On 10 May 2012, Apple was warded for backaches and two days later, diagnosed with terminal cancer. The tumor was as big as a basketball. Her left kidney became dysfunctional because the tumour had deprived it of oxygen. The doctor gave up and refused to operate on her. No other doctor wanted to as well. I was devastated and cried out to the Lord for help. He answered. By His grace, a senior consultant professor who doesn’t do much surgery anymore took on Apple’s case. She was operated on the next morning. The tumour and her left kidney were removed but the professor did not have good news. Apple’s cancer was stage 4 with a grade 3 type of sarcoma – a very aggressive terminal cancer condition. She had only three months to live. No medication, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can treat the cancer. I was told to give Apple whatever she needed. For the next four months, Apple was in and out of the hospitals. A PET-scan done in Sept 2012 showed that the tumour has returned. A second operation had to be done.
On 14 Oct 2012, Apple and I got baptised at PLMC. As I was praying one night, the Lord gave me a word- “Patience” and one scripture verse: “And the Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed”
(Deut 31:8). He also asked me to pass the following verses to Apple: “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:17) and, “The Lord has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death.” (Psalm 119:18).
With these assurances, we prayed and dug into the Bible every moment we can, even now. We promised the Lord that we will be living testimonies for Him and will proclaim His glory wherever we go. The second tumour was removed in a massive operation together with her gall bladder, part of her stomach and part of her diaphragm on 17 Oct 2012. Apple also underwent 30 sessions of radiotherapy to slow down the recurrence. The latest result on 1 Oct 2013 showed no cancer cells. It has been 17 months since her first operation. Praise the Lord for His healing. Apple has recovered and is getting stronger every day. There is no medication for her, only 4-monthly scan to ensure that the cancer does not relapse.
Apple and I are totally dependent on the Lord to sustain her. We thank God for His love and mercy. We are now in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia doing God’s work as we had promised, testifying to the greatness of God and to His living existence.
– Apple & Chris Kong
