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Lauren and Ron Markel and their daughters.

(Courtesy Lauren Markel)

KALAMAZOO, MI-- "I will not die but live and I will proclaim what the Lord has done."

That verse from the Book of Psalm has been a guiding force for Western Michigan University campus minister Lauren Markel since her diagnosis in November 2015 of an inoperable brain tumor in the stem of her brain.

Her tumor is of a form very rare in adults, and traditional medical treatment offers little hope, said Leslie Holmes, Markel's childhood neighbor, fellow minister and best friend.

But Markel arrived in Texas last week to begin an alternative treatment, the first stint of daily outpatient infusions that may offer hope of recovery. From there she will come back to Michigan and continue the DNA specific, gene-targeted therapy option.

"We believe Jesus is the source of healing and that both medical wisdom and supernatural intervention will allow Lauren to live," Holmes said. "We will partner with God to see a miracle."

A GoFundMe online fundraiser is financing the venture.

The diagnosis

Lauren Markel's journey to recovery began in November 2015 when she started to experience double vision. A trip to the eye doctor ruled out any problem with her eyes, and the doctor urged her to get neurological exam.

That's when the tumor was discovered, a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in the part of the brain stem that controls essential bodily functions such as heartbeat, breathing, eyesight, and balance.

Traditional medicine offers no effective treatment and no cure for this type of tumor, which is almost always found in children. It was a tough diagnosis for a young wife and mother of two young children.

Adults with this type of tumor have a survival rate of less than 1 percent. Holmes said when doctors told Lauren there was really nothing current medical treatments had to offer, her friend said:"I'm not going to sit around and wait for it grow."

Instead, she began seeking answers.

One came a few weeks later, when her friend Tracey Venema was praying for Markel and heard the word: "proclaim."

Venema looked in the back of her Bible to see verses that included that word, and found Psalm 118:17.

"She opened to that verse and it said: 'I will not die, but live, and I proclaim what the Lord has done,'" Markel said. "Over the last year God has truly guided our steps in every way."

From a family whose child has the same type of tumor, she learned of the new treatment undergoing FDA clinical trials in Texas.

Another family offered her the use of their home in Texas if she could from Michigan for the treatments.

The alternative is costly, unaffordable on her minister's salary and that of her husband, Ron, an algebra teacher.

The treatments run $17,000 a month and will total around $245,000, none of which is covered by insurance.

GoFundMe

"Lauren is one of the most remarkable people in my life," Holmes said," and she is constantly giving to others."

Holmes was sure the community would want to help her friend.

Friends like WMU alum Jessica Ferris, who met Markel when she was a student member of the campus ministry group.Western Michigan University students pulling 'all-nighter' outside for 'Shantytown' fundraiser

Ferris now works in Hickory corners at a family camp and conference center.

"We have tons of mutual friends, people in our circle, and Lauren has a big circle," Ferris said.

They began to spread the word, through Facebook and other social networking sites, about the possibility of a new treatment.

"We all know the Lord is going to provide one way or another," Ferris said.

"Lauren's great and I am really excited that a lot of people are supporting her. She's touched a lot of people," Ferris said.

"She has given so much or her life away, we hoped people would give back," Holmes said.

And they are.

In less than a month, friends and strangers alike are pitching in, $20, $50, $100, $1,200 at a time. To date, they have raised $41,221 in the 30 days the GoFundMe site has been operational.

Keeping the faith

"Praying God would provide $240,000 is scary," Lauren Markel said from texas Thursday, "but I trust him.

"I have seen Him move mountains so far. So many of our donations have been from compassionate strangers. We are so thankful to generous friends and strangers alike."

"Over the last year, God has given me multiple truths to stand on and even when I am needing extra encouragement he always comes through," Markel said.

"Do I have bad days? Of course. I'm human and very far from perfect, right? Sometimes I lie on the floor and bawl my eyes out."

"But my faith that everything is going to be OK has never changed," Markel said. "It's just going through the process that is really tough."

Last Thanksgiving, she said, God led her to read the last chapter in the book of Job. It talked about Job being more blessed in the second half of his life than in the first and that he lived to be an old man full of years.

"God said to me very clearly, 'this is my promise for you too,'" Markel said.

"Jesus is a good good Father. On one of my bad days, I said to him, 'Well God, what are you gonna do about this whole situation?,' Markel said.

"And He said, 'I'll provide.' "

And I said, "what do you want me to do?"

He simply said: "Trust Me."