Man's battle with cancer inspires booklet

When Marty Gray became sick with cancer, he set off on a search.

He perused local bookstores to find a collection of positive, personal accounts written by survivors.

Gray was thirsty for a motivational read that included articles, clean humor and inspirational scriptures. He was disappointed when his search came up empty.

Then, while out on a routine afternoon run, he was inspired to create a booklet that incorporated all these elements.

"The idea just hit me," Gray said. "It came out of nowhere."

Gray said he was excited. He approached members of his Woodlawn Church of Christ community and asked them to share their stories about overcoming cancer.

The publication, now in its second edition, chronicles the intimate stories of those who survived breast, throat, lung and other forms of cancer. The collection includes accounts not only from survivors, but narratives written from the perspective of loved ones.

The booklet became a platform to share his story.

Gray's account begins with a regular medical exam that included a cholesterol test. The doctor said his levels were fine, but said he had much bigger things to worry about. Soon after, Gray was advised to have a bone marrow biopsy.

He said he was hesitant about having the painful procedure, but eventually elected to go through with it.

"I was young, I ate well and I exercised all the time ... I couldn't be sick," he said.

He was wrong.

In 2004, the 33-year-old Killen man was diagnosed with hairy-cell leukemia, an uncommon, slow-growing cancer of the blood.

"You could've knocked me over with a feather," Gray said. "I think my heart was racing as fast as it possibly could."

He said he immediately thought of his young wife and children.

"Originally, it was a shock to my system, but I didn't panic," he said. "Looking back now, I was very calm. ... I could see that God was there with me."

That wasn't always the case.

The leukemia survivor struggled with his faith. He said he could blame God for the illness, or he could choose to walk with him. Gray chose the latter, even when he relapsed and had to battle the disease for a second time.

Woodlawn church member Mary Jo Howard said she also walked with God during her battles.

"Surviving cancer made me closer to Him," Howard said. "The Lord was there with me, and he deserves all the credit for me getting better."

Howard has defeated breast cancer twice. She had surgery in 2000 and again in 2004. Howard went through chemotherapy the first time, but avoided a second round because the cancer was caught in the early stages.

She shared her story in the "Christ over Cancer" booklet Gray produced and said she didn't mind others reading about her account.

"When you experience something this hard for yourself, you want to do everything you can to help others," she said.

"If I can encourage people by telling them what happened to me, then I'm going to do it."

Matt Heupel, Woodlawn minister, said some church members were reluctant about sharing their stories.

"People kept telling me that there are others out there who have it much worse. 'They don't want to read about me,' " was the common refrain, Heupel said.

Apparently, they did. The church announced free copies of the booklet on its marquee, and the community responded.

"We were flooded by phone calls," Heupel said. "Everyone wanted to know how they can get a copy of booklet."

"Christ over Cancer," which was first released about two years ago, also was delivered to local cancer treatment centers and support groups.

"I don't think Marty thought it would be as big as it has been," Heupel said.

Gray said he believes the book has had a positive impact in the community.

It has had an even bigger impact within the walls of their church.

"In the 12 years that I've been a member of Woodlawn, I've never seen a ministry with this level of excitement," Gray said. "I think it's because so many people are touched by cancer."

"Even if you're not personally diagnosed with cancer, you can still be affected," Heupel said. "It could be your spouse, a friend, a neighbor, but in the end, you're still affected."

Members of the church donated their money and time to help publish the free booklet.

"We hope the ministry and the booklet continue to grow," Gray said. "The sky's the limit."