Saying his family is “walking through the darkest valley we’ve ever faced,” pastor and author, Voddie Baucham, has announced he’s battling heart failure and asked for prayer.
“Not only have we experienced a great deal of loss in recent weeks,” Baucham, whose wife, Bridget, recently lost her mother, wrote. “(B)ut we are also facing a family health crisis.”
Baucham, who serves as the dean of theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, says he is trying to return to the United States for labs, exams, and treatments, some of which “will be significant.”
The popular speaker and founder of Voddie Baucham Ministries (VBM) said that on Thursday, “things took a turn for the worse” and he had to be admitted for treatment to stabilize him for the trip. However, Baucham said he has improved and has been cleared to fly on Saturday.
Baucham said he first started experiencing symptoms, like “fatigue and shortness of breath,” at the end of December. However, he said he “chalked it up to traveling with heavy bags and restrictive masks (not the trifecta of a hereditary heart defect, last February’s mysterious ‘pneumonia,’ and untreated sleep apnea).”
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In January, Baucham embarked on a winter tour, taking him to 10 locations in six U.S. states in 15 days—”the busiest tour I’ve ever done.”
On the way home, Baucham said he experienced episodes “I could only describe as being waterboarded every two or three minutes.” The next morning, he went to a medical center and learned he was in “full-blown heart failure.”
On social media, Baucham asked for prayer for the following items:
- Please pray that the Lord will grant us traveling mercies.
- Please pray that he will grant me strength for the journey. Right now, it is challenging just walking from the bedroom to the kitchen table; I don’t know how I am going to survive a 36-hour trip.
- Please pray for God’s providential healing.
- Please pray for my dear wife as she walks through yet another valley—this time with her ‘rock’ leaning on her.
- Please pray for our children. They are terrified. May the Lord use this to teach them to trust in the Father who never gets weak or sick.
- Please pray for the doctors who will treat me.
- Please pray for finances to come through as we are currently uninsured and will have to cover everything out-of-pocket.
- Please pray for our witness as we endure this trial. We often think our faith shines brightest when we are on mountain tops when in fact, it is the dark valley that offers the sharpest relief and clearest contours.
- Please pray for me as I strive to lead my family while facing the reality of my own dependence.
UPDATE: A Fund-Me account has been set up to help the Bauchams with medical expenses. Click here to donate.
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30 Responses
Without drastic diet changes,things are looking rather bleak.
A saltless and meatless diet is the only way to go.
This information is helpful, yet not helpful when someone is going through it. How about prayer and support for this man instead of placing blame?
Not blaming. I have been through it. A change of diet will produce dramatic results.
Wrong place and wrong timing, Jopeli!!!!!! Get a grip—you’re shooting the already–wounded.
Can’t you say anything HELPFUL in this? Like you’ll PRAY for them?!!
For Pete’s sake—they’re asking for *prayer*, NOT dietary tips.
Would YOU want someone to say these things to you if you were in a catastrophic situation and headed to the hospital???!?!
And what about all the OTHER facets of this crisis? Ain’t no food facts gonna solve *those*, either!!!
Please review the Golden Rule, man.
that is so true sir
Praying for Voddie and family ..doctors involved ..
Jopeli and others,
It’s not that simple. It’s TREMENDOUSLY difficult to maintain a healthy weight and metabolism as you enter/pass middle age in an economy where everyone can get enough food. Every biological system in our body has been refined through the millennia to hoard both calories and salt. People whose anatomies didn’t either starved with the first famine (and famines have been the norm for humanity up until well under 100 years ago) or died from hyponatremia (not a pretty way to go, either) when they sweat too much in the desert/tropical heat.
We have been naturally selected not to function well on “adequate” food, but to function well with highly sporadic eating punctuated by long periods of starvation. This is Natural Selection 101.
Look around… I’d say well under 5% of people are reasonably fit at age forty… at 60+, well under one percent.
A true man of God. Lord heal him. His voice and Ministry are so needed now. Fill his family with your peace now.
