Jump David Jump

Updates on Bent Not Broken!

I don't know if you guys are seeing this, but it seems Facebook has changed who and what we see on our timelines. And as frustrating as it is, I wanted to post this awesome information here so we can all celebrate together!

First off, we just got a donation from Meijer! It's so great to see our local companies supporting those who are dealing with cancer. They are the first "major" corporate donation we've seen, so step up Grand Rapids! Who's going to be next corporation and donate to this needed movement!?

Secondly, I wanted to let you know about progress on our next event at the Franciscan Life Process Center. It is lining up incredibly well! All we need now are sponsorship dollars and cancer survivors! Please contact me if you know those who are struggling with cancer. We would LOVE to give them support and hope at NO COST.

So far our gathering will include cancer survivor stories from Sarah Thebarge, Lisa Thompson, and myself. We will have professional speakers like Elle Ingalls on stress relief methods, Kristin Swann from Grand Rapids Wellness speaking on Chinese Medicines, Michael Walker on Naturopathic Oncology, Cynthia Hagedorn on Healing Arts from Square Peg Events, partners from Grand Rapids Natural Health in a panel discussion, and David Allen speaking on his moving stories he hears while tattooing breasts after mastectomy surgeries.

We will also have a counselor speaking to the partners of these cancer survivors, amazing music from Ralston Bowles, and two comedians, Joey Guila and Dana Eagle, who each have had cancer and will help us unwind with some great (cancer) jokes. After all laughter is the best medicine! We are STILL looking for a yoga instructor who has been through cancer, so if you know one, pass them along!

Visit us at bentnotbroken.org and read more about the event. Stay tuned and consider donating to Bent Not Broken Gathering! Much love!

Still Waiting for this book... SO LET'S BREAK THE RULES!

I'm so tired of waiting for this book to be printed! So I'm breakin' the rules and sendin' out a chapter RIGHT NOW! 

If you took part in my Kickstarter Campaign and haven't already updated it, I NEED YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS, especially if you have moved since the summer of 2015! Please email me your new address and I'll make sure you receive your books. 

Please enjoy this chapter as we wwwwwaaaaaaiiiiiitttttt for the final printed version. If they don't have it done soon, I'll post another chapter next week!

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Download Preface - The Hut

 

 

New Life, New Hopes, & New Motivations

This year has been crazy, but at the same time, it has been so good...

The day before the new year, we learned that Lori and I were pregnant with our 3rd child! Shocked, yet in some way accepting its ridiculous inevitability, we realized how insane our life would be this year. I realized that due to our rising health insurance costs, the horrific cost of my daily seizure pills, and my lack of relevance to the business world after writing two books, I needed to make a change. With our third baby on the way, I choose to take a job (for the first time in eleven years!) at AUXILIARY Advertising & Design. I worked there for five months before it became clear I wasn't a great fit for their awesome team they have put together. I was let go the week before our third daughter, Henrietta Jane Wenzel was born on August 30th, 2016.

Since then, our life has been a wonderful, psychotic, wacky blur. The promise of a bi-weekly paycheck was lost, and RobinHood Ink. was back on the market looking for business with three screaming, laughing, and wild girls at home. The thing I can't help but laugh at though, is that God knew ALL of this would be happening, so during this past year He made it possible for a new website to be created for RobinHood Ink. by Mighty in the Midwest, a local and highly reputable web company. Click on the image for the link:

I look back at the projects RobinHood Ink. has been a part of and am shocked at how blessed I have been. I've worked to create films inside Polish prisons, at the base of the Atlas mountains in Morocco, shaping massive Mona Lisa replications in barren deserts, and worked with elaborate set ups in the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. I have been hired to write books for wonderful clients like Josh Shipp and Erik Wahl, while also writing additional articles for fish mongers and breweries in Beer City, USA. I have been sought out to co-write multiple TED Talks to help individuals truly share their messages. And now, I am pleased to say that RobinHood Ink. is available for hire again! If you have any questions about whether or not RobinHood Ink. can help you as a writer, a speaker, or even your entire company, please write me an email. I would love to chat with you to see if I can be of help. If nothing else, I would love to say hello!

On top of that, YOU have made my dream come true by helping me fund the writing of my own book, Thank You Kung-Fu! I've had tons of people asking me about when it will be released, so I am setting a date right now! I have no idea who is interested in its release, so I am inviting EVERYONE. If I have touched your life, made you laugh, or made you cry, please join me for the release of my one and only memoir where I will vomit up my entire life. We'll have readings from the book, fantastic live music, great food, drinks from the beach house's famous outdoor Airstream bar, and tons of outdoor games. This restaurant has everything but a pool, but don't worry, Lake Michigan is right down the road! It is my hope that we can fill out this whole restaurant all day with all of you, the wonderful group of people who have helped make this dream come true.

