Pink It Up!

For some, orange is the color of October. But the Breast Cancer Awareness people have us seeing pink here, there, and everywhere! So let’s join the party on Thursday, October 24, and PINK IT UP! Throw on a pink tee or pink jeans or pink hair bow or whatever pink thing you’ve got, and help spread the word.

To some on the NOBTS campus, breast cancer awareness takes a personal turn. One student shared a prayer request recently for her aunt who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. At least one staff woman and one administrative council wife are celebrating remission from the disease. One alum’s wife, hailing from Fayetteville, GA, is a two-time survivor and another’s mother-in-law is six-months post-surgery and finishing up her chemo treatments.

However, not all women with the disease have this outcome. One such gal was Kim Wilson, a 2000 graduate of NOBTS. Kim was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35 while serving with the IMB in Southeast Asia. She returned home and spent the next two-and-a-half years going through treatment and recovery, including a double mastectomy, multiple rounds of chemo and radiation, and breast reconstruction surgery. Kim returned to Southeast Asia in the spring of 2005 but was diagnosed with a brain tumor just a few months later, and returned again to the states for treatment.

In March 2008, Kim returned to the NOBTS campus one last time. During her visit, she was able to share her story in classes as well as a special gathering of campus women in Carey Hall. Her signature testimony revealed her solid and sold-out trust in God: “My Lord is the greatest. He has remained my rock through all of this and will continue to strengthen and guide me through all of this. We all are praying for complete healing.”

Her good friend (and NOBTS media director) Vanee Daure believes Kim got her complete healing when she went home to be with the Lord on May 20, 2008. Several years ago, Vanee started the Kim Wilson Scholarship Fund in memory of her friend to help women who were coming to NOBTS to study missions. In hopes of raising more funds for this missions scholarship, we will be accepting donations through the month of October in the Dean of Students office but especially on October 24, PINK IT UP DAY. Stop by between classes and show your support. Those giving $1 or more will receive a pink Breast Cancer Awareness bracelet with your choice of the words FAITH, HOPE, STRENGTH, or SURVIVOR.

Thanks for helping to keep Kim’s mission fresh and growing!