Peachtree City reisdent Dick Bowley was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in 2008. The National Law Book Manager for Thomson Reuters Small Law Firm, Sales and Account Management at the time, Bowley had traveled the country talking to associates about POP – the Power of Print. In an email to the company the day he was diagnosed with AML, he talked about needing another POP – the Power of Prayer. Thanks to great work from medical professionals and POP, Bowley endured a bone marrow transplant and is cancer free. He has turned the daily journal/ daily devoitional he wrote on a Care Page into a book, “Power of Prayer – A Journey in the Light,” which is starting to gain a following.
“The weekend before I entered the hospital, a friend recommended I sart a Care Page so that people could stay up to date with how I was doing,” Bowley said. “That first day, I opened up my computer and said a prayer. ‘Lord, I didn’t plan on being here, please tell me what to write.’”
On Monday, Oct. 27, 2008 Bowley began his journal: “Hospital time is different from normal time. We are going to learn patience while being a patient.”
“I have always journaled and I enjoyed writing,” Bowley said. “It served two purposes for me. It allowed me to process what was going on and it allowed me to share details of my life, spiritually and physically. There were 500 people following my Care Page within two weeks.”
Bowley, a Peachtree City resident and member of the First Baptist Church in Peachtree City for 22 years, acknowledged that he has a tremendous base of friends and family. He felt that their support was a blessing and that the book wasn’t just from him.
“It was God from Day One,” Bowley said.
He received a bone marrow transplant from his brother, Dan, who was a perfect match. The process, which can take up to a year, was done in three months, a blessing to be sure.
“My blood type changed to B Positive and my DNA changed a bit as well,” Bowley said, joking. “if I rob a bank, my brother did it.”
Bowley had been encouraged by many people very early on in his journaling to publish his writings as a book. Last July, he started putting the writings together and preparing the book for publication. On November 15, the first book came in the mail. The next day he was informed that his position at work would be eliminated effective Dec. 31 of 2011.
“I had quit selling one type of book and began selling this book and the message,” Bowley explained. “It is about the power of prayer and collaborative prayer.”
Bowley, originally from Pennsylvania, took the book around his old stomping grounds last winter. It is now available in several small hospitals in that area. He is also finding that copies of the book are spreading due to great word of mouth.
Bowley explained that often someone reads the book, maybe uses it as a daily devotional, and then encounters a friend facing a similar illness or adversity and recommends it to them. He has received messages from people all over the country who have received the book and appreciated what he has written.
The book features a lot of talk about movies, as Bowley watched a lot of films while he was in the hospital. A former punter for Georgia Tech, Bowley also added sports analogies and stories. On his 11th day in the hospital, Bowley got to thinking about his Little League days, where he wore the number 11, and how his favorite player was Dick Schofield, who wore number 11 for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1958-1965. Schofield got wind of Bowley’s admiration and sent him a photo in the hospital.
It has been quite a journey for Bowley and his family and there is no end in sight as he continues to take the book around and spread the message about the power of prayer.
“Being diagnosed with leukemia wasn’t on my bucket list. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody and I don’t want to do it again, but I would not trade it for anything in the world,” he said. “It brought me closer to the Lord and I realize how awesome being dependent on God is.”
Bowley speaks to Sunday School classes, nursing schools, companies and other groups on topics such as leadership and adversity.
“You will face adversity some time in your life, it’s not a question of if, but when,” stated Bowley. “You can control how you attack it and what you learn from it.”
For more information about “Power of Prayer – A Journey in the Light” visit www.popthebook.com or visit www.amazon.com. Bowley can also be followed on Twitter @POPtheBook.