Join us for an all day party on June 7th, 2017 at Sandy Point Beach House in West Olive, MI
 

So, here's the recap!!

First, our new baby, Henrietta Jane Wenzel! (We call her Etta!)

 

Second, my new personal website and my new business website for RobinHood Ink.

And third, the new all-day book release date for Thank You Kung-Fu at Sandy Point Beach House.

I'm thrilled, I'm nervous, I'm nearly overwhelmed, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord who walks before me, also walks behind me. I am never forgotten. I am (constantly) bent, but never broken. Thanks to ALL of you who have been following my story. Let's continue to live intentionally, work extremely hard, love everyone we come across, focus on living day by day, and finish each of them with a beer in hand. I hope to catch up with you soon in this lovely ragged battlefield we call life.

Much Love to all of you!

 

I AM STILL ALIVE!

TODAY IS JUNE 7TH, 2015 and I AM STILL ALIVE!!!

Today is my cancerversary and it looks like I’ve outlived my 5-7 year diagnosis! From here on out, it only gets better!

I hate to admit it, but you know what? For the past few years this “5-7 year life expectancy” has been haunting me. At any second I felt I was capable of going into a seizure and never waking up. In fact that nearly happened to me in December of 2014. But after that intense seizure, I visited Mayo and my U.S. News and World Report ranked “Best Neurosurgeon" doctor told me I wouldn’t see Viola born in May of 2015. That struck me deep. I became overly concerned about what seemed like my dismal future.

But after seeing that SHRINKAGE last month, I have to grasp on to the future once again! I can’t continue thinking about my death any more. I want long-term goals again. I want to plan my family’s vacation to Iceland. I want to pay off my debt. I want to teach my girls how to ride bikes and hold their breath under water. I want to walk each of them down the aisle. I want to focus on using my skills to give back to the community. I want to live until I'm 97 years old. It’s time for “LIFE” to start happening to me again!

Nevertheless, as today was approaching, I was still going through the stress of having another baby amidst our growing medical bills, so I decided to make a strong move towards consistency. So I took a new job working at AUXILIARY Advertising & Design. I’ve been with AUX (AUXILIARY Advertising and Design) as a Strategic Leader for just over two months now. RobinHook Ink. isn’t over with, but I’ve become highly selective about which jobs I choose to take under that name. But when I took this new job at AUX, I started sleeping through the nights, my stress levels started lessening, and everyday I wake up looking forward to laughing with my co-workers. Life is starting to feel good again!

Since I’ve nearly outlived my initial diagnosis, my future is still up in the air. Only God knows the number of my days (as He always has), so I have to continue letting go of any type of control I thought I had and press on. And in this new phase of life, I want to continue telling my story. I want to continue speaking and sharing about my ongoing victory over cancer. I recently spoke in Omaha and I think it’s time I continue. If any of you are interested in hearing my story (with new additions including a wife, 3 kids, and outliving my diagnosis!!), I would love to hear from you! 

Visit my NEW homepage, davidvwenzel.com and book me to speak to your friends, students, congregations, or conference goers!

 

You better believe that tonight we will all be flicking off a cake and toasting to a future, not marked by remaining numbers of years, but marked by countless moments of love and peace for as many days as I have left. I love my elongated life and I love each and every one of you! Thank you for sticking with me through these years. And when I die at 97 years old, let's all share a laugh about this whole thing!

Countdown to Launch...

Today is my cancerversary!

It marks six years of surviving (and thriving) with brain cancer! I am so appreciative of the support, love, and friendship you have offered me each and every step of my journey. Each of your comments fill me with such gratitude that you still haven't given up on me and you are still following this crazy story. On this day last year, I shared with you the speech I gave to my friends and family when I was officially declared a "Cancer Survivor." But this year I have a new announcement to make!

Every time I've considered writing this post (which has been months, maybe years now) I think of this quote:

"When it feels scary to jump, that’s exactly when you jump. Otherwise you end up staying the same place your whole life. And that I can’t do.” 

Looking back ten years ago, that's why I named this blog, Jump David Jump. I knew life would require risky and sometimes dangerous jumps to go from “Where I'm at” to “Where I want to be”. And this week, against everything my rational mind is telling me, I'm ready to take my next jump. Here it goes...

