Dustin's Story

Thank you to Amy DeBurgh for writing today's blog, and thank you to the Dearborn family for sharing Dustin's story.

Five years ago, the Dearborn family made the trek north to Union Grove, Wisconsin from Indiana.  They needed to satisfy their curiosity about Shepherds Ministries.  They had heard about us and wondered if this could be the place for their son, Dustin, to find friends and the freedom every young man longs for.  What they found was both exciting and emotionally difficult.  We learned how it all came about in a letter from Dustin’s parents.

"It was May of 2009 as we sat in our living room having a discussion with Dustin about the possibility of him going to Shepherd’s for a two week trial visit. We had prayed beforehand that God would be in the middle of our conversation and that His will would be done. After about an hour of explaining everything to Dustin and answering all of his questions, he looked at us and said “I’m OK with going and trying it.”  The “drop off” day was both exciting and very hard with some separation anxiety that seemed to hit us more than it did him. He was immediately surrounded by supporting staff and a lot of new friends; we cried most of the four hour trip home. Little did we know that God was opening a wonderful new door in Dustin’s life! He would call every night excited, telling all about what he was doing and all of the new friends he was making."

After Dustin’s visit to Shepherds went so well, his parents had a feeling this was it.  The cloudy view of the road, as seen through the tears of Greg and Paula, and the expressions of joy from Dustin, seemed to verify a big change was coming.  Kids grow up.  They want their independence. 

Sure enough, Dustin’s time had come.  Shepherds was the answer for him. Dustin moved in August of 2009.  He is a Catalyst client, who lives nearby and works at Shepherds Enterprises.  Dustin is a big-hearted guy who is always looking out for his friends and asking about the well-being of others’ family members.  He keeps a mental record of those who are struggling, prays for them and wants updates on those people. When he asks about those for whom he has prayed, it is as if he expects to hear a good report. “Is there any change with Ryan?”  “How is Steve?  Is he better yet?”  It is the kind of question that marks Dustin as a man of strong faith, the kind of person I want praying for me and my family.

Lately, Dustin has given us reason to pray for him.  He was diagnosed with DFSP (Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans) which is a rare sarcoma cancer.  I asked Dustin’s parents if they wouldn’t mind telling me a little about receiving this news and how God has shown his faithfulness.  This was their answer:

"You can imagine how it feels to hear that your child has cancer, it’s devastating. Of course you ask why, but we never blamed God, He was our source of strength and comfort through this. It could have gotten much worse at many turns, but it seemed to us at each step of the way when it looked like it would, God brought about the best possible solution under the circumstances. We are so grateful to Him for His graciousness to Dustin and us!"

Even through the poking, prodding and other intrusions associated with responsible medical practices from caring professionals, Dustin has maintained a positive attitude and a caring spirit.  While in his hospital bed, after surgery, he asked one visitor how her son was doing and said that he had been praying for him.  No one, but the Spirit of God, influences Dustin to do that.  He is showing himself to be the kind of man who is independent and strong enough to care about others, while he himself is hurting.  It’s hard to find a guy like that.  He has taken his independence and used it for the good of others. 

  

Dustin’s mom and dad agree that since Dustin has moved to Shepherds, “(He) has grown into a much more independent person, his life skills have improved dramatically, and we have seen him grow spiritually which is awesome.  Dustin has been baptized since coming to Shepherds and regularly attends the men's Bible study; we also hear more “God talk” in our conversations with him. Dustin has turned into a wonderful, caring young man and part of that is due to Shepherd’s influence in his life.”  

You might want to hear about the end diagnosis?  Mr. and Mrs. Dearborn were happy to report:

Dustin had surgery on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 to remove the cancerous tumor in his upper chest...and had plastic surgery on Friday, February 20^th.  They tell us he is now cancer free, that all margins around his tumor were clear. There is a chance it can return, but we are praying and trusting God every day that never happens!

The outcome for Dustin looks good.  The future is bright, and it looks like his cancer is gone too.