Ravi Zacharias Announces He Has Rare Sarcoma Cancer, Requests Prayers

Author and apologist Ravi Zacharias posted an article on his ministry page and on Instagram informing everyone that he has sarcoma, a rare type of cancer. Doctors have to wait until he is fully healed from back surgery (around four weeks) to begin treatment on the tumor. Zacharias says he will not be able to resume speaking until at least the summer.

Charisma News previously reported that Zacharias was undergoing emergency spinal repair surgery on Feb. 20. It was actually through the back surgery that the doctors were able to take a biopsy and determine the immense pain Zacharias was experiencing was something much worse than previously thought. However, Zacharias remains hopeful.

“We are trusting the Lord in this, and we believe we have already seen evidence of His hand,” Zacharias’ statement reads. “For example, the tumor did not show up on any previous scans and was only discovered by my surgeon identifying it during surgery.

“We received literally thousands of messages from people all over the world saying you were praying. I have every belief God directed and prompted my surgeon to his discovery of this tumor. Margie and I and our family are so grateful for your continued prayers for the journey that lies ahead.”

Join with us in praying for God to heal Zacharias and be with His family during this time. Read the full Instagram update here.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Friends: We wanted to give you an update on my health, as we know so many of you have been praying and we are so grateful. As many of you know, I underwent surgery to repair my back 3 weeks ago today. The surgery was considered a success, and the surgeon felt it was a strong reconstruction. However, since the surgery I have faced very severe pain, so intense in the night, especially, that I have been unable to sleep. While we have assumed this pain was a natural consequence of the surgery, we have learned in the past week that a biopsy taken during the procedure revealed that I have a malignant tumor on my sacrum—a very rare cancer called Sarcoma. Indeed, we now know this is the cause of my extreme pain. In the past few days, we have been meeting with specialists to determine the next course of action. They will wait until I am fully healed from the back surgery, and in 4-5 weeks, will begin treatment to shrink the tumor. I will not plan to resume speaking at least until the summer. We are trusting the Lord in this, and we believe we have already seen evidence of His hand. For example, the tumor did not show up on any previous scans and was only discovered by my surgeon identifying it during surgery. We received literally thousands of messages from people all over the world saying you were praying. I have every belief God directed and prompted my surgeon to his discovery of this tumor. Margie and I and our family are so grateful for your continued prayers for the journey that lies ahead. Click the link in my profile to read the full update.

A post shared by Ravi Zacharias (@ravizacharias) on Mar 12, 2020 at 2:11pm PDT