Ministry by Mail
Cancer survivor spreads hope through faith-based nonprofit
At age 22, Phil Zielke was a healthy college soccer player who suddenly found himself battling an unexplained illness. Over the course of a year, he’d lost 40 pounds and dealt with constant night sweats, hip pain, and dangerously high fevers. When a test analyzing his swollen, “golf ball-sized” lymph nodes came back positive for stage IV cancer, Zielke was immediately transferred to the University of Chicago for six months of chemotherapy.
The treatment was successful, and the Elmhurst native resumed life as planned. He started a new job teaching fourth grade and proposed to his now-wife, Carrie. But in April 2005, just three months before their wedding, Zielke got the news that his cancer had come back — again, stage IV.
“When you’re diagnosed with stage IV, there’s a lower chance of survival, and then when it comes back again, stage four, [there’s] even less chance, just because they’ve already done what they thought they could do,” Zielke said.
This treatment was even more aggressive. He underwent a stem cell transplant, harvesting his own stem cells and receiving seven days of lethal-dose chemotherapy.
“During the transplant, there was a lot of iffy, you know, moments in there, wondering if it was going to just be my time,” Zielke said. “I thought I was gonna pass.”
Confined to an isolation room, breathing and eating through tubes, Zielke had reached his breaking point. He turned to the only thing he could: his faith.
“I said, ‘Lord, I believe Jesus died for me. I want to go to heaven. If it’s not my time, I’ll just do whatever you want me to do,” Zielke recalled.
Twenty years later, Zielke is living out the mission revealed to him at that moment: supporting others battling cancer diagnoses and treatment through a message of faith and hope. His organization, Phil’s Friends, supports thousands of patients each month through care packages, cards, and prayer.
“We launched Phil’s Friends out of my basement,” he said. “Before you know it, my [students] were getting involved, and someone would get a care package, then they’d say, ‘Hey, this was so meaningful to me, they want to request one for someone else.’”
The idea stemmed from a delivery Zielke received during his early days of treatment.
Phil’s Friends have delivered 65,000 care packages across the country. Inset: Phil Zielke, founder of Phil’s Friends
“I had a group of people put a care package together for me. They all signed their names to it, so they’re thinking about me and praying for me,” Zielke said. “I got about a week after I was diagnosed, and it caused me to break down and cry, to know that I wasn’t alone, to know that people took time out of their busy schedules to do this for me, and also that it was okay. It symbolized to me that it was okay to accept other people’s help.”
In 2009, Phil’s Friends moved out of his basement and into its first official space. Zielke was thrilled just to have a copy machine and a phone, and then came their first call — from the Chicago Bears.
“They said, ‘We heard about your story. Can you come share it before a Monday Night Football game with the guys?’” Zielke said. “I thought, ‘Well, it’s voluntary. Maybe nobody’s going to show up’… And so we went down to the team hotel, and before you know it, 60 players and coaches were in there where I was sharing my story.”
With the Bears, the Phil’s Friends team started delivering care packages at the University of Chicago on the same floor where Zielke was treated.
“We went from delivering that first care package back in 2006… and now we’ve done over 65,000 care packages across the country,” Zielke said.
Each care package — marked with the word ‘hope’ on the outside — is full of essentials that anyone experiencing cancer might need: a journal, a Bible, a blanket, handmade hats, toothpaste, a toothbrush, chapstick, and unscented lotion. There’s also a letter from Zielke and a card signed by all of the volunteers who assembled the package.
“I just figured God had a purpose and a plan for me.”
— Phil Zielke, Founder and President, Phil’s Friends
“Every time [volunteers] pack a care package, they say, ‘This is for Mary, who’s 43 from Texas,’ and then they ring the bell, and everybody cheers,” Zielke said.
Each care package recipient will continue receiving monthly cards of hope. Each card has a joke on the outside and a personalized message on the inside.
“We always hear all the time, it still shows up at the right time for them,” Zielke said. “They can know that they have all these people that are encouraging them.”
Zielke recognizes that there are a number of organizations that support cancer research, but Phil’s Friends is intentionally different: It stands out as a Christ-centered organization that meets people in hard times, extending a hand like Jesus would.
“All we have to do is show up,” Zielke said. “It’s great with a care package, because it’s something tangible, but it really not only helps them practically with the items that are in there… but spiritually is the biggest impact.”
In addition to the 65,000 care packages delivered, Phil’s Friends has sent out over 1 million cards of hope, recorded 1.1 million volunteer hours, and now operates from three hope centers and four satellite locations.
“I’m just thankful,” Zielke said. “I just figured God had a purpose and a plan for me.”
Anybody can participate in the mission of Phil’s Friends in a variety of ways. To learn more about Phil Zielke or how you can help, visit philsfriends.org.
