The Power of Prayer

How often have you heard this simple phrase and thought long and hard about it? I recently came to a realization that I had no idea how powerful this action can actually be or why people truly do it. However, when someone is given grim or terrible news it is one of the most common actionable items one can resort to doing, praying.

My baby brother, Gerardo, at 22 years of age was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that consists of a germ cell tumor. This type of cancer only occurs in 3-5% of all cancer patients, and treatment plans are effective but very challenging. Taking all of this in has been overwhelming and hard to cope with but it’s in times like these that we must overcome our fears with faith and be grateful we are dealing with this together - as a family.

Before my brother's diagnosis, he was a regular young man, with many goals and aspirations for the future. It’s hard for him to keep sight of those goals when he is suddenly having to fight the biggest fight of his entire life. It is our job to constantly remind him that those goals are still there and he will achieve them, because he will come out of this a more resilient version of himself. Cancer is now a part of his story, but we will not let it define him.

There are so many things about cancer that are beyond our control, but how we react is entirely up to us. The bible states that pain and problems are opportunities to demonstrate our trust in him. Which lead me to understand that even in our darkest moments we cannot let go of his steady hand, for he is walking us through every moment of our lives, even the paths that are cold, dark and scary. We must have faith that God has this all under his control. He has a plan, even if we can’t see it now. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:10).

We are confident that he is holding my brother’s hand at this very moment. It is no coincidence that we live in Houston, where one of the top cancer hospitals in the world is located and has an amazing team of doctors and nurses caring for him. We are also grateful for family, friends, countless prayer chains, cards and genuine support received from everyone. Words cannot illustrate the depths of our gratitude to you all. We persevere knowing that the power of prayer truly works and we ask that you all continue to pray for Gerardo as he continues to fight so he can be healthy and happy again.