how to go
what: Release of Rich Adkins’ fourth CD, “Giant Slayer”
when: 6 p.m. today
where: First Christian Church, 4520 Rosedale Road, Middletown
how much: Free and open to the public. Refreshments, appetizers, and cake will be served.
MIDDLETOWN — Christian singer Rich Adkins lives his life — and his lyrics — like a man who cherishes today because he’s unsure of tomorrow.
That assertive attitude, he said, stems from his relationship with God and his life-changing dire diagnosis as a child.
As a fourth-grader, Adkins was told he had familial adenomatous polyposis, a genetic disorder that attacks the digestive tract and the same disease that contributed to the death of his father, Ray, 32, of colon cancer.
The disease also led to the death of several of Rich’s aunts and uncles.
In his family, FAP has been a death sentence, but so far, Adkins - who had the majority of his digestive system removed when he was in the sixth grade - has received a pardon.
So he keeps living, writing and performing Christian songs, and tonight, the Carlisle resident will release his fourth CD, “Giant Slayer.”
When Adkins was diagnosed, he admits he was “a bitter boy” He didn’t like the ugly scar the surgery created, and his uncertain future. He just wanted to be a regular boy and play with his Match Box cars.
“I was not a happy person,” said Adkins, a personal banker at Chase on Breiel Boulevard. “I didn’t like all that stuff.”
In the final days of his father’s life, Adkins recalls him as “a bag of bones” lying in bed and that was the fate the 38-year-old figured he was dealt.
Because of his health risks, he receives yearly check-ups from Dr. Richard Gaeke and he hopes and prays those visits end with the words, “I’ll see you next year.”
As he said: “If I wanted, this could destroy me. Instead, I choose to turn a negative into a positive. It has made me stronger.”
By writing uplifting lyrics, Adkins, a 1992 Monroe High School graduate, said he hopes to “bring light to the people who are living in darkness.”
Just this week, Adkins and his wife, Jody, received blinding news when they found out she was pregnant. They have been married for 15 years and endured several miscarriages. On Tuesday, his wife’s 37th birthday, they were told she was pregnant again. On the drive from Carlisle to the bank, Adkins said he nearly drove off the road.
As far as being a dad, he will take each day as it comes, the same as he does with his disease.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.
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