Today, we are in for another treat — Greg Taylor's multiple myeloma faith journey is one of the most honest and inspiring stories you will hear on this podcast.
Greg, who has spent his entire career as a physician and administrator in large medical facilities, adds a unique flavor to this podcast. One thing about physicians and anyone in the medical and scientific field is that they don't like surprises. Guess what Greg got...lots of surprises.
And the beauty of his story is how he, someone in the medical profession, dealt with his surprises. We all get surprises in life, but especially when we are on a cancer journey. It seems like every day is full of surprises. So, how did Greg deal with these surprises? How was he able to turn these into opportunities to build a deeper and stronger relationship with God and his family?
We get to hear how he did this and more in his story. I know you will enjoy it, and I'm sure there will be many parts that ring a bell for you in your own journey. But as Greg shares, Jesus is always with us and available, even when we are negotiating, to help us in our journey.
Here's Greg's story...enjoy!
EPISODE NOTES
Today, we are in for another treat — we get to hear the story of Greg's journey with cancer.
Greg is a member of our online group and someone who has been dealing with the surprises that cancer can spring on us throughout our journey. And as you will hear, it came upon him as a complete surprise. It was only certain symptoms that led to the discovery that he had cancer.
But there are two things I think you will find especially interesting in his story.
First, he was a doctor. He spent his entire career in the medical field, both as a practitioner and as an administrator. And even being in the field didn't make him immune to cancer.
But the second thing — and the word I want to emphasize with Greg's story — is CONVENIENCE. Not from his cancer, but in his relationship with God. While Greg is a solid believer in Jesus, his relationship before cancer had become one of convenience. I love how openly he talks about this, because I think it is something many of us can relate to somewhere along our cancer journey…or even our life journey.
GREG'S BACKGROUND
Greg was born in Eastern North Carolina — a dry, sandy, flat area known for farming. He was an only child who, from an early age, loved to learn, frequently reading the encyclopedia his parents sacrificed to give him. He went on to become president of his student body, play basketball, attend the University of North Carolina, and graduate from Wake Forest Medical School — a Southern Baptist institution. He practiced emergency medicine for 14 years before becoming the Chief Medical Officer of his hospital.
Along the way, he met his wife, Cathy — his opposite in the best possible way. He is serious and focused; she is high-energy and full of fun. A perfect balance, as he tells it. They have a daughter in Spokane and a son in the Seattle area. After retiring in 2015, they slowly began planning to move west, settling in the Pacific Northwest in 2016. They found Timberlake Church on their very first visit and never left.
By 2023, Greg had fully retired and was living his best life. A new granddaughter had arrived, and another was on the way. Life couldn't have been better.
And then May 2024 changed everything.
THE MULTIPLE MYELOMA DIAGNOSIS AND FAITH JOURNEY BEGINS
Something wasn't right. Greg knew it — even as a physician. At this time, he was in Spokane with his daughter, doing a seven-mile walk/run, when he began to wheeze while climbing a steep hill at mile five. He slowed down, made it to the top, and finished the race. But that night, he didn't bounce back. A 105-degree fever, a persistent cough — he assumed pneumonia and went on antibiotics.
Sure enough, five days later, the fever returned.
What followed was a series of tests, emergency room visits, and a workup that took longer than it should have. By early August 2024, the diagnosis was finally confirmed: Multiple Myeloma — cancer of the bone marrow. His blood had become hyperviscous, like molasses, causing severe headaches and an inability to focus. He was anemic. And the disease was pulling calcium from his spine, causing compression fractures. He lost five inches in height. Sleeping in a recliner became his new normal. He went through transfusions and congestive heart failure.
He went through every stage of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and ultimately, acceptance.
A RELATIONSHIP OF CONVENIENCE
Here is where Greg's story takes a turn that I think will resonate with many of you. Greg's multiple myeloma faith journey forced him to examine something he had long avoided.
Greg didn't feel angry with God. But he was perplexed. And part of that confusion, as he openly shares, was due to a relationship with God that had become one of convenience. God was there when Greg needed him — but Greg hadn't been faithfully recognizing how many gifts God had been giving him all along.
As a result, he began to ask. What is your plan? Is this the end? He bargained — asking God to intervene physically and emotionally, and promising in return to be a more faithful communicator and to share the story of what God had done in his life.
He was anxious and afraid. The anxiety of the unknown. The fear of leaving his family. His last grandchild had arrived just in May 2024. He couldn't sleep. The steroids he was taking amplified everything. For three months, he didn't leave the house. He asked his wife not to leave him alone.
And yet — God was there.
GOD SHOWS UP AT FRED HUTCH
With God's help, Greg ended up at Fred Hutch — one of the country's premier cancer treatment centers. What looked like a devastating turn became an open door.
As a result, the medical team at Fred Hutch gave him a five-drug regimen and began the work of fighting back. And God, as Greg describes it, worked miracles — through the doctors, through the scientists, through the treatments. Greg is clear on this: God is behind what doctors discover and treat. He is the guide. No matter how smart or capable a medical team is, God is always the driver behind them.
What Greg's multiple myeloma faith journey has produced, medically, is remarkable. Today, remarkably, Greg's biopsy has gone from 95% cancerous to just 4%. His blood scans are back to normal with no active cancer detected. His drug regimen has been reduced from five medications to two. He can pick up his grandchildren again — something doctors told him he might never do. His wife told him recently that he feels like his old self again.
Today, he is not in remission. There is no cure for Multiple Myeloma. He knows that. He has accepted it. But Greg begins every single day with a prayer of thanks for his wonderful life, his extraordinary family, and the God who never left him — even through all his shortcomings and failures.
WHAT GREG WANTS YOU TO KNOW
Whether you talk to God every day or you haven't spoken to him in years, he is present with you right now. He has been there with you every day of your life, even when you didn't notice. Even when the relationship was one of convenience. During the moments you bargained. Even when you were angry. Even when you were afraid to be alone.
He never left. And He never will.
And as Greg would say, that is truly something to be thankful for. That is the gift buried inside a multiple myeloma faith journey — a God who was present all along.
Until next time — no matter what you are facing on your journey with cancer or life, remember: we are NEVER ALONE. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always with us and ready to help. All we have to do is ask, give it all to Jesus, and let him go to work.
May God bless you, and thank you for listening.
If you would like to share your story with others, visit our Share Your Story page, fill out the short form, and we will be in touch.