This news really hit me.
I pray a full recovery. I am praying that the Lord is touching Voddie’s heart and entire body – that the Lord will send wisdom and knowledge to show them what they can do humanly to guard Voddie’s health and to deal with all the minutia of their lives at this point – yet still relying fully on God, recognizing our human limits. I pray God anoints the doctors who will touch and assist Voddie, even now before it has happened.
I pray God provides Voddie and his family solice, peace, bravery and intense spiritual closeness to God in this time of great worry.
All these things and more, in Jesus name – Amen!
———
I’ll definitely pray through the list Voddie gave us.
I can relate to what pastor Voddie is experiencing as I had had a heart attack and quad bypass surgery years ago.
Our gracious Father heard my short prayer as I was being taken in the ambulance to the local ER and pulled me through. God provided me with a top notch medical team and, backed by many prayers, I live today in good health at 75! God is good!
With all due respect, heart failure is not the same as having a bipass. That is due to atherosclerosis, heart failure cannot be eradicated without a heart transplant. The heart itself is not working properly, with your blocked arteries, they simply needed to add an alternative path for blood flow.
Rachel..no offense but you are totally wrong medically in your response to Russ…
Heart failure can be treated and sometimes eradicated WITHOUT heart transplant. Diet changes, medications etc…can alleviate heart failure without transplant. It all depends on the cause of the heart failure.
One can have heart failure due to many reasons…ischemic heart disease, which is what Russ had, can lead to heart failure until the blood flow is restored either thru angioplasty or bypass since low blood flow weakens the muscle. So you are incorrect in that regard in your response to him since his loss of blood flow may have put him into heart failure.
Also heart failure may be due a host of other factors as well, leaky heart valve (which can be corrected by either valve replacement surgery or transcatheter therapies), viral (which can be treated by medication or other forms of potential mechanical therapies).
So to blanket say that it cant be eradicated unless one has a heart transplant is false, misleading and discouraging especially to those on this thread who may have a history of heart failure.
So that you know i am not speaking from inexperience my background medically is as a perfusionist (ran the heart lung machine during open heart surgery), as a clinical specialist for companies that makes a total artificial heart (syncardia), and a company that offers ecmo equipment for pts with pulmonary and cardiac issues. Also I have worked as a clinical specialist for companies that makes heart valves/rings/transcatheter therapy devices and also another company that makes a device for short term cardiac support. So i have a pretty good handle on heart failure therapies etc….The course of treatment does not require a heart transplant due to current treatment modalities that are available as well as to the source/cause of the heart failure.
Amen He certainly is good..glad to hear of your recovery
I join you in this prayer for Brother Voddie.❤️✝️❤️
One of my favorite authors, because such a godly, gifted brother in Christ, with much more to say that is so important to the Body of Christ.
Prayer going up now.
Someone please start a GoFundMe for all their medical expenses.
The GoFundMe has been been set up!!! Praise His Name!!!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/voddie-baucham?utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
This helped me a great deal when me and my family were sick with Covid. A very trying time and still not over completely.
The Lord is faithful!!!
https://youtu.be/XV-eqriw09o
#PrayingForVoddieBauchamFrom Atlanta, GA
I’m sorry to hear of Voddie Baucham’s ill-health, however I wonder why he did not stay in Zambia for treatment. I checked google and discovered that there is a state-of-the-art hospital in Lusaka (Medland Hospital) with experts in many medical fields including heart failure (Voddie Baucham’s ailment). I also wonder why a “go-fund-me” page has been set up for him when he is possibly a wealthy man in his own right (he is Dean of African Christian University) and he has many wealthy friends including John MacArthur, Phil Johnson, Ray Comfort. Why is he seeking financial support from hard working Christians, many of whom are surely in financial distress due to tyrannical lockdowns? Furthermore he states he has a “hereditary heart defect” yet he was the Pan American Jiu Jitsu Champion in the ultra heavy weight division some years ago! Was it wise for someone with a heart defect to engage in Jiu Jitsu? Has he played fast and loose with his health? The money is rolling in to his go-fund-me page and the target was increased yesterday from approximately 750,000 dollars to a cool 1,250,000 dollars! Does this demonstrate Voddie’s trust in God or in mammon?
