With Jesus............................................................................13716. Don't Call Me Poor!.................................................................................14517. A Continuing Legacy He Being Dead Yet Speaketh......................................................15818. Ongoing Struggles Provide Lessons In God's Sovereignty..............................................165Appendix I: How do I make life's most important decision to become a Christian?.........................177Appendix II: Rocky Mountain News Article, January 24, 1971..............................................179Appendix III: Western Witness Article, September, 1972..................................................186Appendix IV: The Effects of a Terminal Illness and Death of a Child on His Siblings.....................191 Chapter One THE YEAR WE BURNED THE CANDLE Colorful wax trickled down the knobby sides of the candle in our dimly lit dining room. That previously unlit white Christmas tree candle with embedded multicolored balls had been our Christmas dinner table centerpiece for several years but, for this occasion, I decided to light it. Something compelled me to change tradition by striking a match to our treasured possession. Today we celebrated. It was Christmas E