For more than 20 years, James 1:2–4 has carried special meaning for Bunting Macauley, a member of the Greater Philadelphia Church of Christ. It was the first Scripture he learned when he became a disciple, and its call to persevere through trials would become a defining theme of his life.

Bunting lived with sickle cell disease for more than four decades. The inherited blood disorder brought painful flare-ups that he described as feeling like a mini heart attack or stroke occurring anywhere in the body. Changes from extreme cold to extreme heat could trigger a crisis, and even seeking hospital care could be difficult. Patients in severe pain often have to advocate for themselves while trying to maintain their composure.

At age 21, Bunting underwent an experimental bone marrow transplant at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His younger brother, Robert, was a complete donor match. The family hoped the procedure might offer a cure, but the transplant did not take.

“I was crushed,” Bunting said.

The disease continued to take a toll. Before turning 30, a lack of blood and oxygen to the bones damaged Bunting’s left hip so severely that it had to be replaced. At 27, while many of his peers were entering the prime of adulthood, he spent weeks in a nursing facility receiving physical rehabilitation.

Through it all, Bunting tried to hold on to God. Yet endurance did not always look heroic. By age 40, after decades of recurring pain and uncertainty, he was mentally and spiritually exhausted.

“I nearly lost hope and wanted to walk away from God,” he said, “but God’s grace kicked in, and I held on.”

Two years later, an unexpected door opened. Dr. Sophie Lanzkron, who had recently joined Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, learned about Bunting’s medical history and his unsuccessful transplant two decades earlier. She brought his case to the Jefferson team to explore whether another attempt was possible.

Once again, Robert stepped forward as his brother’s donor. This time, Bunting underwent a full bone marrow transplant. With the support of Jefferson’s hematology and oncology teams, the procedure succeeded.

Robert had spent a lifetime watching his brother suffer and often feeling helpless. He remembered wondering whether they should risk trying again after the first transplant failed. Ultimately, faith moved them forward.

“God has his timing for everything,” Robert said during their FOX 29 Philadelphia interview. “Keep the faith, keep praying, and whatever God has in store, God will have in store.”

Now, one year after the successful transplant, Bunting is free from sickle cell disease. His story is one of medical progress, a brother’s sacrificial love, and faith that survived even when hope became difficult to hold.

Bunting is careful, however, not to present his healing as something God owed him or as a formula guaranteeing the same outcome for everyone.

“I have come to learn that even in sin, shortcomings, fears and despair, God really was looking out,” he says. “However, I also learned that he didn’t have to heal this way. God preordained this for his will. Many people who face illnesses are not always granted another opportunity, so I want to be grateful for each moment he provides.”

His experience has also given him a desire to advocate for others living with sickle cell disease. Bunting and Robert encourage patients and families not to give up, to ask questions, to learn about available treatments and to advocate for appropriate medical care. Bunting also urges people to remain connected to knowledgeable hematology teams and the growing sickle cell community.

The Scripture that greeted him at the beginning of his life as a disciple now reads like a summary of the road he has traveled: tested faith producing endurance. Romans 8:28 has become another anchor: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

For Bunting, there were more than 20 years between “not yet” and “now.” His testimony does not minimize the pain of that waiting. Instead, it points to a God whose grace remained present through disappointment, doubt and despair—and whose timing became visible only after years of endurance.

Watch Bunting and Robert Macauley’s FOX 29 Philadelphia interview beginning at 56:36.