By Beverly Lomosad
Jesus said . . . “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” – John 11:25
The fingerprints on the glass sliding door that led to the pool deck caught the eye of Maribeth Ditmars. They belonged to a carefree little boy who had darted in and out while others yelled out, “Shut the door – the air is on!” Moments before, the fingerprints and smudges were annoying; now, suddenly, they’re precious: they marked a lost childhood. Maribeth gazed at those fingerprints from the family room, where she and her husband, Rob, had their 10-year-old son, Chris, sit on a sofa as they broke the news to him that he had been diagnosed with leukemia. So began the family’s four-year roller-coaster ride into the world of pediatric cancer. “That completely rocked our world,” Maribeth said in a Christian Broadcasting Network feature. And, as expected, it ushered in a new normal for their family.
Chris was in remission a year after he began treatment. A period of relative health ensued in the next two years. In that span of time, Maribeth saw how Chris had transformed and grown in his faith. Sure, he did ask, at one point, why God allowed a child to have cancer. But, for the most part, he exuded the hallmarks of a sweet fellowship with the Holy Spirit: he was at peace, and he showed complete surrender to God. Chris’ spiritual demeanor in the face of adversity caused Maribeth to rethink some of her life choices. At the time, she was a “nominal Christian” – as she described herself – so much so that, instead of seeking God when crisis hit, she sought solace at the bottom of a bottle.
Unfortunately for Chris, the leukemia recurred after a two-year respite. Shortly before he passed, he assured his mom and dad, “Jesus is going to call me really soon, and I want you to know that I’m gonna be okay.” Chris went to be with the Lord in 2001, about a month after he turned 14.
“I don’t think anyone can lose a child and not be changed,” Maribeth said. For her, though, that meant sinking deeper into alcohol abuse. She began drinking – her way of numbing the pain – while in week-long chemo hospital admissions with Chris. And it went on for two years after he passed. One day, while driving to work, Maribeth, a fourth-grade teacher, decided to call on and surrender to God, “Please help me.” She started on a recovery program, got involved in church, and began reading the Bible. She finally got sober. She became a better mother to Jarrod as well, teaching him the Word of God.
Chris’ cancer had overshadowed many things, including his younger sibling, Jarrod. That probably accounted for why he had a rebellious phase. When he was 19, Jarrod and a bunch of his friends got arrested for burglarizing unlocked cars, and he ended up in jail. He was a transformed man after that.
In July 2015, tragedy struck again in the Ditmars family when Jarrod was killed in a spearfishing accident. By then, Maribeth had been reading the Bible for 12 years, and Jarrod’s tragic passing, by God’s grace, didn’t break her. She knows where Chris and Jarrod are: they’re in heaven with Jesus (John 11:25-26).
CALL TO ACTION
A life with God starts with a relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
- PRAY OUT LOUD: “Father in heaven, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that he died on the cross for my sins. I ask you to forgive me of all of my sins. I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Savior and Lord. Amen.”
- WHAT’S NEXT: Be part of a good, Bible-based church.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the New International Version of the Bible.