Billy Godby’s story began in February 2007 while he was living in the Dallas- Fort Worth area at the age of forty-five, when his wife, Shereice, insisted he go to their family doctor for a physical. However, what she didn’t tell him was that two weeks prior to him going to the appointment she had made, she herself had gone to a divorce attorney’s office for a different kind of an appointment. She was about to file for a divorce for the second time in their twenty-five-year turbulent marriage. They had two college age boys and their youngest son was about to graduate high school when the final diagnosis came after Billy had undergone a surgical biopsy.
Then the results and the dreaded news, none of which the family wanted to hear, especially his wife, Shereice. She was headed to divorce court and was not up to the job at hand to deal with, or so she thought. They were seated in the doctor’s personal office to hear the results of the testing that he had done a week before. As the doctor walked into the room and sat behind an exceptionally large, expensive desk, the feeling in the room was so heavy, one could hardly breathe. The look on his face pretty much said it all. Then he began to confirm what they had been fearful of. “Yep, I was right, Billy, you have stage four prostate cancer.”
At that moment, the air was sucked right out of the room! No one in the family spoke and the silence was deafening! Their oldest son, B.J., leaned forward with tears rolling down his face and began to cry uncontrollably but quietly so not to make the atmosphere any worse. Billy did not move or speak. Not a word! Nothing came out of his mouth. He barely even blinked, but the look on Shereice’s face said it all! Her blood pressure must have been rising extremely fast as she had such a look of anger, shock and frustration on her face as she tried to compose herself enough to talk to the doctor.
“So, what are you saying to us?” “What does this mean?” “How long does he have?” Were a few of the questions she began to mutter out. The next words the doctor spoke was so incredibly piercing that it was a wonder anyone could walk out of the room! The doctor began, “I was right, thirteen of the fifteen samples from the lymph nodes we took were positive for cancer. He is in stage four and might have up to two years at the most to live if he’s lucky.” This conversation was taking place as if Billy were a piece of furniture or décor in the room or was absent for the conversation. It was simply deplorable. The way the family was “herded” into the doctor’s personal office; the way he was totally unprepared for the meeting as he asked his assistant to seat the Godbys as she was already in the process of doing so; the way the “death sentence” was presented to their family; and the lack of caring, concern or compassion throughout the entire process from start to finish the whole three months Billy was his patient was disgraceful!
Then Shereice got her famous “look” on her face as she dug her high-heeled stiletto sandals into the doctor’s expensive carpeting, and so it began…. “Dr. L., are you a Christian?” she questioned.
To which the doctor quickly responded a sharp, “no, I’m a Jew”. Then it was once again her turn,… “good, so am I and so was my Papa; are you a Christian Jew?” She asked. Again, sharply he responded, “no, I’m Jewish.” At this point, Shereice felt her spirit being energized and rising up on the inside of her as she began to speak to him again… “Well let me tell you something Dr. L., we KNOW the Great Physician and you are DEFINITLY NOT Him! Because if you’re a “good Jew”, then you know the Old Testament and the book of Isaiah in chapter 53:5 where it says, “by his stripes we were healed.” Billy does not have an expiration date tattooed on his butt or on the bottom of his foot, so you do NOT get to decide how long he has to live, nor do you get to say that to us! If it takes MY last dying breath and my knees are so bloody that I can’t walk because I’ve been on them so much praying for this man, he IS healed, and he is NOT dying from cancer or ANYTHING related to it or anything else for that matter! Jesus is coming to fly us home!” she declared.
Her next question was directed to Billy, “are you done here because I am definitely done!” she stated with such authority. However, she wasn’t quite done with Doctor L. As they stood up to leave, she declared with such power, “we WILL be calling you every single year until Jesus comes back, because you’re going to find Jesus, because like I said, Billy is already healed, it’s just a matter of which day you Dr. L get notified!” she exclaimed as she walked out of the door with her family in tow.
Shereice, who by this time had quickly decided that divorce was now completely out of the picture. She knew there was no way she leave him after the news they had just gotten. She wanted to leave on HER terms and not like this. There were so many emotions, so much stress, and yet so few answers.
Telling Billy’s family was probably the hardest thing for the couple to do after they left the doctor’s office. They had already pre-set a time to give the results to his mother and sister for a few minutes after the appointment. Billy’s mom did not receive the news well. This was the second time one of her two sons had received a cancer diagnosis. She herself was a type two diabetic, a double amputee in a wheelchair living in an assisted living facility in the Denver area and not in particularly good health. Within three months of Billy’s diagnosis, she was gone. It was extremely devastating news to the family once again.
