Graduation is double celebration for Michigan man who completed treatment for brain tumor the day before

When Liberty University graduate Sam Javed walked across the stage on May 12 to receive his bachelor’s degree in religion, he was not only celebrating the conclusion of his studies but also the end of several rounds of medical treatments for a brain tumor that was greatly affecting his vision.

Javed, who currently serves as a youth minister for Faith Reformed Church in Traverse City, Mich., earned his degree while overcoming multiple health issues and family struggles.

He was initially hesitant to pursue the ministry, but his pastor kept encouraging him, even through the pastor’s battle with a malignant brain tumor that took his life in a matter of months.

“In the midst of his trials of going through (cancer treatments), he was actually starting to lose his mind and his memory. But even through that, there were times when he would call me and check on me and see how I was doing, and he would constantly encourage me to consider ministry. That had such an impact on me. He was going to die, and this is the thing he wanted to talk to me about,” Javed said.

After presenting the Gospel at his pastor’s funeral, Javed relented and agreed to honor his pastor’s call to ministry. The following semester, he began taking religion classes through Liberty University Online Programs.

Over the next two years, Javed worked several different jobs, celebrated the birth of his first child, and took on his current youth pastor position, which includes working alongside the local chapter of Young Life.

In the Fall of 2022, while finishing up his undergraduate classes, Javed and his family faced a new onslaught of challenges. He and his wife, Sara, were expecting their second child while her mother, who had lived with them since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, underwent surgery to remove a benign mass from her uterus. Javed’s daily responsibilities included his full-time job, taking classes, and caring for his wife and toddler.

The situation got even worse when Javed was diagnosed with Papilledema (swelling of the optic disk in the eye), and his doctor suggested that it may be due to a brain tumor.

“The drive home was really quiet because the only thing I knew about brain tumors was that they kill you,” Javed said, harkening back to the death of his former pastor. “It just got very quiet and very dark because I have to go home and tell my nine-month pregnant wife what the doctor just told me, and my mother-in-law is still recovering from her surgery.”

“It felt like the walls were closing in,” he added.

A week after his diagnosis, he and Sara welcomed the birth of their son.

“That was kind of like a great, wonderful exhausting distraction from everything going on because my son was born and all I could do was think about how I could take care of him, my wife, and my daughter,” he said.

MRI scans determined that Javed had two tumors in his head, neither of which was cancerous. He began treatment on the one behind his left eye in April and finished his last treatment on May 10. Immediately after ringing the bell, the family packed their bags to travel to Lynchburg, Va., to take part in Commencement festivities.

“It feels like I’m getting this degree and it’s almost like the rewriting of a story, like poetry, where I get to continue the work that my pastor called me into almost five years ago,” Javed said.

“Sometimes I just start crying. I cry so much easier now. Just this surreal almost sovereign moment where there are times I don’t feel in control of my life, and it feels like this beautiful and peaceful thing,” he added. “It’s a surreal moment almost like I hear God’s voice saying, ‘See the things that you will see if you follow me.’ A lot of excitement and a lot of emotions. I did it.”

Although he is currently unsure of his future ministry plans, Javed plans to eventually start on his master’s degree. In the meantime, he will continue working as a youth pastor.

He credits Liberty University with training him to better serve God through his ministry.

“I appreciate the work and the diligence that professors and instructors put into their lessons so that I can be successful in ministry on the ground,” Javed said. “It seemed like they were really trying to make practical applications out of the lessons and the material they were presenting. And I appreciated that.”

Javed noted that the trials he has faced in life have strengthened his faith in God.

“This leg of the race has been a reassurance of my faith in Christ, that He truly cares about what’s best for me, and following Him can be hard and dark, but it is beautiful.”