The Presence of God and Prayer Support are the Best Medicines

With prayer support from my family and church, God sustained, healed, and saw me through my cancer treatment.

I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in November 2021 as part of a yearly screening. The tumor size was 1.8cm. I was 48 years old. Although I knew in my heart that I had God to rely on, fear still took hold, and I was lost and crying. I said to myself, “Why me?”

From Worry to Hope

On the first day, I confirmed that it was stage one cancer; I could not help but cry a few times alone in my room. Due to the pandemic, Mario, my husband, and I were working from home, so he was always there to encourage me. He sent me a worship song to encourage me, turning my focus from worry into hope. That song was “Grace” from Laura Story. The song reminded me that in my imperfections, God loves me. How I ought to seek His face, and I will walk in the power of His daily sufficient grace. At that moment,
I turned my eyes to Jesus and told myself, “God will see me through and heal me”. I didn’t know how and when; I just needed to trust Him alone. Mario and Jann, my daughter, prayed for me in our daily family prayer time. I, too, have become more disciplined in my daily reading of the Bible and quiet time.

God is faithful. He saw me through in the next six months when I underwent diagnosis, treatment options, surgery, healing and post-operative therapy from November 2021 to May 2022. For the next five years, I had to be on hormone therapy and oral treatment to prevent relapses. In addition, regular follow-up with oncologists and gynecologists was needed to monitor the onset of uterine cancer, which is one of the side effects. I am thankful I had not suffered any potential side effects from hormone therapy throughout the treatment period.

God Reminded Me of the Beauty of His Creation

However, in the recent annual follow-up scans and blood test at the end of January 2023, the tumor marker reading was out of range. A new small 0.7 cm tumor was detected by ultrasound on the same breast. I was very anxious because it felt like a second sentence. Although I couldn’t help but feel uncertain and anxious, I kept praying and asking for God’s protection. Despite the uncertainty, I went anyway for the planned family holiday in Japan, and God showed me the marvelous beauty of His creation. I proceeded with the biopsy after the trip.

Prayer Support and Provision

I reached out for prayer support. Through prayer, I am thankful that my biopsy result on February 17 was
favorable; the tumor is benign. All I needed was to monitor it for six months. February 17 was also the release of the A-Level results for Jann. We had prayed daily for both results and are thankful that my daughter and I passed our examinations! It was a double blessing in one day. All glory and praise to God.

God is our provider too. My insurance covered all my medical expenses, and my heart is grateful. The second tumor experience steered me towards fixing my eyes on Jesus Christ, recognizing the importance of spending more time in God’s word and His presence. I remember the Bible passage from 2 Corinthians 12 about Paul’s vision and his thorn in the flesh. The tumor and the surgery scar are like thorns in my flesh, reminding me to humble myself and seek God daily. I do not know what will happen, but I am confident God cares for me.

“So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.” (2 Corinthians 12:7)

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about
my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I am grateful for the unwavering love I received from my family, the prayer support from my church, Zion Full Gospel Church, and the understanding of all my colleagues at work. Indeed, the presence of God and the prayer support are the best medicines I can ever have!