12 Years After 7 Months to Live: The Faith to Fight a Terminal Brain Tumor

By Charlie and Sherri Marengo and Sherri Marengo

'Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon?' the neurosurgeon asked. This is the kind of 'bucket list' suggestion you get when you've been diagnosed with the deadliest form of brain cancer: the glioblastoma multiforme. For Charlie Marengo, it was the start of a fight to survive the 7 months that patients live on average. And what a fight it was! With

• Language: English
• Publisher: Broom Closet Studios
• Release date: Jun 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781087877792

Book preview

12 Years After 7 Months to Live

12 Years After 7 Months to Live

12 Years After 7 Months to Live

The Faith to Fight a Terminal Brain Tumor

Charlie and Sherri Marengo

Broom Closet Studios

JAMES 5:13-16

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

~For Chivonne~ she was stronger than she thought~

Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? he asked. This is the kind of ‘bucket list’ question that comes with a terminal brain tumor diagnosis. We are writing all this down to shed some light on the effects of a brain tumor diagnosis not just for the patient, but for the caregiver, the family, the friends. We also want to share some hope that if you are ever in this situation, something from this book will stand out to help you get through! Every case is different. Ours is unusual because the diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme is almost always a sure and swift death sentence, and yet—here we are. If not for the big faith of our family, friends and church, as well as the excellent medical professionals on this case, the final outcome of this story might have been totally different. Our prayer is that through this personal journey you will see some hope you might not have known was there for you.

In His Service, Charlie and Sherri Marengo

Copyright © 2022 by Charlie and Sherri Marengo

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Printing, 2022

12 Years After 7 Months to Live © Copyright <<2020>> Charlie and Sherri Marengo

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. ALL reasonable efforts have been made to contact the copyright holders for the lyrics quoted, anyone who believes their rights to be infringed is welcome to contact the publisher or authors.

Unless otherwise noted, all verses of the Word are from a New King James Version of the Bible.

Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, including international, federal, state and local governing professional licensing, business practices, advertising, and all other aspects of doing business in the US, Canada or any other jurisdiction is the sole responsibility of the reader and consumer.

Neither the author nor the publisher assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of the consumer or reader of this material. Any perceived slight of any individual or organization is purely unintentional.

The resources in this book are provided for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the specialized training and professional judgment of a health care or mental health care professional.

Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for the use of the information provided within this book. Please always consult a trained professional before making any decision regarding treatment of yourself or others.

For more information, email [e-mail] or [e-mail]

Reviews

EARLY REVIEWS FOR 12 YEARS AFTER 7 MONTHS TO LIVE

I do not put words on paper nearly as well as you. But first just let me say thank you for letting me preview your book....  for your willingness to put it all in print...... for the kind words written about my daddy...... for the encouragement y'all are giving to all who will read your story. You are both such an inspiration on trusting God! Praise the Lord for His wondrous love and grace and for the miracles He continues to manifest in our lives. I will continue to pray for y'all but more diligently now that I have a little more insight into your circumstances. We are told to run the race with endurance and your book gives evidence of your obedience. May God richly bless you for your good service to Him and continue to provide for your every need. KAY BULLEN-GARRARD

I must tell you that you both did an incredible job of putting your hearts on the table. Honesty, fears, faithfulness, tears and giving God the Glory. You've got a way with words, but Charlie is a wordsmith (as well as a Breadman). And I loved the connection with your journals. Great advice. I was brought to tears and feel really humbled to need to stop and look around me again and see the situations people are in that we are sometimes so unaware of - and just help someone breathe. Your just tossed in statements of advice are actually as engrossing and helpful as your list of sources at the end. And yours and Charlie's scriptural references will reach the audience that needs them when they are presented with them at the time their hearts are ready for them. Thanks for being Faithful. ROBBIE LITTLE

It's heartbreaking, emotional, inspiring, well worded, a page turner, amazing – I'm truly impressed! I think it's awesome the raw feelings, the ups and downs, the compassion, the faith is truly inspiring, sorry can't help it, it truly is awesome. Thank you for sharing this with me. This book was an inspirational, yet heartbreaking, emotional roller coaster. The faith this family has and the passages they share are so heartwarming. I couldn’t put this book down, I had to read every word! When you open this book to read it, be prepared to get lost in its pages. RITA PIEROTTI

What a compelling and inspiring story! You and Charlie's strength during tough times is a testimony to us all. This book is a must-read for anyone needing a bit of encouragement to help them make it through the tough times. Johnny Dupree, PhD, former Mayor of Hattiesburg MS

I have finished your book and reread several parts of it. As God would have it the timing was perfect for my own life. It is riveting and inspiring. Overall it was an excellent, inspiring read. The journal excerpts were noteworthy. Much like a good sermon, it will touch many people in their hours of need when it is more widely available. I applaud you two for the effort and look forward to purchasing my personal published copy. Thank you for sharing with me. May God bless you both. We pray for wisdom, courage and strength. Dr. Stephen Beam, MD

Table of Contents

1- In the beginning: Meet the Family

2- The Wreck of 1987

3- Ten years later: the first brain tumor

4- The devastation of 2008- a birth and near death

5- The 2008-2009 journals

6- The healing prayer

7- A brand new thing in 2015- and not in a good way

8- 2019 tries to bring us down

9- You are not fighting this battle alone

10-A walking miracle

11- Some hard lessons learned

12- Getting your affairs in order

13- Becoming better- not bitter

14- Faith, family, friends and the FIGHT

15- Where we are today

16 Resources and references

Dedication

I don’t think this book would have even come from our hearts to the page if the two of us hadn’t been ‘stuck’ together during a pandemic. As hard as it was to re-live some of these times, it helped and healed us as we looked back. The Thank you list is long enough to have its own chapter, but let us begin with our church families from Calvary Baptist Church in Petal, Grace Temple Ministries of Hattiesburg and, of course, Petal Harvey Baptist Church. Thank you to our children for growing up into fantastic adults and being there for us. We still pray for you by name every day. Thanks to Robyn Jackson for the guidance and editing info, even though she didn’t live to read the finished product; to Robbie Little and Lucy Shows for their editing skills; to Vicki Baylis for the encouragement and the occasional casserole; My BFF’s Blondie and Debra Jean for listening to me jabber on and on; to the ladies in my Sunday school class, The Sister Sharpeners, for praying without ceasing; and to the very breath in my lungs, the heartbeat of my soul, my husband - who truly is a WALKING MIRACLE. I thank my Savior Jesus Christ every day and night for allowing me to keep him.

Sherri

Forward by Dr. Dustie Dunn

When everything else fails, God doesn’t. That message is simple to hear, but not easy to learn. In 12 Years After 7 Months to Live, Charlie and Sherri Marengo tell a story that so many people, too many people, are facing. Cancer is no respecter of persons and it admits people into a club they never even considered joining. Through the ups and downs, God is faithful.

I’m so proud of the transparency that this book offers. Often forgotten, from the outside looking in, is that toll that cancer takes on the family and friends of the patient. This book lets the reader inside the mind and journey of those who live with cancer and those who love them. This is an important book for several reasons, but maybe at the top of the list is that here we find God at work in the day-to-day