- JMak
- Jun 2, 2021
Updated: Jun 6, 2021
If you’ve been following my story, you might remember that I once fainted in a doctor’s office with absolutely no provocation whatsoever. There were no needles or anything traumatic happening. It couldn’t have been a more routine visit. In fact, I had just finished telling the doctor about this fainting habit of mine and next thing I know, I’m laying on the exam table looking up at the ceiling with a nurse asking if I know where I am.
Well that doctor was Dr. Rahimi—Ali Rahimi—a former colleague and a good friend.
Yesterday, he and I sat down to lunch. We’ve always connected but one of the blessings of a diagnosis like mine is that it helps you cut past all the surface stuff and get right to what matters. I was totally lit up and inspired by our time together.
He talked about how you can’t have true health without health in the spirit, too.
Ali shared with me that his purpose in becoming a physician was so that he could help both the body and soul. He also acknowledged that there are many times where he can’t explain why one person gets well and another doesn’t. It’s not only about numbers and statistics. There is a spiritual component too!
For Ali, it goes beyond the boxes and religions that people often get put into. He said he just believes that if a person has godly attributes in their life, they have God with them. Simple. He said, “I don’t think God sees things the way we do.” I agree with him. I think God is for all people and that He does not exclude Himself from anyone.
Of all the things we talked about, one thing he said keeps coming back to me. He said, “You don’t RESIGN yourself to God’s will. You SUBMIT yourself to God’s will because He is good.” This connected with me deeply. There is a difference between being resigned to something and willfully submitting to something. Which one depends on the perspective you are coming from.
He talked about all the ways his life experiences contributed to who he is now. I was looking across the table at someone from a totally different background but with a similar heart for God and a love for people. And while some of the details of our faith may differ, we are united by that one foundational belief: God is good.
Dr. Rahimi is my kind of person and the kind of person I want in my corner—and not just on my medical team. So I said, “Do you want to be a part of my dream team?”
He said, “Count this Muslim brother as a member of your team.”
Welcome to the team, my brother! We’ve come a long way from that day I fainted in your office. Instead of me looking up at you from the exam table, we're both looking up. Together.
I can’t wait to see how God uses this team to bring people together!
- JMak
- May 31, 2021
My friend, Xavier, and I got to catch up over a video call about the progress on the bakery in Lima. Wow! They have made so much progress. When I left Peru last month there were just white walls and a few of the big bakery machines being delivered. Now they have a fully functional bakery and are hiring cashiers, training new bakers, and getting the word out about the grand opening.
During our call, Xavier gave me a very special gift. He and the other guys made me this awesome video and the “thing” that Xavier talks about in the video made its way to my house. I will be sharing more of the story behind the “thing” that Xavier gave me. It is VERY significant. Stay tuned for more of that story—it is one you will want to hear.
For now, enjoy this video to get a sense of just how much is happening with Brothers Bakery International! The person who made the video, Brayan Falcon, is also someone who lives at the Hope House in Lima and who has become a close friend of mine too. He is a super talented videographer, a great asset and has an incredible story of his own!
Brayan even put one of my favorite songs behind the video called “Let Me Fly” and all I can say is that I’m watching these brothers FLY. Nothing makes me happier or more inspired to keep fighting!
Help me get these guys to opening day—donate to the JMak Dream Fund.
- JMak
- May 25, 2021
Today I went to have my port placement done for chemotherapy treatment and I had a very attentive and skillful nurse taking care of me to prepare me for the procedure. She had a confidence about her and an energy with which she did her job that made me feel like I was in great hands. I found myself thinking that she is really good at what she does and that must make her patients feel settled.
Her name was Vy Nguyen. I talked with her for a little bit as she worked to start an IV for me. I noticed she had a scarf on her head with multiple shades of blue on it. It was really bright and pretty. I asked her about it.
She said this is what many of the chemo patients typically wear. I looked around and noticed that there were many staff members wearing scarves today. Some had on red scarves, some blue, and some were multicolored. I thought to myself, “How thoughtful of the staff to wear these scarves as part of their work attire to express support for the patients they are treating.”
Vy asked me if I had any questions about my port. I told her I had been a little nervous about it and had some questions about day to day activities with the port. She answered all of my questions with a reassuring tone. Then I asked her how the hook-up for treatments feels. Is it painful? Is it like an IV? She told me that they make a special cream to numb the skin in the port area before each treatment. But then she looked directly at me and said, “Personally, I have been through so much I just go straight at it.”
I was surprised! Was I talking to a person who was also a patient herself? I looked at her and asked—do you have a port? She pulled her shirt down a little and showed me a small scar below her collarbone where her port access was located.
Wow! That made such an impact on me! She was very busy with several patients so I didn’t get to talk to her very long but I decided that when she came back to me that I wanted to ask her some more questions.
In a few minutes, she returned to my bed and I asked her, “what’s your color?” She looked at me.
“Mine is purple,” I said.
She replied, “Mine is blue. I have colon cancer. I have been fighting for 4 years.”
I told her that she was the highlight of my day and I really appreciated her opening herself up like that. I knew she didn’t have to do that! I told her that she is a miracle and that she was an inspiration to me! She responded that she fights to live life and that is part of why she continues to work her job as a nurse. Her positivity was so uplifting!
I told her about my dream team and how I wanted to share positive stories with people. I asked if I could share her story with my dream team.
I am learning that people like Vy are all around us. Fighting to live life to the fullest. I am seeing them more and more. It surprises me how easy it is to miss people when we are not really engaged in what it means to live life to the fullest. That’s been me at times, but I am not missing it anymore!
It's incredible to me that God would give me a nurse today who is also a patient and a fighter herself. On a day when I need encouragement, this is what God does! It touches me deeply. Vy has three kids, one school-age, one teenage, and one full-grown. She has energy and is living. She told me she has days she is tired and she has to go home and sleep after her treatments but I watched her work today and her attitude is one of energy and confidence. She is not slowing down. She is living!
It is good to remember that we can all make an impact on someone else. Today that came in a very unexpected way that can only be explained by God. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to be an inspiration to someone else like Vy was for me! I know we all are inspiring sometimes in ways we don’t realize! Living every day to the fullest is how we inspire others to do the same! That’s what Vy did for me today!
