Pitcher David Hess thought the cancer scare was behind him. He’d been cleared to return to baseball and made four appearances out of the bullpen for the Durham Bulls in Triple-A last season. Everything was returning to normal, or as normal as things can be after nearly dying.
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Then Hess learned that a rare and aggressive type of cancer called angiosarcoma has been inside his tumor. He announced the news in an Instagram post Friday, but also vowed to “be the light in the darkness and not be snuffed out by the circumstances.”
Hess ended the post by reminding everyone about the God he serves.
“We have relied a ton on Psalm 18 to keep us rooted and keep us moving forward,” he wrote. “Cancer is evil but we serve a big God who is working all this together for His glory!”
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David’s wife, Devin, also took to Instagram to ask for prayers and declare that she continues to rejoice in God’s goodness during such a difficult time.
“This world is broken, but God’s love for us is FIERCE,” she said in the post. “My heart rejoices in His goodness and faithfulness in such a dark time. Please pray for David’s medical team to have discernment, please pray for our family, please pray for me and please pray for my guy.”
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Hess will have surgery Tuesday as doctors work to gather more information and determine the best course of action.
Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2014, Hess made his major league debut in 2018 and has played in the big leagues with three different teams (Baltimore, Miami, Tampa Bay). Shortly after the 2021 season ended, he checked into an emergency room after experiencing chest tightness and shortness of breath. About a week later, he was diagnosed with a cancerous germ cell tumor.
Hess said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in April 2022 that doctors told him he likely would have suffered a fatal stroke or heart attack if he’d waited any longer to go to the emergency room. Through it all, he kept trusting in God and believing something good would come out of what he was going through.
“You have to face the mortality aspect of life … and ultimately just trusting and trying to encourage each other to keep, I guess, a God’s-eye view on everything, that no matter what happens in this, something good is going to come out of it,” Hess said on the podcast. “And God’s going to use that for good.”
As difficult as the last 18 months have been for Hess, he’s turned his situation into an opportunity to share the Gospel.
“I’ve had countless conversations with people because they ask the same thing. They’re like, ‘How did you get through it?’” Hess said on the podcast. “And I’m like, ‘Man, God’s good. He cares and He loves us.’ And I get to kind of work that conversation into ultimately sharing that God loves you and cares for you and He wants the best for you. But ultimately, He wants a relationship with you more than anything else.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to help pay for medical bills. Please join us in praying for the Hess family.
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