Traffic Stop Turns into Powerful Moment of Prayer Between Trooper and Father with Cancer

What started as a routine traffic stop quickly turned into a powerful moment of prayer between a North Carolina state trooper, and a father who was undergoing treatment for cancer.

ABC7 News reports that earlier this year, Dr. Ashlye Wilkerson was driving back home from Duke University hospital in Durham, North Carolina when she was pulled over for speeding.

Dr. Wilkerson was driving her father, deacon Anthony Geddis, back from the hospital, where he was receiving chemotherapy for stage four colon cancer.

But after the trooper approached their car, deacon Geddis spoke up to try and protect his daughter.

Wilkerson told ABC7, “He was still a little weak because he had a treatment that day. He cleared his voice and said, ‘This is my baby girl, she’s driving me back home from treatment I had chemo.’”

Instantly, Trooper Jared Doty had a change of heart.

“At that time, I knew there is no way I’m writing this lady a ticket,” Trooper Doty recalls. “I had to sit in there for a while just to compose myself to figure out what to say when I went back.”

ABC7 notes, “What Wilkerson and her dad didn’t know at the time was that Doty had previously been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and required surgery to remove his colon. He had only been back on duty a few months at the time of the stop.”

Right then, Trooper Doty asked if he could pray for Geddis and his family.

Instead of a ticket, Wilkerson and her father received grace and prayer.

Tragically, Wilkerson’s father died two months later. She shared the picture above as a tribute to her father and Trooper Doty’s compassion.

Trooper Doty’s example is a good reminder for us all. We should always be ready to pray for those around us. And frequently, our neighbors, coworkers and acquaintances are going through difficult circumstances that we don’t know about.

So, when the Holy Spirit provides us with opportunities to pray and show mercy, we should be ready to make the most of those occasions.

“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18 ESV).

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Photo from ABC7News.