“Phil’s Friends absolutely came about from the way that people loved me.” That’s how Phil Zielke describes the ministry he started to help cancer patients.
In Phil’s case, he survived the intense pain and chemo in his 20s thanks to the support of friends and even strangers. He kept a journal of all the kindnesses and reminded himself often of how they helped him heal.
Phil says, “It was part of the power…to know that people are praying for you that don’t even know you…makes you really think about God and how awesome He is.”
Phil’s Friends provides free, hand-decorated care boxes to cancer patients, following up with monthly greeting cards every month for a year. The ministry also offers Hope On Call, where a friendly person will listen on the phone and offer prayer to people going through treatment.
A box from Phil’s Friends contains a blanket, a journal and a Bible, plus a letter explaining the love of God in Jesus Christ. The boxes are customized for men, women, kids or teens and can be requested via the ministry’s website. A patient can even request one for themselves, anywhere in the United States. The care boxes can be delivered to homes or hospitals.
Thousands of volunteers have filled boxes at Hope Centers in Illinois and Indiana with other sites planned for Florida, Georgia, Texas and California.
Phil says the reason is simple – Without friends, a cancer diagnosis can prove devastating.