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My daughter, Rebecca, was married in 1994 to a young man by the name of Tedd Woodworth, whom she had met in Bible College. Unfortunately, only 4 months later, the doctors determined that he had advanced stage Hodgkins disease, a form of cancer.
Tedd underwent chemotherapy and recovered quickly, but by the end of 1995, it had come back.
The only hope after standard treatment had failed was a bone marrow transplant. It was a long, hard, and dangerous procedure, but in the spring of 1996, Tedd received the transplant and survived! He did so well that he tied the record for the earliest discharge ever from the University of Michigan Medical Center. Once again it looked as though the treatment had succeeded.
He grew stronger and stronger throughout the rest of that year, as he recovered from the bone marrow procedure, but in the summer of 1996, Tedd had already found some small lumps in his body again. Since he was still gaining strength and was symptom-free, they were confident that the lumps were just scar tissue under the skin.
He applied for an associate pastor’s job in rural Cumberland Virginia. (The nearest McDonald's was about 1/2 an hour away. Now that is rural!) Despite his medical history, and uncertain future, he was hired. Tedd and his young wife they built up the youth group from 5 or 6 teens to over 30 in less than six months..The mild Virginia weather and some natural food supplements had helped to keep Pastor Tedd healthy - so healthy that he did not need to see a doctor for all of 1997!
But in the spring of 1998, again the cancer returned. There was nothing left to do for him but pray. Hundreds if not thousands of people in many churches prayed, but Pastor Tedd died peacefully on July 20, 1998. And there was Rebecca, ....... a widow at 26 years old!
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