A Personal Note From Rich Barrett

As you might have learned this week through the ever-amazing grapevine, I was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Here’s a Wikipedia link.

Hodgkins has a great survival rate (80%). I’m young (no snickering!), healthy, and a good candidate for an aggressive treatment regimen.

I will require six months of chemotherapy, and we’re not wasting any time. Friday I had a port installed in my chest, and chemo begins Tuesday morning. Chemo will be administered every other Tuesday and will hopefully wrap up mid-May.

We absolutely love our oncologist and the caregivers at our treatment center. We believe God orchestrated these relationships, and we can’t wait to see how they develop!

The Access staff and elders have responded wonderfully and are ready to rise up and fill any gaps in my ability to perform at 100% in the coming months. My oncologist believes that I’ll still have a very active work life.

We so appreciate all of the offers to provide meals and other practical help. Thank you so much! It would be a huge help to us if you would direct all such offers to Kelly Witbeck, who has offered to coordinate your generosity.

Okay. That’s about all we know for now. Future updates will be posted here on the Access Church blog. Please keep our family in your prayers, and pray for Access Church—our mission and our calling in this city remains the same!

Much love,

—Rich (for Stephanie and the kids)