"Praying for the complete healing of Mark Palmer
and helping to bear the financial burden of his treatment"

Our dear friend, Mark Palmer has been diagnosed with rectal cancer. We are praying in the name of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ that he would be healed of this tumor. He also has found that his medical sharing group will not cover any of the costs of his treatment (c. $75,000), as they deem it to be a "previously existing condition." Thus, we are also praying for and working toward the elimination (healing?) of that debt.

Palmer's Story:
In August 2003, Mark lost his young wife Jennifer to a swiftly-moving case of stomach cancer. Mark and Jennifer, in their fortitude in the midst of this tragic illness, were bold witnesses of the hope of Christ Jesus to many people far and wide. On November 6, 2004, Palmer was married to Amy Smith. However, two months later, in January 2005, Palmer himself was diagnosed with rectal cancer and was set upon a course of treatment. The most recent turn in this story is that in April 2005, Palmer found that his cancer treatment would not be covered by his insurance and that he would have to bear the cost of this treatment.

Update September 2005:
Mark spent most of the summer in the hospital and then rehab, as doctors removed another pocket of cancer, a surgery which had complications that took him almost to the door of death. What was planned as as 7 day stay in the hospital turned in 33 days, followed by over two weeks in rehab (Click here for Palmer's brief summary of this experience). Mark is now at home and undergoing a chemotherapy regiment. Although he survived this experience and is on the mend, the greatly extended hospital and rehab stay have ballooned the costs of Mark's treatment. Please think and pray about how you can join the generosity of friends from around the world in contributing to paying off these medical costs.

You can follow Palmer's story on his blog... Additionally, the archives of his blog flesh his story out much more fully if you have the time to sift through them..

We have started this site to urge people to pray for Palmer, his family and his church community. Additionally, we will list several different ways that you can help to bear the financial burden of Palmer's treatment.

Doulos Christou Books is selling the following books with all profits going toward Palmer's treatment:

Featured Titles:

Water, Faith and Wood: Stories of the Early Church's Witness for Today Christopher Smith Paperback, 2003 [ Read the Foreword by Kevin Rains ] Suggested Donation: $12

The Body of Compassion: Ethics, Medicine and the Church Joel Shuman Hardback, 2001 An essential book for understanding the Church's role in a sick and dying world... Suggested Donation: $12

Additional Titles:

Title	Author	Suggested Donation
God, Hope, and History: Jurgen Moltmann and the Christian Concept of History.	A.J. Conyers	$10
Communities of Faith and Radical Discipleship: Jurgen Moltmann and Others.	Ed. Bryan McLeod	$10
With the Grain of the Universe: The Church's Witness and Natural Theology.	Stanley Hauerwas	$12
The Early Church and the State.	Agnes Cunningham	$7
A Brief Introduction to Celtic Christianity. Along with St. Patrick's CONFESSION	Philip Schaff	$8
Downsizing the USA.	William Willimon / Thomas Naylor	$8
Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age.	Bill McKibben	$10
Scripture and Ethics: Twentieth Century Profiles.	Jeffrey Siker	$8
Creation and the Environment: An Anabaptist Perspective on a Sustainable World.	Calvin Redekop	$10
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America.	Randall Balmer	$7
Against Capital Punishment: The Anti-Death Penalty Movement in America, 1972-1994.	Herbert H. Haines	$8

Place your order: