Christopher Koza is currently a mechanical engineering student at the University of Maryland, and in a few short weeks, will be marrying his high school sweetheart, Melinda. Born and raised in Frederick, MD, Christopher devotes much of his time to the Army ROTC program and spending quality time with his friends and family. It's amazing how quickly our lives can change and this is exactly what happened to Christopher. At his age, one expects to be vibrant, entering into the prime of their lives, living life carefree ,but things don't always work out quite as we expect. Unfortunately a lot has happened in the past few weeks, including the life-changing diagnosis of cancer. Although Christopher had grandparents who dealt with this obstacle, cancer is one word a 21-year-old never expects to hear.
In May, the doctors diagnosed Christopher with a testicular tumor. On Friday the 11th, he had surgery to remove the cancer. The results showed that the borders were "in-tact" but that the tumor was in fact malignant: Embryonal Carcinoma . Thinking that the "bad news" was out of the way, the family found themselves yet again taken aback to hear that the CT scans showed the cancer spreading to the lymph nodes (qualifying as stage 2 B). Christopher will get a PET scan this week of his entire body and will begin chemotherapy shortly after his wedding day. As one can imagine, life changed quickly. Christopher has had cope with the new diagnosis, drop out of school for the remaining spring semester, and face the possibility of losing his ROTC scholarship and even putting the wedding plans on hold.
Things have continued to pile on, but there is hope in a sovereign God. We know that God knows Christopher by name and has established all of this before the foundation of the Earth. We also know that His ways are not always our ways, but He always knows best! Amidst the circumstances, they are clinging to Romans 8:28. The apostle Paul writes, "And we know that in ALL THINGS, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." We have already seen some pretty amazing ways God is working in all of this, including the discovery that Christopher is able to stay on his parents' insurance, even though he will be married! That in itself is such a major blessing! It is his family's hope and prayer that through Christopher's story, God will be given all of the glory.
The financial burdens of cancer are strenuous to any family. Unfortunately, Christopher's family is no different. We are asking that you partner alongside us as we pray for the miraculous healing of Christopher, and if you feel led to also help contribute to the rising medical costs. We are so very grateful for all of your love and prayers and know that great things will be accomplished. We are believing God for what seems impossible to many, but we know that with God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13). Through the Patty Pollatos Fund, Inc. (www.ppfinc.org), Christopher will benefit 100% of anything that is donated! All donations are tax-deductible.If you are interested in donating, please check the blog soon for the link. Thank you so much for coming together to support Christopher and his family through this time.
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