Every life has a story to tell. Arline Burger gets the story behind known and lesser known faces in and around Irene: David Crewe-Brown
Crewe-Brown Family Jan 2011
Photo: Zeke du Plessis
“Consider it pure joy, brothers, whenever you experience trials of many kinds.” ~ James 1:2David Crewe-Brown loves life and loves living his life to the full. He was born in 1973 in South Africa, but with his parents being diplomats, has spent his early years first in Mozambique and later in Rio de Janeiro. David attended Laerskool Pretoria-Oos until Standard 2 (Grade 4) before the family moved to Spain. He eventually matriculated at Pretoria Boys High School and thereafter completed a year’s military service, serving in Military Intelligence. David studied to become an industrial engineer and after a short stint in consulting, went on to work for South African Breweries, where he still works as the Supply Chain Development Manager. He obtained his MBA degree (Master of Business Administration) in 2006 from the University of Cape Town (Cum Laude nogal). In September 1999 David married the love of his life, Samantha, whom he met at church. The couple have three children: Neena (6), Benjamin (4) and Sarah-Jayne (1½). David loves outdoor sports and is an enthusiastic mountain biker, riding with the Epic Sports Mountain Biking Club. In 2005 he completed the Cape Epic eight-day mountain biking race and has done the Sani2C for the last three years. Being so active, David naturally followed a healthy lifestyle. Despite this, he describes the past few months as a journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Here follows his testimony…
At the end of January this year, David went for his annual medical check-up and was given a clean bill of health. About four months later, while training for the Sani2C, he started to experience back pain. At first it felt trifling and when the pain worsened, he went to a physiotherapist. With the pain alleviated, David did the race – a race he pronounces as probably one of his best ever. “But my body took a lot of strain and the back pain developed into something constant and more severe. I also started getting other symptoms like sleepless nights with night sweats,” David says. “After a full check at a doctor didn’t show anything, my family and I went on holiday at the end of June. I slept most afternoons as I couldn’t sleep well at night, but I still managed to complete the Knysna Classic race – although I had to downgrade to the ‘wussy’ fifty kilometre ride.
Miracles: “On return from holiday my doctor recommended a kidney scan and they found that there was a problem with my kidney. It was a miracle that I was able to get an appointment the very next day with probably one of the best urologists in the country, Dr Lance Coetzee. After a series of scans I was diagnosed with having an aggressive malignant tumour which had taken over my right kidney. It was perhaps a blessing in disguise that the cancer was starting to grow into my back muscle and that we could pick it up. Otherwise it might have gone undetected while affecting other organs. Dr Coetzee recommended that it be removed as soon as possible but warned us that we would most likely have to wait two weeks. But the date for the operation was set for Saturday 23 July, only four days later, which in itself was a miracle because so many specialists had to be lined up for such a big operation.
“At this point we started experiencing the flood of care and love from many people and from our church, Eastside Community Church, which was just overwhelming. People sent us verses and brought us meals; the freezer is still overflowing. They’ve also prayed and prayed and prayed. One verse that was particularly meaningful to us is: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ I can testify to the fact that through this whole process I have not been anxious once; I have not had fear once about what I am going through. There’s been lots of pain and suffering, but the Lord has answered our prayers according to Philippians 4:6-7.
“Sam and I have come to realise that we go through times of trial and suffering so that we can be dependent on God and so that we can be cared for by others, that the body of Christ can do what it is called to do. Some of our friends have come to fetch the kids to let them play and take the pressure off Sam. We’re also grateful for the care that we’ve experienced from our neighbours and other people in Irene. The family’s been amazing too. Sam’s family are based in Cape Town and have all flown up to be with us; my sister-in-law came up from Graaff-Reinet, my brother has been with us and my sister has been with us from Cape Town. They have all helped to carry the load at home, caring for us, praying with us, loving us and looking after the children. My parents, who are here in Pretoria, have been walking daily with us and no call at ten o’ clock at night has been too much. How wonderful it is to have family around you – and this is what family is for.
Leaving home for hospital that Friday evening, one of the hardest things for me to do was to say goodbye to my kids and give them a hug, knowing that I might never come back and verse 21 from Philippians 1 became real to me, where Paul writes: ‘To live is Christ and to die is gain’.
