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Patrick Traylor/The Hutchinson News Photo

The Rev. Andy Addis of Westbrook Baptist Church in Hutchinson, pictured Oct. 3 with his son Noah, 10, in the church sanctuary, recently had brain surgery to correct Chiari 1 malformation. It is a rare congenital deformity of the lower compartment of the cranium.

Hutchinson — For three years, Andy Addis, 38, tried to ignore the pain in his head.

As the senior pastor at Hutchinson’s Westbrook Baptist Church, there wasn’t time for headaches, not when he was preaching five times every weekend. Not when he was leading youth camps and a ministry speaking team known as 180 Degrees.

These were strange headaches, however, triggered by exertion, a cough and sneeze, even a laugh. Sometimes the pain lasted for a couple of minutes, but they progressed, and grew longer. It got to the point it hurt to bend to tie his shoes, so his wife, Kathy Addis, had to do it for him.

“Even in down time his mind wouldn’t quit,” she said. Still, he could decide for himself when to seek medical assistance, she reasoned. At least until he was at a youth camp in Oklahoma and passed out from the pain.

Dr. David Starkey diagnosed Chiari 1 malformation, an uncommon congenital deformity of the lower compartment of the cranium. It results in a crowding of the brainstem and cerebellum.

Following the diagnosis, Addis would jokingly tell people his brain was too big. He admits his family were headed into a scary period as he faced brain surgery.

“We tried to keep the scary details from the kids,” Addis said, of their sons, 10-year-old Noah and 8-year-old Nathan.

But as they got closer to the surgery, Nathan was struggling, to the point he was holding his stomach when the subject came up. As they were eating dinner together, just before leaving for Aurora, Colo., and the surgery, Addis asked Nathan how he was doing. To his surprise, his son said he was fine with the surgery. He had been to children’s church.

“They were talking about how God can do great things in you,” Addis recalled his son’s words. As he said “you,” he put his finger on his father’s chest.

“God told me,” Addis recalled his young son saying. “From that moment on, I felt at peace,” Addis said.

Departing Westbrook Baptist Church for the surgery on Aug. 9, the couple felt comforted. There was a bulging bag filled with cards presented to them from all the campuses. As they pulled out along Hendricks Street, about 200 members of the congregation lined both sides of the street, waving signs, cheering and clapping.

There were more than 300 cards in the bag. The family was in Colorado before they had the cards read.

The Addises kept in touch with their congregation through social networking Web sites Facebook and Twitter. “I gained 200 friends on Facebook,” Kathy said.

Along with the Internet connection, Addis’ mom, Bonni Schnabel, was by their side, as were people from church and the Central Baptist Association.

“Everybody didn’t want to let Andy know how scared they were,” said Rod Sims, executive pastor at Westbrook Baptist. “We love Andy. He is a big part of this family.”

Meanwhile, a neurological specialist, Dr. John Oro, made a 7-inch incision in the back of Addis’ head and took out a section of his skull.

“I believe God can heal,” Addis said. “Or he can heal this way through physicians and medical staff.”

Now six weeks after the surgery, he hasn’t had one headache. “I have a head cold and it’s awesome ... first time in years I have sneezed, coughed and blown my nose without headaches.” He commented, “I enjoy every Kleenex.”