At the age of 20, David Griffin was sent to Balad, Iraq between October of 2004 to March of 2015 to fight for his country. In January 2010, at 25, he was diagnosed with Lymphoma. In June of 2015, at 30, he took his last breath. You might ask, “What’s so incredible about his story?” or, “How is his life an inspiration?”
David got the dreaded disease after he was exposed to the harmful chemicals resulting from the burning of up to 90,000 plastic bottles (plus other dangerous hazardous waste) every day for 5 months when he was posted in Iraq as an American soldier. It wasn’t his fault. Still, David, who joined Riverside County Sheriff’s Department after his short Army stint, lived his life like a hero — inspiring others who constantly complain about petty problems.
He underwent a bone marrow transplant in August, 2011, for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He fought the disease for three years but left the sheriff’s department when cancer rendered one of his eyes and his left arm useless. David’s wife, Chrissy, told WBTV.com, “Kind of hard to shoot if you can’t see or handcuff someone without the use of two hands!”
In 2013, the couple decided to follow their lifelong dreams of having a farm. “God used his illness to move us out here. People ask ‘How did you get to Lincolnton’ [North Carolina]? Well, a pastor’s wife posted about her house for sale online and we saw it three hours after she posted it. God provided six acres of land with a barn already built. Honestly you know when God has you here!” she added.
David would dance during services at the Covenant Bible Church and served as an inspiration. Every Sunday he was in church waving a 12′ flag, because he truly loved the Lord. “Even though he walked through this road of cancer again and again, people were so blessed by his fight! He was a soldier, a deputy, a man of God, gladly wore his cross and followed Jesus. I couldn’t ask for a better husband,” she said.
In March, doctors gave up hope of him surviving, but they had said that in 2010, again in 2011 and yet again in 2012, when he was almost in a comatose state. They said he wouldn’t make it in 2013, when he lost his eye and use of his left arm. He lost his ability to walk in 2015 but fought for his life till the end. He went home to be with his Lord after a 6 year battle with Leukemia, leaving behind his wife and their four children (Ethan, 9; Anna, 8; Titus, 6; and Zachary, 4).
David served Yeshua with every ounce of his soul. He gave when it hurt, he loved when it was impossible, and he ran the race to the finish line. He served his country with pride, his community with joy, his family with humility. He supported Israel and felt called to move there one day. A portion of his remains will be sent to Jerusalem and dispersed into the Jordan River.
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