Afterwards came the decision of where to go for treatment. It was the next big question and had to be made fast since the cancer cells were “doubling” every few days. Billy put even more stress on his wife and told Shereice she was going to have to decide where he was to go and tell him what to do because he trusted her so much and didn’t know where to begin to find answers to all of these questions. He was truly overwhelmed and did not know where to begin.
Shereice also felt overwhelmed and so constrained, as if her hands were handcuffed so tightly, she might never get them undone. She had always been the “Miss Fix It” for the family, all their friends and for all of her clients as a Realtor. So, it seemed natural for him to expect her to do it again. But this time was different. She was so scared and had no idea herself where to start.
She only knew it was time to pray and pray like never before. Shereice’s parents came to Dallas from Austin to help with making that choice. Of all people God chose to use to give them direction, God picked her dad. Billy and her dad, also Billy, didn’t get along very well over the years, so it was a bit awkward and uncomfortable for Billy, the patient.
Shereice’s Dad, Billy, began to give very strict instructions for her to take Billy to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She didn’t pay much attention to his direction and he once again sternly insisted that was where they should go. So later that week, she called, and their lives have never been the same since.
They were flown to Tulsa after speaking with the oncology specialist Sharon, who verified their insurance and made all the necessary arrangements, paid for their flights and hotel through CTCA. Sharon made it so easy and painless for them.
When they arrived at the Cancer Treatment Center after being picked up in a white limousine, they were treated with such respect, dignity and compassion, unlike what they experienced at Dr. L.’s office each time. After arriving on a Sunday evening, May 18, 2007, they had the results of all the tests and scans Billy had undergone on Tuesday morning.
They met with all of the doctors, nutritionist and psychologist and discussed the treatment plan choices, made the decision to move forward with treatment and were back home in Dallas later that afternoon. It was the single most amazingly easy and comforting time they had gone through after months of uncertainty, hard and difficult emotional appointments.
Billy was determined he was not dying or going through what his twenty-year-old brother, Timmy went through when he fought cancer. He had lost his battle three weeks before his twenty-first birthday from a form of lymphatic cancer.
After the first treatment, Billy’s numbers started going down and after two more, they were all in the “normal” or below range. God had answered their prayers! Billy had received his healing and was then in remission for eighteen months.
Billy had transferred to the CTCA Chicago facility in the fall 2008. New doctors and new hospital, but same great system of treating cancer patients.
When the numbers began to climb and a small knot showed up on the side of Billy’s neck in 2015, he went back into treatment. This time they were farther away from their boys and family. Their family had just moved to Denver a few months before and so reluctantly and heavy hearts, they went. They have not regretted it for a minute because they know that God has a good plan and a purpose for their lives, and He makes all things work out for their good in every situation.
It has been quite a journey these past fourteen years. Since beginning on this journey, Billy has been in and out of treatment and remission several times. The doctors are all amazed that Billy is still here after all these years.
Medically speaking, he was “extremely far down”, and shouldn’t still be alive. But the Godbys are extraordinarily strong believers in God, the cross and the power of the blood of Jesus and tell everyone, everywhere they go, about what all three of those have done in their lives.
They are so thankful for “the gift of cancer”. It has totally transformed their lives. It has saved their marriage. It brought the two of them, their boys and their families closer. They now have two daughter -in-laws and seven of the most precious “little sugars” that they just love and adore as grandparents.
They renewed their wedding vows at an all-out wedding ceremony and reception on Billy’s birthday, in June 2013. As a result of the “gift of cancer”, they have met some of their best friends because of Billy’s diagnosis. They have moved to Denver and began a ministry that they had no idea that God had planned for them that will make a real and significant difference in this very dark world of cancer. Most importantly, now they have a deep, strong and meaningful relationship with God that they never knew they could have or would have if they would have stayed in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
God is a good God, and He is good all the time, even in the midst of the storms of life. They hope that their story will touch you and impress on you that God is with you and if He has blessed them, and has taken such good care of them, God will do it for you too! The Godby family is praying for you and along with CCFF, will be here to help you on your journey. You are NOT alone!!! Blessings and best wishes on your journey.
