Home » Discussion » Zola's Battle with Cancer

Sandra wanted me to thank all of you for all the wonderful comments you have posted here.

The web site is filled with so many wonderful things said about Zola and the ministry. Please thank everyone for the family. The song “Because He Lives” keeps going thru my mind. I can and will face tomorrow because Yeshua lives.

Sandra

I had been forwarding many of your comments to Zola until a few weeks ago when it became too difficult for him to read them on the computer.  He also said how many of them were just wonderful and how much he enjoyed them.

There will be a public memorial service on Sunday, May 7, at 3 PM at the Fellowship Bible Church in Dallas, TX. This church is located at the Northeast corner of Central Expressway and Park Lane.

I have heard that the church will be broadcasting the service live on their website but I have no real information about this.  I suspect that you can watch the service from their Sunday service broadcast page, but I can’t be sure.  The service will be recorded, so it may be possible to watch it later somehow.  I will post more information here if this can be arranged.

I have just heard the news that his promotion has come through. He went very peacefully today at about 11:15 AM at home.

There will be a private, family funeral soon and a memorial service in about two weeks.

Here are some excerpts from a letter that Zola wrote around the end of March:

…the Lord has not changed His assignment for me, and so every few days when I feel like I’m having a good morning, I call together our local film crew and I make another program. Of course, we only broadcast once a week with original programs, so there will be an illusion that I’m pretty well able to do this work, and for now I am. But know that four programs will take a month to air, and eight will take two months, and so my condition will undoubtedly deteriorate off-camera. But, on the whole, it’s tolerable for now. My orders have not changed. I’m still a soldier manning a post, and my Commander knows I’m wounded.

So, I’ll continue this work as long as possible. I think we will probably show some very good repeat performances from the past, and possibly some interview programs while I can do that.

I have the feeling my new orders are coming down, which are that I can start to leave this post, but it will be under protest. I still have one more TV program in mind. And after that I suppose that will be my trip to heaven.

Know that each program I make costs many thousands of dollars, but I like the idea that people see that even a wounded soldier remains useful in the ongoing battle.

Here are some paragraphs taken from a letter that Sandra wrote back on March 3, where she summarized this situation very well, and also wrote about the future of the ministry. I know many are wondering about the ministry’s plans for the future. I don’t know if anyone can say how things will unfold for sure, but Sandra says here what the plans are.

Someone once said that, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Zola and I have been so blessed to have been making those plans of speaking, traveling to Israel and making wonderful television programs for many years. Our plans were such that we could tell you where we would be years from now. We were having a wonderful time in the Lord. Now, those plans are changing.

I can also tell you that God is in control and we are in His hands. Already, we see that God has gone ahead of us in many of the details of just getting home, of seeing doctors that are booked solid, of people praying for us, and of friends being with us. We are truly blessed.

I want to also assure you that Zola’s ministry will go on. We are making some adjustments to allow Zola to take treatments and to rest. The Levitt Letter is in good hands with Lou Hays at the helm, Mark Levitt has always done the best job of running the ministry, Tony Derrick and I will continue to take tours to Israel. We have a stable of solid Bible teachers who are available to speak in churches. Ken Berg will produce programs about Israel and current events. As always, the office staff is there to help you. We are all pitching in to continue to make God’s word heard throughout the world.

Zola really is in good spirits. Rereading Psalm 23, I am reminded of the last verse: “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That is what life is all about. Being with our Lord forever. Zola always says that we are living our eternal life now; the worst part is living here.

Remember to witness to your friends and family. It is the best medicine for them.

Well, the disease is taking it’s toll. Zola is becoming weaker every day, it seems. He’s using a wheelchair around the house now. I suspect he’s probably too weak to make any more TV shows. He tires easily when reading, possibly due to the pain medication. He’s also sleeping a lot and his appetite is low. But he’s still making jokes.

His rather sudden loss of strength is a bit frustrating to him, but he’s adapting. He has good home care. Some of the guys from the office are staying with him at night to help him get around the house, in addition to hospice care.

Last Tuesday, April 11, was Zola and Sandra’s wedding anniversary. They were able to go across from their house to the park where they were married and spend some time there. Sandra said it was wonderful. It’s certainly not easy, but she’s holding up very well through all of this–better than I would have imagined. I think it’s because of the inner peace (Shalom) she has, given to believers by the Jewish Messiah. I’m sure you’ve seen that from both of them on recent TV shows.

As Zola said to me last night, “I’ll see you here, there, or in the air.”

On Thursday, March 30, Zola was evaluated to see how he did with the radiation and chemotherapy. I’m afraid the results were not too good. The treatments did greatly help the cancer in the lungs and brain but his liver has deteriorated, so I don’t think they’re really concerned with the other things anymore. The prognosis is now set at six to eight weeks.

I’m sorry about having to give this bad news. The good part about this is that liver failure is more gentle than sucumbing to lung cancer. Zola no longer has to be afraid of not being able to take a breath, etc. near the end.

Certainly, no one is ruling out a miracle, though. Zola did say last Friday that if he were to receive a miracle, it would be a big one, because this isn’t just back pain he’s suffering from. On the other hand, though, we don’t want to go against God’s wishes, and maybe it is His will that Zola join him to help welcome people into His kingdom. Maybe God needs some more Levites on His staff.

I say this because, though I don’t know a lot about cancer, Zola’s experience with it has been pretty mild so far. So maybe that right there is our answer to our prayers. If Zola isn’t healed, it certainly won’t be from a lack of prayer. So the only alternative is that this is God’s will.

Zola has access to supplemental oxygen if he were to need it, but it doesn’t seem to help right now. He also has a patch to deliver pain medicine and that has helped a great deal. He’s not in pain, exactly, but he doesn’t feel good and is tired a lot. The patch has helped with that. He has spoken with hospice workers about care that may be necessary down the road. He is now using a walker around the house to keep him steady. So everything necessary is being done.

One thing to remember also, is that the TV shows you see of him talking about his illness were filmed about a month earlier. On days when he feels well enough, he continues to film TV shows. There will come a point where he looks good on TV but is not well in real life. Just something to be prepared for. I will try to keep you updated here.