I want to be the author of my own story. 

This year I am dedicating eight months to face my fears and tell my story (currently titled, Thank You Kung-Fu) as it actually happened. I’m going to pick up my shovel and start digging. I’ll dig through my childhood dreams, my successes and failures, leading towards my terminal cancer kung-fu confessional. I’ll dig through the loss of my dearest relationship, the years I so badly want to forget, let alone write about. I’ll dig even deeper into my public ridicule and personal shame regarding my unplanned pregnancy. But eventually, I’ll dig deep enough to strike at honest truth. The truth that God is yet to turn his back on me, and, in fact, has been digging next to me this entire time.

I want to tell a story that produces hope through my tears, creates bravery through my cowardice, encourages public acceptance through my public shaming, and that speaks life through my death.

Would you please join me in support as I launch my new Kickstarter campaign this week? (note: The campaign is NOT live yet.)

If you are in support of this book being written, I ask you to please utilize your social media skills to get your friends and family behind it. To reach my goal and make this book happen, I'm going to need your help! And seriously, if you are excited about this idea and feel you have a strong enough public following, please contact me so we can figure out how to utilize your network to help me reach my goal. Whether you are an author, a speaker, a desk jockey, a blogger mom, an athlete, an entrepreneur, a musician, a newscaster, a president of a small nation, I would love to partner with you!

In order to get you prepped for this upcoming book, I have placed two sample chapters on this site! Under "More Info", click "Thank You Kung-Fu Chapters". Please read, share with your friends and family, and get excited for the rest of the book.

I hope you are enjoying this Sunday as much as I am. Today, I celebrate with Lori, Marian, and Viola, as well as the rest of my family and friends, another year of survival as we continue to pray for many many more!

Tell all your friends to join me later this week as I officially launch my Kickstarter Campaign!

Bringing the Story to Chicago

It has been incredible to share God's story over the past year. I say this story belongs to God because... well, I never would have written it this way. Seems to me He's writing His own story and was kind enough to invite me in. In the past 12 months, God has been gracious enough to stir up some opportunities for me to share this story at universities, churches, cancer support groups and even an elementary school in the middle of an Ohio cornfield.

I must say I was shocked when Ben Arment wrote me an email and asked me to speak at Story Chicago. The event will be held at Park Community Church on September 23-24. It's such an honor to be sharing with such an amazing group of speakers.

• Dan Allender - best-selling author, professor at Mars Hill Graduate School
• Charlie Todd - creator of Improv Everywhere in New York City
• Princess Zulu - AIDS victim from infancy, advocate for the oppressed
• Jason Fried - founder of 37Signals, creator of Basecamp, author of Rework
• John Sowers - president of Donald Miller's The Mentoring Project
• Shauna Niequist - former creative director at Mars Hill, author of Bittersweet
• David Hodges - formerly of the band Evanescence, award-winning songwriter
• Leonard Sweet - futurist, author of 40 books, professor at Drew University
• David McFadzean - creator of Home Improvement, producer of Roseanne
• Richard Walter - accomplished screenwriter and professor of film at UCLA
• Sean Gladding - member of Communality, a new monastic community
• Andrew Klavan - author of True Crime (Clint Eastwood) and numerous novels
• Gary Dorsey - founder of Pixel Peach Studio in Austin, TX
• Music by Vicky Beeching, Kari Jobe and Carlos Whittaker

All of the tickets are sold out, but I would ask that you would pray for me as I "tell the story", because as you can see from those I'll be sharing with... I'm completely out of my league! Feel like I was just called up to the pros! I must admit I feel the pressure to stay 'smart' things, use clever analogies and be funny. That's how I typically deal with this type of stuff. But I must remember that the only thing God has called me to do is be a witness. Just tell the story of what is happening. That is enough.

Check out the legit website for Story Chicago.

Speaking at 'The Woods'

Tomorrow (May 2nd) I will be sharing the Operation 55 Zebra story at The Woods - Church of the Nazarene (just outside of Detroit). I'll be at the Warren Campus for the 9:00, 10:00 & 11:00 services. If you are in the area, I would love to see you there! Come and introduce yourself!

Details:

Warren Campus
14300 Thirteen Mile Rd.
Warren, MI 48088
(586) 771-4821

Leaving New Zealand!

Here's a quick post as I'm leaving Kaukoura, New Zealand and headed toward Christchurch for the flight home. I will be home at about 10:00 on Thursday morning and then hopping on another flight that same day to go to Cedarville University in Ohio. I'll be speaking in their chapel on Friday morning at 10:00. If you are around, I'd love to see you there.

