“Unorthodox Balls” - An Interview with George Khoury

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“Unorthodox Balls” – An Interview with George Khoury

George Khoury was born and raised in South Orange county. He had a great family that loved him, they were always involved in their church, and he was blessed with great mentors, leaders and pastors.

When he was a junior in high school, George decided to own his faith. So that it wasn’t any longer “his parents faith”, but his own true decision to commit to following Jesus. He read “More Than A Carpenter” by Josh McDowell and it impacted him greatly. It made him consider who Jesus said He is… and who He is! This was huge, especially since he’s a guy who hates reading.

But, since his life wasn’t one in the gutter, what changed?

His faith now had purpose… it wasn’t just a checklist of things to do. He wanted to represent Jesus well and affect others according to God’s will. The next year, George graduated High School and started taking his faith to the next level. He was meeting with older guys and was challenged to do things NOW. Waiting for opportunities was over. George decided not to wait anymore to follow Jesus.

Everything was great… “What could ever go wrong?”

That’s where George’s story gets even more interesting:

On May 1^st, George was diagnosed with testicular cancer
He believed he was living a blessed life
He wasn’t sure what was going on and not knowing was the worst part of being diagnosed.
All he knew was that at 23-years-old… he had cancer!
He was scared about what might happen
He was scared because he “saved himself for marriage” and wasn’t sure if there would be a sex life at all after this, or if he could have children
Everything seemed to happen so fast. He had no time to think… everything just started moving
George was embarrassed and nervous to share his diagnosis with anyone. He didn’t want others to know he was diagnosed. He was worried what others would think
The time line:
- May 1 – diagnosed with stage 2A cancer
- May 16 – surgery to remove testicle
- June 1 – started a nine-week cancer treatment
- August 21 – final treatment
- Four (almost five) months of pain and sickness
He found himself on an incredible emotional rollercoaster with overwhelming sickness
George was surrounded by a huge amount of love and support that kept him going
He hates sounding cliché but his “spirit never waivered”
He knew that God would use this for something for His glory
George’s advice for other guys:
- There is nothing wrong with asking for help!
His favorite Bible Verse:
- …we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)
How are “the guys” working today?
Everything should be working, but chemo could have affected the swimmers
There’s a 30% chance that he is sterol, but he had swimmers frozen before treatment
How does he check “the guys” to see if he’s healthy?
- He has monthly checks for lumps, thickness, heaviness or any other differences
Today, he is constantly encouraged by positivity
Watching others go through their cancer struggle showed him how well he had it.
Now, he has a huge heart for others who need encouragement & support.
George challenges us to be men of encouragement for others
What sort of things should we say or not say?
- Don’t ask “how are you feeling?” The answer is probably going to be, “Not Good”
- Tell them to “keep fighting”… be available, go sit during a treatment

This is just a portion of George’s story. You’ve really got to hear how God has increased George’s faith, and used even such a terrible thing as testicular cancer in a young man to reach people and expand God’s kingdom!