In late January 2016, Matt and Cari’s 5 year-old son, Gavin, had been complaining about headaches. When one of his eyes started to look abnormal, their doctor referred them to a specialist who recommended an MRI. As they sat waiting for the MRI, the Holy Spirit asked Matt, “If I want to use this for my glory, will you give him to me?” Within the next few hours, the doctors discovered a tumor in one of Gavin’s sinus cavities. After scheduling an emergency biopsy, the doctors took a sample of the mass and concluded that Gavin had stage 3 cancer. Given the tumor’s location, it was inoperable. Forty-two weeks of chemo and radiation was the only path forward.
As family and friends rallied around them to provide love and support, Gavin began treatment. People around the world began joining their faith with Matt and Cari in praying for Gavin’s healing. In late August after several months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation, the treatment plan included a scheduled break to perform routine scans and evaluations to check progress. On Friday August 26th, a PET scan showed hopeful news. It appeared the tumor was dead. The doctors told the family that they should celebrate. It looked like the chemo had done what they had hoped. However, according to the doctors, although the tumor was dead, it would always be there. Those kind won’t, don’t, and can’t just go away. They needed to do another set of scans the following week and then begin chemo again to complete the treatment protocol.
The following Tuesday and Wednesday, Gavin went in for more scans. On Thursday September 1st, the clinic called and told them that the tumor was gone. When Matt asked, “Where did it go?” the head of Pediatric Oncology said, “That’s what we’d like to know.” When Cari asked, “Are we talking about a miracle here?” the same doctor responded, “Yes, we are talking about a miracle. We don’t have any real explanation for this.”