Saying ‘See Ya Later’ To My Son

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written anything (apart from sermons, of course). That’s partly because, on Monday, September 25, Christ summoned my 12-year-old son, Jude, to himself at 4:27 AM. He’d been diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) on October 21, 2018. In February 2021, Jude was released from all chemotherapy treatment because his cancer was gone.

By summer 2023, he was only visiting his pediatric oncologist once every four months. Life was getting back to “normal.” Then, he returned home from a week-long summer camp with suspicious bruises on his shins. Kids with blood-borne cancers often have lots of bruises because of low platelet counts. Around the middle of July, doctors retrieved another bone marrow sample and confirmed his cancer was back.

The weekend of September 23, Jude started experiencing stomach pain and nausea. Those who’ve been through cancer treatment know that’s par for the course. About 12:00 AM Sunday morning, Jude came into our bedroom complaining of worsening symptoms. My wife and two youngest daughters took him to the UMMC ER while I stayed home, preparing to lead worship and preach. Pretty soon, we got word Jude had appendicitis and needed an appendectomy. At that point, I headed to Blair Batson.

By mid-morning, we were in the pediatric intensive care unit. Doctors informed us Jude had an infection in his blood. The challenge for him was the chemotherapy drugs killed off nearly all his white blood cells. There was an enemy army in his body and no homeland soldiers to fight them off.

After an hours-long battle, Jude died. One day, everything was “normal.” The next day, Jude was gone. This is why the Bible refers to life as a “mist” (James 4:14). It is here “for a little time and then vanishes.”

When Jude died, his soul was taken into the presence of Christ Jesus. His body, still in union with Christ, rests in the ground at Crestlawn Cemetery in Ocean Springs, my wife’s hometown. The rest of us are still here, picking up the pieces.

After diagnosis, Jude often wondered if he would die. I never said, “Of course not! Don’t think like that.” All men die. We must not treat death like the imaginary boogie man under the bed. It’s real for all of us yet does not have to be feared (Hebrews 2:15). We overcome fear of death by looking to the risen Christ who, seated on his throne, holds the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18).

Philippians 1:21 reminds us, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Most Christians embrace “death is gain” for themselves. You have to embrace it for your loved ones who die in the Lord as well.  Death, for Jude, is gain, not loss. As a child of the covenant who embraced Christ by faith, his soul now rests in the presence of Christ the King (2 Corinthians 5:8). 

One day, his body will be raised and reunited with his soul in the glorious resurrection. On that day, there will be another reunion. His mother, sisters, and I will see him again, along with all our loved ones who have died in the Lord. This is the hope Christ won for all who believe.