Holding on to God: “The four men in my Iron Sharpens Iron prayer group came round on the Thursday evening to pray with me and anoint me with oil. Again, at night on the Friday evening, our pastor, Riaan, and the elders from church came around and prayed for me and anointed me with oil. Our church called for a day of fasting and prayer on the Saturday that I went in for the operation. I said to Riaan that I can do the fasting part, but I’m not so sure that I would be all there for the praying part! For the seven and a half hours of surgery we were really covered in prayer and I praise God for the doctors who were able to perform such intricate surgery. The operation was a success and I made it through to tell the tale and have the scar to show for it; the tumour that they removed was the size of a small rugby ball.
“The recovery after the operation was a bumpy road: I was out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after about eight days, but I had many challenges in the ward. I had a colon spasm at one stage and I really thought at that point that this might be the end of the road! Again, my pastor, my sister, Sam and my dad were around me in the hospital and prayed. A group of ladies from our cell group and some friends came around at that time and really cared for Sam, who I think was beside herself at that stage. I was reminded of Lamentations 3:22 – ‘His mercies are new every morning,’ and how true this was for me; every morning I could look to the Lord and his mercies would be new and his grace was sufficient for us, as it says in 2 Corinthians 12:19. I was also reminded again and again that we must not trust in our own strength. Every time I felt ‘hey man, I can do this’ I was set back and would be reminded that all things is possible – not in my own strength, but through the Lord’s strength and that when we are weak, he is strong. I think it must be a very hard and lonely walk, if you don’t have God to hold onto.
Chemotherapy: “One day the doctor came to me with quite a big smile on his face. He had the pathology report of the tumour that they had removed, which stated that it was a germ cell tumour or testicular cancer, and not the kidney cancer which was previously diagnosed. What a miracle this was: testicular cancer is treatable with chemotherapy whereas kidney cancer is not. We believe that God had changed the prognosis and given me a new lease on life; through the chemotherapy I would have a 90% chance of being cured. The chemotherapy treatment started on Monday 22 July and it’s been a tough road. The side-effects were many – aches and pains, tiredness, lack of energy, no taste, no appetite, a burning sensation through my body and lungs and a battle with Neutropenic Fever, which had me return to hospital for five days. But I know the poison of the chemotherapy is killing the cancer, although with it, it is killing anything else in its path. When I’m in serious pain and sometimes feel that I can’t handle it, I just think of what the Lord Jesus Christ had endured on the cross and my pain somehow fades into insignificance.
Samantha: “When I think of Sam, the word ‘helper’ has new meaning to me. Sam has been so strong, courageous, supportive and loving and I thank God for giving me Samantha as my wife and for giving her the energy and strength to carry me through this time. Sam’s been amazing and has mobilised support through Facebook as she has kept everyone informed of my progress. She has brought me messages from the Word and stuck them to the bed in hospital and encouraged me with signs of hope and trust and a photo of the family. She has prayed for me much and has cried many tears for me – and with me. She has come to me in times of need and has slept with me in hospital and has done everything possible to help me through this time of trial. She is my Superwoman, my encourager and my best friend whom I love so deeply.
Prayer: “There is a song by Chris Tomlin, The Name of Jesus, which was an encouragement to us through this time. It goes on to say that there is power in the name of Jesus; power to bring life and healing and power to save us from death and give us life. I praise God that he has saved me and given me eternal life – death has no more sting, because Christ has already overcome it. My prayer for my life is this: that I may live a life with a Kingdom purpose, that I would glorify God with my life, knowing that he put me where I am and wants to use me and will continue to use me as a tool in his hands to do his will. I want there to be less of me and more of him in my life.
Recovery: David has completed his chemotherapy treatment on 2 November and is awaiting final testing to see if the treatment was successful. “It was the toughest experience of my life but God gave me the strength to make it through every day. I have learnt much about depending on God, trusting him and serving him with all my heart,” he says. David says he is looking forward to being able to go through a day with more energy and to the return of his appetite. He is also looking forward to his first trip on the Gautrain, when he returns to work in Sandton for the first time after his diagnosis.
david cb's goliath 