There really is something wrong with you. Maybe he didn’t go to the hospital in Africa because all of his physicians are here and they know his medical history, and he feels comfortable with them. Just because he is a Dean of a college doesn’t mean he is wealthy. And why on earth would you expect his “wealthy friends” to assume all of the potential medical debt incurred from this type of treatment. I’m sure many believers wish to help and bless Voddie and his family. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I can’t understand why he doesn’t have health insurance?
Lynette — This, too, was my only question. Why would he not have medical coverage for himself and, I assume, he and his wife’s 9 children? When I read that initially, it floored me. I cannot imagine having children and not having medical insurance for my family. It’s baffling to say the least. It’s refreshing to see the body of Christ come together, though, for Brother Voddie. God bless him and all those charged with his care.
I pray Bodie never gets to read many of these ridiculous comments about his diet, his particular heart problem, his choice of hospital, and even whether people should give to meet his financial needs( he has no insurance!!) but to.let his ‘ rich’ Christian
friends pay for him!! Just pray for the man in his time of need . No one is asking you to do more.
Christine…amen
The “go fund me” fundraiser for Voddie Baucham has exceeded the target of 1,250,000 dollars. When will Tom Ascol close it down?
SW…Why shut it down??? It just topped the goal. His expenses can/will add up quickly especially if he needs mechanical support. That could be a hefty expense if he needs to go that route. An LVAD can cost upwards of 80K just for the device. Also lifelong dr visits, blood thinners etc…
Do you expect Christians to support Voddie Baucham financially for the rest of his life? Whatever happened to trusting God for one’s needs and telling no-one else. The Evangelist George Muller ran an orphanage in Bristol and he told no-one but God of his need for food and clothing etc for the children. His needs were always met. Today’s “celebrity” Christians love to tell the world about their need for this or that. They do not have the faith of George Muller.
If people want to give money to help Voddie may I ask what concern is it to you?? Many people have been blessed by him, as I have, and have decided to help him.
Did not Paul receive help? Was he not cared for by churches and the brothers and sisters of various churches he ministered in? Yes he was.
According to your position and logic Paul didn’t trust God by accepting help, which he did for the rest of his life.
Also I don’t think you have really thought thru your comment since he IS trusting God by trusting Him to provide for him and his family since God is moving in the hearts of believers. One can rightly say that by having insurance one ISNT trusting God since the money comes from a company. Logically which is more trusting of God relying on the help of brothers and sisters in Christ or an insurance company? Which is actually more like Mueller??
I too need heart surgery and have no insurance. If you can, please help me. I will die without this surgery. My family is in a state of terror and panic. Thank you, thank you and God bless.
So because I am not well known, I don’t get help? So, only well known, privilidged people get the help? What’s wrong with helping me? So my family has to endure my death, but Voddie’s doesn’t? All because he happens to be popular? Does that make him better than me? Does God care more about him than He does about me?
THIS, VODDIE, IS WHAT PEOPLE MEAN BY SOCIAL JUSTICE. CORRECTING A SOCIETY WHO WORSHIPS STATUS, MONEY AND POWER.
One fact that NO ONE seems to have emphasized is that VODDIE did not ask for this funding! Secondly, if Tom and Voddie’s doctors/family side-stepped HIPAA laws and shared all of what he went through, it would feel like you were drinking from a fire hose!
This isn’t about any social injustice! Let’s say I chose not to give to you because you’re not popular. So what! I’m not wrong to choose not to help you because you’re not popular. I’m not wrong to choose to help someone because they ARE popular. I
am one person out of a world that has 9 billion people. If 50% of the population doesn’t give to your cause, you still have 4 billion 500 million people to ask! Now, I know that’s a little facetious, but you get the point.