Karen White had a lingering sore in her mouth. When she decided to see a doctor, he didn't seem terribly concerned, but he did a biopsy. Then one morning the doctor called Karen.

“Will you and Brad come in to my office?”

“When the doctor called and asked if Brad could come to the appointment with me, it kind of indicated the biopsy results might be serious,” Karen said.

Brad was on a flight at that moment from Norway. “He told me to take Nikki (16) with me. She was with me when the doctor gave me the news. [Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma]. When we arrived home I told Amber, our then 10 year old daughter. Nikki and I decided not to tell Brad until he got home.” (He flew Bergen, Norway to Amsterdam. Amsterdam to Atlanta and Atlanta to Memphis.)

In the middle of his flight Brad started worrying about the biopsy results.

“Neither of us or the doctor had been worried for a minute, but that day the Lord prepared him for the news,” Karen said. “As soon as he arrived in Atlanta he called me. His first words were, “What about the biopsy?”

That night they called Karen’s and Brad’s parents.

“We knew the biopsy results were serious, but we certainly didn’t understand the full scope of the biopsy results,” Karen said.“In all honesty, I have felt ministering angels from the minute of diagnosis right up until now. ‘Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have ALREADY come,’ so I know, ‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far…and grace will lead me home.”

Pray for Karen White and Family

When I asked Brad the caregiver if he could recall wisdom someone shared with the family at just the right time? He answered:

On one particularly rough evening with a few weeks left of treatment, we were worried that things were getting pretty rough and wondered how much worse it could get.  Suddenly the phone beeped indicating an email.  It was from a lady in Norway who had been at one of my concerts.  She said that the Lord had put Karen on her heart night and day and wanted us to know that when we were sleeping in the U.S., the people in Norway were awake praying for Karen.  It was just another one of those moments when God said..."fear not, I'm still in control"

We all need to remember the actions of the woman in Norway. Remember the White’s in prayer, whatever the time of day or night.

Still lionhearted, Kat 

The Rarity of ACC cancer

Karen has Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC), a cancer that originated in a salivary gland. According to Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC), has no known causes or links to smoking and alcohol consumption. The disease is slightly more prevalent in women than men. Standard treatment for ACC involves surgery followed by radiation. Currently, there are no drug therapies that have been proven to be effective in a large portion of ACC patients.

When we asked Karen if she met other ACC patients while at M.D. Anderson she replied:

We did not. ACC is a very rare cancer. When we researched online we learned that most oncologists will never encounter an ACC patient in their entire careers. Most of the rest will encounter it only once and almost never will you find an oncologist who has encountered it twice.

Karen White has Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC), cancer in the salivary gland. She is the wife and office manager for Brad White—the pianist and singer that traveled with James Blackwood Quartet and then with Jimmy Blackwood and the Blackwood Brothers Quartet.

Bless Karen and her family with support. Check the fund raiser page where Art Greenhaw is offering a music package for your donation. Or stop by Brad White Ministries and donate to the White family directly.  

Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing Karen’s journey through the rare cancer, ACC.

Interview with Karen White:

Question: When did you first suspect something might be wrong and why?

Answer: When my tongue ran over a certain part of my cheek, I noticed just a little bump. You get things like that all the time and I didn’t think anything of it at first. But after it had been there for months, it seemed like I should have it checked.

Karen White ACC Fundraiser

Brad and Karen White are “The Brad White Ministries Team.” Brad the Gospel musician and Karen is the office manager. Together they home school their two daughters, Niki and Amber.

Last year Karen was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the salivary gland, Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC).

A few weeks ago when Karen finished her radiation treatment, her parents traveled with her to Tennessee while Brad finished his Ministry tour in Texas. He took a few minutes one night to update us:

White Family Cancer Journey.

EMAIL FROM BRAD:


The name of Karen's cancer is "Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma."  It is officially incurable but slow growing.  It usually starts in a salivary gland somewhere in the head or neck (you have them all over your head).  

Doctors do not know what causes ACC. It isn’t hereditary or environmental (Karen has never smoked or drank--not even tried it).  

The Blessings of Cancer

Blessings in the midst of a cancer journey? Yes, there are many blessings, not because of the cancer, but in spite of cancer.

Cancer is not a respecter of persons—not age, goodness, or what the patient’s schedule demands.

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC) invaded Karen White’s mouth. Because she is wife of Brad White and his office manager and because she is mother to Niki and Amber, ACC touched their lives also.