Regarding NZ, I have tons of photos to show and stories to tell. Those will be coming soon!

I am so excited for the new year! I apologize for my lack of posts last month, but I'm coming back with renewed vigor and a journal full of thoughts to share.

Oh! We celebrated Amy's Birthday yesterday (5th) as we are a day ahead, but it's her birthday in the states today. Wish her a Happy Birthday because I promised her she'd get 2 birthdays this year!!

Much Love...

Healing Crisis

Things aren't always as they seem.

Sometimes what we see as a step in the wrong direction is actually evidence that everything is going according to plan. There is actually a term for this; Healing Crisis.

"A 'Healing Crisis', also known as the "Herxheimer Reaction", this reaction occurs when the body tries to eliminate toxins at a faster rate than they can be properly disposed of. The more toxic one's bodily systems are, the more severe the detoxification, or healing crisis. It is characterized by a temporary increase in symptoms during the cleansing or detox process which may be mild or severe. You may feel worse and therefore conclude that the treatment is not working. But these reactions are instead signs that the treatment is working and that your body is going through the process of cleaning itself of impurities, toxins and imbalances."

I feel my body has been experiencing a healing crisis. When I went to the ER a few weeks ago, the pre-seizure symptoms were telling everyone that my brain was swelling. I knew it, Micah-the-Magician knew it and the Doctors knew it. The evidence for brain swelling was obvious, so the real question was, 'Why? Even though I've been doing everything right, why is there more swelling in my brain?'.

There are two ways to look at the reasoning behind the brain swelling:

1. As predicted by my doctors, the tumor is continuing to slowly grow in size which impacts the surrounding brain matter causing a progression in seizure symptoms. Over time, this will eventually lead to another seizure. The medically response would be to undergo radiation and chemo to reduce the size of the tumor, thus relieving pressure to the surrounding brain matter, and to immediately administer steroids to help curb inflammation and stop immediate seizure symptom progression.
2. Through my changes in diet, supplements, stress levels, emotional healing, etc... my body is healing the cancer by reversing the elements that cause cancer in the first place. One of the signs that the cancer is reversing is that the tumor, a collection of cancerous cells in my brain (a symptom of the cancer within the body) are starting to die. And as the tumor cells die and pile up, the lymphatic system (the clean-up crew of the body) goes into the brain to start clearing everything out which causes swelling. The solution for this issue would be to aid the lymphatic system by helping to clear it out, taking along with it all of the dead cells it has been collecting.

We chose to see this crisis through the lens of view #2. To be honest, I am feeling even better than before. I am taking on some new detoxification practices that I'll detail later each helping my lymph system clear out the dead cells in my body as quick as possible. Many cancer patients don't actually die from cancer but from toxemia, or a build-up of toxins / bacteria in the bloodstream because the bad cells can't be eliminated from the body. So the 1st goal was to kill the cancer, but the 2nd goal is to get rid of the dead cancer cells as soon as possible. And as far as I can tell, after a few weeks, it is working!

Physically, I was having a build-up of toxins in my brain that needed to be released. This crisis, after being addressed, lead to overall healing.

However, emotionally and spiritually, I think I'm in the middle of a healing crisis.

Speaking at Loyola Marymount Univ.

We just finished filming Matthew Sleeth's dialogue for his short film series so I can actually relax for a few minutes...Our time here has been very good. The Dot&Cross team is doing a great job of pulling this all together and I'm feeling really good about this shoot.

(Side-note / Random Fact: The Director of Photographer for our shoot is the same DP who did SNL's 'I'm on a Boat'. If you don't know what I'm talking about... forget I mentioned it.)

So the other night, Rosanna, a friend of mine, was kind enough to pass my name onto a student group at Loyola Marymount University called "Late Night".  It's a group of about 50-70 students from the University who get together at the "Lion's Den" and talk on a weekly basis. They invited me to come tonight and share my story and, as promised, I take any opportunity God puts in front of me to share His story so I said 'yes'. That's the benefit of having God as your booking agent. He knows where I need to be and who I need to talk to so you never have to doubt if He is giving you a bum gig!

If you are in LA and want to drop by... I'd love to meet you. *Disclaimer - I don't know if it's a student-only thing or not. But if they don't let you in, tell them I asked for you to come. You can do that thing they always do in the movies where you point to me and wave. I won't know who you are but I promise to wave back like I'm inviting you in. It'll totally work.