Dear Editor:

One of the greatest joys in life is to be able to say thanks andto give praise to God at the same time.

In January of 2004, our son Brodie Burns was diagnosed withthyroid cancer. Brodie had major surgery which resulted in theremoval of a mass, six centimeters in diameter, from his neck. Tenlymph nodes were also removed. Six of those nodes weremalignant.

In March, Brodie was treated with iodine radiation. We were toldthe treatment would kill any cancer cells that remained. In August,more cancerous nodes were found in his neck. Major surgery wasrequired again, and six lymph nodes were removed. Four of thosewere malignant.

In December, a small tumor was detected in Brodie’s neck underthe jugular vein. Fluid was removed from the tumor, and it wascancerous.

Brodie was referred to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center inHouston for a visit in March of 2005. Tests were performed and thedoctors suggested iodine radiation again. This treatment was donein June, followed by a full body scan two weeks later. The bodyscan showed cancer residue in Brodie’s chest area that appeared tobe near his lungs and liver. He was referred back to M.D. Andersonfor an October visit.

During the time from January 2004 to October 2005, hundreds ofpeople from North Carolina to Texas and all over the Gulf Coasttold us that they were praying for our son. Churches fromPascagoula to Oxford to Montgomery, Ala., have informed us thatBrodie was on their prayer lists. Our family has been awed andhumbled by these expressions of faith.

On Oct. 10, 2005, Brodie was tested for cancer again at M.D.Anderson. The next day, we were told that there was no cancerpresent in his chest area. The small tumor in his neck was stillpresent, but it had not grown any. We were told that this smalltumor could eventually be removed if growth occurred.

We just want to say thank you for your prayers, and we give Godthe glory for your prayers being answered. We pray that each of youwho gave yourself to be used by God in this miracle of healing willbe blessed in the days ahead.

Brodie is currently a graduate assistant at Ole Miss as anequipment manager for the football team. He is working on amaster’s degree in math education and will graduate thisspring.

Thanks again.

Roe and Kay Burns,

Brookhaven