“I’m sorry; your biopsy has come back positive for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Stage IVb.” These twelve words from my doctor’s mouth were devastating.” After months of treatment, I can see my disease as a blessing. I realized all my years of education and experience only allowed me to relate with my patients superficially. Now, my cancer enables me to listen with greater empathy for the people entrusted to my care. We can speak “with” each other on a deeper level.

The Rev. Andrew W. Russell is an ordained Lutheran minister and a Board Certified Chaplain. He served in the United States Navy from 1970 and retired in 1990. A 1992 graduate of Capital University and a 1996 graduate of Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Rev. Russell served as pastor for St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Mt. Jewett, PA, and a substance abuse counselor for Cornell Abraxas Substance Abuse Treatment Center in Marienville, PA. He completed a Clinical Pastoral Education fellowship at the University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas. Rev. Russell served as Chaplain for Houston Northwest Medical Center, Houston, TX, and Lutheran Social Services of South Central Pennsylvania. He is currently serving as a Chaplain for the Veteran’s Administration.