It's Happening: Talking with Bud about Deep-Rooted Faith
By Julie Perine on June 16, 2024 from It’s Happening
While browsing Bud’s Greenhouse for some Calibrachoa or Vinca for my sun-drenched deck, I encountered something even more uplifting, a conversation with Owner Bud Myers.
Bud began battling pancreatic cancer back in 2022. I’ve been following his journey, but except to say hi and ask him how he was feeling, I haven’t really talked to him about it. I don’t know why it all unfolded this particular day, but I was certainly blessed by it.
He told me when he was diagnosed, he was given very little hope. The tumor was not operable and he was told to get his affairs in order. Obviously, his wife and grown daughters broke down. And I can tell from talking to Bud that his girls' reaction affected him more than the diagnosis. He said at that moment in time, he surrendered the situation to God. He said it was more than he could take or navigate and that he trusted his creator and savior to completely take care of it.
And He has.
Bud has endured chemo and radiation treatments to shrink the tumor and prevent it from spreading. He has also had CT and PET scans. Through it all, he has worked as much as he possible could; even making trips out of state to retrieve plants. He has continually repeated that simple phrase to God: It’s all in your hands.
Looking back at his journey, Bud sees how things have aligned. He has seen doctors that typically take several months to get into. Appointment cancellations have enabled him to get scans that would have otherwise taken weeks or months. His support circle has been amazing, he said; not only his family, friends and church, but also his medical team. He told me that one of his doctors not only came to check on him, but also helped unload flowers at his place of business.
He smirked telling the story; who else but God could create such a scenario, he said.
There have been highs: Learning that the cancer had not grown or spread. But there have been lows, finding out that the tumor has not shrunk enough for surgical removal.
In recent weeks, one of the deepest lows came along. It was suspected that his cancer had spread to his lungs. One of his doctors thought it was strange because his type of pancreatic cancer doesn’t usually spread directly to the lungs. But that is what his tests had shown.
As it turned out, it wasn’t a tumor at all, but rather mucous that could be cleared with medication.
Bud says if he died right now, he would die a very blessed man. He has been carried by the hand of God and been shown the love and compassion of mankind. But I have a feeling 
Bud will be here for quite a long time. He has an amazing testimony to share and he is on fire to share it.
Bud will be here for quite a long time. He has an amazing testimony to share and he is on fire to share it.
Bud said going through something like this reminds you what is important in life. He said for him, it's not about checking off that bucket list with extravagant trips or experiences. Even when he was told all those months ago to tie up loose ends on his life and consider doing those once-in-a-lifetime things, all he wanted to do was work at the greenhouse and spend time with his family.
For this family, God is at the center of their lives. They are all active with the daily operation of Bud's Greenhouse.
I sure love flowers, but I left there that day with something even more beautiful. It was a reminder of what God can do if we totally surrender to him and trust him: Our hearts, our lives, our deepest trust.
Bud, his wife Brenda, daughters Sammy, Courtney and Janelle are a living reminder of that.
