Todd Shoemaker's "Embracing Life's Challenges"

Praise God! I had to spread the wonderful healing power of our great God. I hope the following words will encourage you to embrace life’s challenges.
My story begins on a mission's trip to New York City in June, 2002. I was blessed by God to travel with student ministries for a week in the Big Apple. My first night the Lord impressed upon me to fast for the week. What? I am in a city with some of the best restaurants in the world, but wanting to please the Lord, I obeyed. I felt the Lord telling me he was preparing me for something. But what, I wondered. In September, 2002, I began to find out. I was diagnosed with a debilitating type of arthritis. From September until August of 2003, I was placed on several types of medication. Most of the medications made me feel worse. The doctor instructed me that the arthritis had spread through most of my body. I was told to limit my physical activities. Jogging, which I enjoy, was off limits. The doctors stated I probably should forget about jogging. At times I was unable to get out of bed in the morning and had to use a cane or crutches. At times I thought to myself, "Can things get worse?" That question was answered in August 2003, when after becoming sick from my medication I was informed that a tumor had been found close to my heart. In August, it was determined that open heart surgery was needed to remove the tumor. My wife and I were informed that the tumor was a fast-growing tumor and needed to be removed. On October 14, 2003, the surgery was performed to remove the tumor. We were informed that the tumor was cancerous, but that my prognosis for full recovery was very good. Remember my trip to New York in 2002 and God encouraging me to fast? At that time God did not reveal to me the reason for my fasting. When I was diagnosed with a tumor, God revealed the reason for my fasting. It was to spiritually and physically prepare me for my battle ahead. What an awesome thing God did in both of these areas. I grew and continue to grow so much in my faith. Physically, God amazed me and everybody around me. The doctor had stated before the open heart surgery that I would probably be out of work anywhere between one and two months. I was back to work full-time in three weeks. The doctor could not believe my recovery. They also stated I did not need radiation or chemotherapy. Praise God! I was so grateful to be cancer free, but I did not feel God had finished the miracle. I still had a desire to jog. In the past it was time I spent enjoying all of God's beauty and talking with Him. Most of my family and friends warned me to wait another six months before jogging or not to try at all. Let your body heal they shared. I began to hear God saying it was time to get back to living. So on June 7, 2004, with my beautiful wife looking on, I ran 2.8 miles. What a great God we serve. I decided at that point I would begin training for a half marathon scheduled for November, 2004. On November 14, 2004, I completed the half-marathon at the Palm Beach Marathon, one year and one month after having a tumor removed. Well you would think the story would end with that victory. Not so fast my friend. Two weeks after completing the marathon I passed out at home and was placed in the hospital Thanksgiving week. Not great, but it probably saved me a few pounds. At that time I was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease. We were informed by the doctor that I should have not been able to run a half-marathon. I informed the doctor that I could do all things through Christ. I was informed that I had a mild form of the neuromuscular disease and would probably never have any major issues. With that news I took a few months off and started training for the 2005 Palm Beach Marathon. As you can tell, my life’s challenges have been of a physical nature. Things were going well until June 2005. One night when I went out for a run, I found that my legs were not working. I had lost the ability to run. My first thought was how could and would I overcome this new challenge. The doctors put me back on some medication and hoped for the best. On July 6th, I went in for a routine checkup and was informed I was in a crisis and needed to be placed in the hospital for a week. A crisis with this neuromuscular disease meant my lungs were weak and could possibly shut down. It’s amazing that my wife and I did not even realize what poor shape I was in at the time. I had been working every day. I was tired, but did not realize I was in a crisis. I was placed on intravenous treatment for five days at 6 hours a day. The doctor informed my wife he could not explain how I was even walking. My legs were too weak he stated. He really could not believe when I informed him that I would be returning to work the day after being released from the hospital. I shared with him this is how I deal with life’s challenges and how God continues to bless my wife and me. The challenge continues. I attended physical therapy three times a week and got stronger every day. The goal is to still run the Palm Beach Marathon on December 4, 2005. To show you how awesome God is, December 4th is my 40th birthday. How awesome is our Lord? God has begun to open doors for me to share my story and how he has helped me deal with life’s challenges. My prayer for those who have taken the time to read this is that you will embrace life’s challenges and live the life God has made just for you. Laura and I also want to thank all those who have been praying for us. Continue to pray that God will use us to bring glory to His name.


I wanted to update each of you on the Marathon of the Palm Beaches 2005 and my future. I did complete the marathon with a lot of family and friends in attendance. What was so awesome is I was able to witness to so many other runners during the race. One of my doctors had referred to me as a genetic freak, so my wife made “Team Genetic Freak” signs for the race. A lot of people had questions, which allowed us to share what God has done in our lives. I will be taking a year off from running any marathons. My body really needs time to heal. I am praying that God will continue to bless me with the opportunities to share His awesome story. God has laid a message on my heart about dealing with life’s struggles. I have had the chance to share that message at a few churches and hope to share it with many more in the future. Thanks again for all of your prayers.
Built for eternity,
Todd Shoemaker