“I’d just turned 53. I’d finally found work after years of instability and loss. I was healthy, active, hiking stairs and walking daily. But I started having pain—shoulder, back, hip—and no one took me seriously. They said I looked fine. I drove myself to the ER with a packed bag. I told the doctor, ‘I feel well, but something’s wrong in my body.’ After scans and bloodwork, he came back and said, ‘Everything’s wrong on your right side—but we found something tiny in your left breast.’ Within a week, I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. It had already spread to my bones, lungs, and liver.”

“That hospital bed became sacred ground. I prayed, ‘Father, I have a history with You. I need Your peace right now.’

He gave me an incredible oncology team—my doctor is even a believer. One day he threw down his pen and said, ‘I just love you. You’re such a beacon of hope.’ I wasn’t feeling hopeful that day—but he saw it in me anyway.

On a day when I was desperately low, I asked God for a hug. Moments later, my brother showed up unexpectedly and held me in silence. That was the hug. That was God.

And now? My cancer markers have dropped from 480 to 57. I’m off chemo, I’m walking daily, and I’m still here. That’s all God.”

Psalm 112:6–7: “The righteous will never be shaken; they will have no fear of bad news.”

Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Isaiah 51:12: “I, even I, am He who comforts you.” “If you want peace that surpasses understanding, you have to give up your right to understand. That’s the surrender. That’s where peace lives.”

“I journal. I pray. I cry. I don’t hide it anymore. I don’t need advice—I just want to be held. Sometimes by God. Sometimes by people. When I’m too exhausted to pray, I let worship songs sing over me. Amanda Cook’s ‘Rest’ became my anthem: ‘There’s nothing too big for Him. He’s never too busy for you.’

I get outside. I walk, even through pain. I move, because movement is healing. And every morning, I align my mind with truth. I tell myself, ‘God fought this battle already. I don’t have to fight. I just have to walk through this—with Him.’”

“Be honest with God. Rage, grieve, lament, cry—it doesn’t intimidate Him. Don’t wait to feel strong. Just run to Him. He’s your safe place.

And advocate for yourself. I didn’t feel a lump. I just knew something was wrong. If you have persistent pain, don’t settle for dismissive answers. Push for scans. You’re worth it.

I’m not fighting—I’m surrendering. And in that surrender, I’ve found peace, provision, and God’s nearness like never before. I wake up each day and ask: What brings me joy today? And then I thank Him for it.”