Fr. Terry Gensemer of CEC For Life invites YOU to kick off the Alabama summer with an afternoon of spicy crawfish, live music, and fun for the whole fam! Bring blankets and lawn chairs for backyard seating, and whatever beverages you like – coolers are welcome.
LIVE MUSIC KICKS OFF @ 3 PM with Birmingham’s own Sassy Brown Band!
Activities for the kiddos still TBA!
Admission is a minimum donation of $15 per adult,with no charge for kids under 18.
Funds raised will go toward the J&J Granberry Family Trust, which was created to help Jonathan and Riley Granberry in their fight against cancer.
Donations beyond the minimum are more than welcome — and definitely encouraged. We want to bless the Granberry family as much as we can! Please RSVP as soon as possible, either through Facebook or to info@cecforlife.com. And please invite everyone you know! Just tell them you know a guy with good food, good music, and a great back porch.
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WHO ARE THE GRANBERRYS?
Last year, less than a week before Christmas, Jonathan Granberry went to the emergency room for recurring abdominal pain. Hours later, he and his wife, Jennifer, received grave news. The colon cancer he’d been diagnosed with almost exactly a year ago, which had been successfully removed with surgery, had returned. Not only was it back, it had spread to his lymphatic system, and a scan revealed lesions on his liver. On December 22nd, just three days before Christmas, their doctor confirmed this diagnosis.
That same evening, Jonathan and Jennifer took their son, Riley, for a scheduled MRI. The 12-yr-old boy had been suffering from migraines, with little success of relief, and the MRI would hopefully give them some insight into the cause. To the parents’ overwhelming shock, the test revealed a brain tumor about the size of a tangerine. Riley would need emergency surgery.
The Granberrys have four boys: Ethan, Riley, Josh and Jack. Jennifer is our church secretary. Jonathan is a graphic designer. Years ago, the family chose to move to Fairfield, a low-income area with a pretty sordid reputation, in order to be an intimate part of the outreach our local church does in the neighborhood. Their heart is to help the vulnerable, and that has always come with a cost they were willing to pay.
This year that cost has been even greater. On January 8th, after weeks of trying to work out insurance, doctors confirmed that Jonathan had Stage 4 colon cancer. He would need to start chemo as soon as possible. Their son Riley, who was released from the hospital Christmas Day after a successful surgery, would also need to start chemo, as well as radiation. The cost would be beyond substantial for the family – it would be impossible. Especially since Jonathan, the family’s main source of income, had no idea when he would be able to work again.
This is the situation our precious friends have been facing for the last four months. And they’ve done so with more patience and faith than you can imagine. Riley, especially, has kept his family in line, constantly reminding them that God is healing him, and that he is going to beat this. He’s an amazing child with an undeterred spirit.
We want to help that spirit grow even stronger. In fact, we want to help the Granberrys with as much of this burden as we can, especially with the overwhelming expense. That is why, on May 21st, Fr. Terry will host his Annual Crawfish Boil and, instead of the proceeds going to the work of CEC For Life, every bit of the proceeds will go directly to the Granberry family – to Riley and Jonathan, as they continue this incredible father-son journey, which really includes all of us.
“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10
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Please also join us in praying and believing for the total and complete healing of Jonathan and Riley!