Faith and prayer results in miracle healing of brain tumor.
Dan Kolp does not expect to be drafted by the NFL. But football is his passion and is helping him fulfill his dream of earning an education degree at Evangel University in Springfield, Mo.
He was a walk-on for the Evangel Crusaders in 2004. The college awarded the running back a scholarship as the season progressed. But a hit during spring training in 2005 appeared to reverse kolp's promotion.
With a concussion, Kolp needed an MRI to assess any potential permanent damage. There was good news and bad news; no apparent damage from the field incident, and the discovery of a mass in the center of Kolp's brain.
Ted and Cindy Kolp traveled from Louisville, Ohio, to join their son during follow-up tests and consultation with a neurosurgeon. Their church, First Assembly in Louisville (Danny Deem, senior pastor) along with Evangel coaches, students, and other area churches, began to hold Dan in prayer.
"The neurosurgeon told me I would need surgery back in Ohio" Kolp says. "They would have to go through the back of my head to reach the mass. They would try to remove most of it. At that point, they'd find out if it was malignant. They thought I might need radiation treatments."
But the truly heartbreaking news was the long-term outlook. Kolp would need at least six months to recover, and he was never to play football again. At first, Kolp felt overwhelmed. But then his outlook changed.
“God gave me such a peace. I felt like it was in God's hands," he says. "He had a purpose for this.”
Evangel¹s coaching staff felt the same way.
"Before the accident, they had told me they were considering an increase in my scholarship," Kolp says, "Then I had to tell them that the doctors were telling me not to play."
Shortly after, Kolp attended a healing service with Coach Garrett and made it known to him that it was impossible to return to Evangel without a scholarship.
"Coach Garrett told me he was going to have faith in God, and raise my scholarship anyway," Kolp says, "even if I had to come back and help film the next season¹s games."
Coach Metcalf considered his options and came back with a surprising decision; a raise in his scholarship. Kolp knew from the example of his own youth pastor, Phil Keene, that even a walk of faith doesn¹t guarantee a trouble free outcome.
"Pastor Phil had cancer in 2004. He took a job as the soccer coach at our high school during his illness," Kolp says, "Just five months or so later, he died. But he still impacted the whole high school. Many of those families started attending our church. God has a purpose for what He¹s doing in your life."
Kolp determined that God would bring something positive out of his own illness, even if he never completed another play in his life.
The miracle came in the summer. A follow-up MRI at The Cleveland Clinic was scheduled to evaluate surgery options. This time, a different image materialized.
“The doctor didn¹t know how to explain it,” Kolp says. “The mass had shrunk.” They decided surgery wasn't needed."
Another MRI at the end of the summer confirmed the good news. Kolp returned to his spot on the Crusaders' lineup. Evangel completed their 2005 season 9-3 as NAIA co-champions.
“I'm reminded every day going to practice that I could have been done with all of this,” Kolp says. “I try to remember what God has done every day and the privilege I have to go out and play.”
