Matt Chandler's wife, Lauren, hospitalized with unknown illness
Texas megachurch Pastor Matt Chandler is asking for prayers for his wife as she remains in the hospital after spending several days there with a fever and an unknown illness.
In a lengthy Instagram post published Sunday, Chandler of The Village Church in Flower Mound announced that Sunday was his wife, Lauren's, third day in the hospital with "super high fever and other symptoms." He praised her as "fierce."
Saying they "still can't quite figure out what's causing it all," Chandler lamented that Lauren "has been poked, prodded and scanned up and down and the fever persists." The post included an "update" indicating that Mrs. Chandler had "been moved to a new room."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"The tests have all come back negative and she's been tested on everything you guys are mentioning in the comments," he added. "The doctors are convinced it's viral and she will start turning the corner soon."
Chandler highlighted positive developments, such as her "liver enzymes have stopped declining and have leveled off" and the reduction in Lauren's fever. He said "the fever has become more manageable and isn't hitting near as high and her blood pressure is normal again."
"They were hoping the fever would break and we could wait out the tests that take longer for results at home. Unfortunately, the fever has been persistent. Thanks for the prayers. She is finally getting good sleep and besides a terrible headache due to the spinal tap she's feeling a smidge better!" he wrote.
A second update posted Monday revealed that Lauren Chandler's "fever finally broke." Describing himself and his wife as "incredibly grateful," Chandler stressed that they were "still not sure what the original virus was/is."
"They have ruled out all the scary stuff and most of the autoimmune disorders. Lauren has been battling a brutal headache from the spinal tap and her blood platelets are too low for a blood patch so they gave her some of the good stuff to take the edge off of that. Over the past 5 days she has developed double pneumonia so they have added a new antibiotic to take care of that."
While detailing how his wife was "exhausted and ready to be home," Chandler indicated that she remained in the hospital as he reflected on how she has "battled so well." He concluded by expressing his desire to "be the one in the bed as opposed to watching helplessly" and called for continued prayers for her "quick healing."
Lauren Chandler's hospitalization comes more than a decade after her husband experienced a brain tumor. Lauren Chandler has previously faced medical challenges in the form of miscarriages.
Chandler has spent more than 20 years as the lead pastor of The Village Church and is the father of three children. He also heads the church-planting organization Acts 29.
Chandler has also emerged as a critic of the Christian community's embrace of the Republican Party. In a sermon delivered a month before the 2024 presidential election, Chandler maintained that Republicans "developed a strategy in the '70s to co-opt us and make us their people." Insisting that "They know we're easily manipulated, we are easily worked into a frenzy, we can be controlled by them," he asserted that "They are not for us" and "They do not all believe what we believe."
At the same time, Chandler criticized the ideology of the Democratic Party as "morally reprehensible and demonic."
He made headlines in 2022 after it was revealed that he sent inappropriate, non-sexual direct messages to a woman on Instagram. Chandler ended up taking a leave of absence amid the controversy, returning to the pulpit after a hiatus that lasted three months.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
