familycareincanceruk.com

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

At FamilyCare-in-Cancer we know the trauma of dealing with cancer. Why? Each of us has met and dealt with cancer in our own lives. Through reading the following details we hope you can feel you know us already, and feel more able to contact us or come to one of our support meetings.

Pastor Roy Kerr & wife June; I was Pastoring for 26 years, and resigned in 1995 to devote myself to Familylife Foundation, a Christian Ministry to the family which I founded in 1995. In 2006, I resigned as Director and Brian Davey, a good friend of Familylife who had trained under our ministry, and spent some time in Australia, where he was ordained as a Baptist minister, returned to take over as Director of Familylife. This charity is now based at the new Global Missions Centre, 11-17 Paradise Avenve, Ballymena, It continues to reach out to families across N.Ireland through counselling, training & caring. The two ministeries are in a beautiful centre where everyone is welcome.

The charity FamilyCare-in-Cancer was founded by Pastor Roy & June Kerr in 1998, as a result of Junes breast cancer. The Holy Spirit made it clear at the time that there was a divine reason for the testing in our lives. Out of this difficult experience many questions were asked and help sought, Familycare-in-Cancer was started. This year we celebrate our 10th anniversary.
These years have brought comfort, friendship and spiritual support to hundreds of other cancer sufferers throughout N. Ireland and to-day in our new centre the ministry continues to reach out to those who need a listening ear.

June Kerr;In January 1998 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This came as an awful shock to myself and our family, When you hear these words you are absolutely devastated and think the worst. I was a Christian from a teenager and had faced many difficulties, also a mother of 6 children but now this was something quite different. At that time my husband Roy was a very busy Pastor and at the same time directing the work of Familylife Foundation a charity he founded some years earlier. I was admitted to the City Hospital in January 1998 for a mastectomy followed by 6 months chemotherapy at Belvoir Park Hospital. These weeks were very trying as many cancer sufferers would agree, but thankfully by the Grace of God and the prayers of God’s people, also the support of my family brought me through. While we ask questions like many others and sought help from many charities we were disappointed that there was no Christian ministry who specialised in spiritual caring for cancer sufferers. At that time the Holy Spirit spoke to Roy my husband showing him the reason for my cancer. 2nd Corinthians 1 v 3-4 says ‘ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God’. Familycare-in-cancer was founded and over these years has brought support, comfort and help to hundreds of other sufferers. Now 10 years later I can look back with a thankful heart knowing that God was in control and I learned from this experience to let ‘God be God’.

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Bertie Bell; after having worked on another project for approximately 8 years, left, because he felt God calling him into another work which involved families. Having prayed and sought God earnestly for two and a half years, still couldn’t find the place where God wanted him to be.
Towards the end of February 2008 a very unwelcome change appeared in his life because his wife Sandra started to feel really unwell. She paid a few visits to her GP with a pain in her side and was then referred to Antrim Area Hospital where things started to decrease health wise. Many tests were carried out over the next few weeks and after suffering many things and much pain, cancer was finally diagnosed.
Although the constant prayers of so many people were offered up for Sandra especially over those few weeks, the Lord decided to take her home on the 8th April.
The months since then have been so difficult but Bertie believes sincerely that alongside prayer, God has now made His will so clear because of the experiences that himself and his family has been through this year. He has decided to take up the position of regional co-ordinator in Northern Ireland with Familycare–in-cancer.
Family care in Cancer is a branch of Familylife Foundation and is based in The Global Missions Centre, 11-17 Paradise Avenue Ballymena.

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Winnie Crooks; It was during a routine scan for possible gall bladder trouble, that a malignant tumour was found on my left kidney.
This was in 1999.
Some two weeks later I had surgery to remove both the tumour and the kidney. I made a good recovery and was of course very thankful that my cancer was caught in time.
I found the follow up appointments and scans very stressful, and it was then that I was introduced to Familycare-in-cancer.
I held my first support group meeting in Ballymena as co-ordinator on the 14th October, 2005. It has been a real blessing to share fellowship within this group. As the group expands my prayer is that we will continue to give the same comfort to others that God us given to us. (2nd Corinthians 1v3&4) “The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God”).

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Carolyn Reilly; In 1991 I was rushed into hospital with a ruptured ovarian cyst. A week later, as I was recovering and looking forward to going home, I was hit by the news that I had Ovarian cancer. I was a young mother at the time with two young children so it was quite a devastating blow. The cancer had been caught early so I did not require any treatment at the time. Unfortunately, however, I had two further reoccurrences and had chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I was blessed to have good support from my family and church at that time. I met Roy Kerr whilst doing a Familylife Carers Course in Armagh, heard about Familycare-in-cancer and was asked by Roy to think about starting a group in Newry. Our group started in 2004 and it has been a privilege to support people going through the trauma of cancer. It is amazing how just being able to meet and talk to others who understand can help. Our group is certainly not doom and gloom. We have fun together, have days out, laugh together and sometimes cry together, but that’s what life is about. If you are in our area and need support, we would love to have you join us at the support group.