It’s been a tough few weeks for worship pastor Corey Shibler and his wife, Crystal. The Texas couple, who were looking for answers following some recent health struggles, were both diagnosed with cancer on November 11.
“To say that we are gutted would be an understatement,” Mr. Shibler wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page. “This was about the worst possible news that we could receive this morning. We have faith that God is good, but we would be lying if we said that we understood what He was up to with what we are now going through.”
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Mrs. Shibler was diagnosed with a rare neuroendocrine cancer, which has metastasized to multiple areas in her body but is considered treatable. Mr. Schibler potentially has a more difficult road ahead because his cancer is a recurring one that has gone through a Richter transformation, making it much more aggressive.
“I have multiple lymph nodes in my throat and upper abdomen that are consistent with recurrence of my cancer,” said Mr. Richter, who was first diagnosed with Follicular Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a slow-growing form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in 2012 and underwent chemotherapy in 2021 after it spread to his throat. “Obviously, not great news, but it is at least confined to a small area.”
The Shiblers are hoping to raise money to help cover their medical bills, but they are also asking for prayer — especially for their kids, 10-year-old daughter, Rylie, and 4-year-old son, Judah.
“[Our son] knows that we’re sick and that we haven’t been feeling good. He doesn’t really understand what’s going on,” the pastor explained. “[Our daughter] still has a lot of residual hurt and stuff from [when] I went through chemo three years ago. She has a lot of anxiety and stuff from going through the first time with me going through treatment. So we’re having to talk with her a lot about what’s going on because she’s very, very upset about it.”
And while it hurts Mr. Schibler’s heart to see his wife in pain and kids struggling, while also dealing with his own health issues, he is confident that God has a plan and purpose for everything the family is facing.
“We really do have faith that God is bigger than our circumstances and so just trust that whatever happens, we’re going to continue to praise Him,” Mr. Shibler said. “And even though it sucks… We’re just seeing God do so much through us experiencing the hardships and these trials because we do trust that God works all things together for good even if our personal circumstance might suck.”
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Marissa Mayer is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her work has been featured in Christian Post, The Daily Signal, and Intellectual Takeout. Mayer has a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Arizona State University.