Pastor Russell Butch Diwa is the Senior Pastor of the Biblical Community Church in Richardson, Texas. In 2009, he was diagnosed with cystic ameloblastoma, a benign tumor growing in his lower jaw. While not cancerous, these tumors can grow aggressively causing abnormalities in the jaw that could render massive facial deformities and speech impediment.
After prayerfully waiting four years, in August of 2013, Pastor Diwa underwent an involved ten-hour surgery, which removed a huge portion of his lower jaw and lower teeth. His right fibula bone was also removed and molded as replacement jaw material for his mouth. After inserting the new jaw bone, skin grafts were taken from his thigh and grafted to his resected mouth. Following the surgery, Pastor Diwa was in the ICU wrestling with pain with tubes down his throat and needles all over his body.
Health experts told Pastor Diwa that they are not able to ascertain the quality of recuperation: when he can recover his speech, alongside the related vocal and facial adjustments. Within a month, not only was Pastor Diwa walking again, but he was also singing and preaching about the gospel of Christ. Despite this overwhelming divine favor, Pastor Diwa still required two subsequent surgeries, the first of which took place on March 4th of 2014. The last surgery (craniofacial implant placement/phase 2) is scheduled for June of 2014, however, due to the immense cost of the procedure, Pastor Diwa needs to come up with thousands of dollars out of his own pocket. With his pastoral salary alone, this feat is impossible.
Through the providence of God and the assistance of others, nothing is impossible. Please help us raise the necessary funds to support Pastor Diwa in his struggle to overcome the mountain of a medical bill that lies before him. With your help, we can help Pastor Diwa continue to be a storyteller for Christ.
I AM a Storyteller Foundation
Beneficiary / Pastor Russell Butch Diwa bdiwa.blogspot.com
Start Date: April 2014
End Date: June 2015