By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
VIOLET, La. (LBM) – Pastor David Gonzalez is thankful for the gift of life he recently received a through a new kidney from a stranger-turned-best-friend.
Gonzalez, who is pastor with Celebration Church’s Lower St. Bernard campus in Violet, in 2020 was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer. Since then, Gonzalez has battled a myriad of emotions and has seen God move through others’ encouragement, prayer and His healing power.
“The Lord keeps reminding me that to get through anything you have to be the one to encourage yourself in the Lord — like King David had to do when nobody was around,” Gonzalez told the Baptist Message. “I said ‘Lord, help me to learn apart from hustle and bustle how to try to encourage myself.’”
Since his diagnosis, Gonzalez has spent time at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans and at home as he underwent extensive hospital stays, kidney biopsies, bone marrow biopsies, chemotherapy, infusions, blood transfusions, plasmapheresis, a stem cell transplant, dialysis and most recently a kidney transplant, Dec. 1, 2023.
“At one point I had lost my will to continue and remember thinking that all hope was lost,” he recalled.
“It looked like I was at death’s door, thinking I had enough and was almost ready to quit.
“I got up out of my bed, my hair blotched all over and looked in the mirror,” he continued. “I had to encourage myself in the Lord that ‘You are not going to die. You are going to live. This is not the plan God intended for you and you will come out of this because God’s story has yet to be told.’”
GLIMMER OF HOPE
Shortly afterward, the doctors began to treat an infection in his lungs.
For the next year, Gonzalez underwent hemodialysis three days a week, four hours at a time. God provided encouragement to help him press on through a visit from Patrick Eagan, a dear friend, and a minister with the Celebration Church in Metairie/New Orleans.
“I told him I was done, and I didn’t know if I could keep doing this anymore,” Gonzalez said. “I was crying and didn’t know what to do. Patrick asked me if there was any fight left in me and I said, ‘Yes, that I believed there was.’ He prayed with me, and things started looking great.”
Miraculously, Gonzalez received the news that he had been waiting for while undergoing his final bone marrow biopsy: He was cancer free.
But, God had more positive news in store for Gonzalez.
GIFT OF LIFE OFFER
In September 2023, Gonzalez received an in-home visit from Chris Stall, who lived two streets away. Though the two lived near one another, the only connection they shared was Stall’s sister, Rita, who had once attended Celebration Church’s Lower St. Bernard campus.
Stall learned of search for a kidney donor through a Facebook post — which had gone viral and was shared 600 times, including by Stall’s sister – that was written by Gonzalez’s wife, Jennifer.
“I invited him in, introduced myself to him and recognized his sister, who was with him,” he said. “I asked, ‘How can I pray for you.’ He said, ‘I need you to pray for my kidney because I’ve been cleared to be your donor and we have a surgery date.’
“I lost it,” he said. “We all went crazy in the house and there was lots of hugging, high fiving and praising the Lord.”
Still one more hurdle remained.
The day of surgery (Nov. 29), Gonzalez was about to enter the operating room when he was told his potassium levels were too high and that the surgery had to be rescheduled for Dec. 1.
ANSWERED PRAYER
When Dec. 1 arrived, his potassium levels were normal. So, the surgery commenced and was a success.
“They said, ‘We’re ready to go,’ and I had my new kidney,” he said “Immediately, the kidney worked immaculately.
“I just felt like God answered every prayer I ever prayed,” he continued. “If the Lord showed me four years ago what I would have to walk through to be on the other side of this blessing to continue do what He’s called me to do, I might not have said, ‘Yes.’
“But looking back, it’s crazy,” he said. “The last two months have been some of the best two months of my life. My life is so fantastic right now and I can’t thank the Lord and others enough for getting me through this journey.”
Stall noted that he has gained a new friend who is like a brother.
“The entire experience has great,” he said. “Recovery was easier than I could have ever expected. I wish I could make people understand how easy the entire process was and how good it feels to have helped Dave.
“When I read the story about how he needed a kidney, I felt immediately that I was going to be his donor,” he said. “I was never nervous throughout the process and felt guided throughout. It’s been my honor to be a donor, and I hope by sharing our story it will motivate others to become living donors.”
ENCOURAGEMENT ABOUND
Gonzalez said his wife has been a true partner and encourager through the ordeal.
“If the truth be told, without my wife constantly by my side, encouraging me, caring for me, literally doing everything, it may have been impossible to continue,” he said. “She is God-sent for sure.”
While he has been away from the pulpit, Gonzalez said his church and others have not ceased showing him love.
In 2021, the campus Facebook page began hosting a daily prayer time at 5:16 p.m. Moreover, Interim Pastor Ricky Murphy has continued to preach every Sunday for the past three years and has incorporated Gonzalez’s photo on the “big screen” when he shares a message on healing or prayer.
Moving forward, Gonzalez plans to ease back into his pastoral role. He is thankful for what God has brought him through and is ready for what God has in store for him, his family and his church.
“Looking back, I realized how fortunate and blessed I was to be a part of Celebration Church,” Gonzalez said. “It’s truly been a help. I mean with the way they rallied around my wife and my family, always praying, always checking up on me, and telling me no ask is too big.
“I have never once felt like I was just the sick pastor with no real input,” he continued. “The opposite is true: I was always kept in the loop concerning the things of the Lower St. Bernard Campus and always felt a part of the church family and ministry.”
