Carried Through Cancer: Five Stories of FaithNäide

Marissa’s Story

Diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (cancer that originates in milk ducts) at thirty-nine years old, Marissa spent eighteen months in active treatment, undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, a bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts), and reconstruction surgeries. It was an extremely hard time for her whole family, but she was amazed at God’s provision through it all. Especially on the morning of her bilateral mastectomy.

“Realistically, I should have been a hot mess.”

A self-proclaimed worrier, Marissa tends to get anxious in stressful situations, but she was not anxious on that morning in the fall of 2019. Instead, she was at complete peace as she awaited the surgery that would not only remove her breasts, but also included a biopsy of her lymph nodes to determine whether or not the cancer had spread outside of her breast tissue.

She was surprisingly relaxed and easily chatted with the nurses as they came into her little exam room to check on her. She wasn’t anxious or scared as they drew on her chest with a Sharpie to give the surgeon a road map for surgery. She even remembers smiling contentedly while she held a nurse’s hand and counted backwards in the brief moments before the anesthesia put her to sleep. At a time when she should have been overwhelmed and scared and anxious, she was simply calm. Looking back, she’s certain it was because God carried her through all of those tough moments in the hospital.

“That (Footprints in the Sand) poem probably best mimics what God did for me. When the person in the poem looks back at the tracks in the sand and is like, ‘There’s only one set of footprints? Why would you do that? When I went through the hardest things you left me.’ And Jesus says, ‘No, that is when I carried you.’ I’m convinced he scooped me up and walked me through the doors of that hospital that morning. If I could look back and see footprints, they would be God’s, not mine.”

A few years removed from her treatments and surgeries, Marissa is thankful to remain cancer-free, but also thankful for the gift of seeing God work in such a personal way on one of the hardest days of her life.

“I got to experience a little bit of heaven that day. God’s kingdom breaking through into this dark world and into my cancer. It’s probably the closest I have ever felt to God. And that is a gift.”

Prayer: Dear Father, Thank you for carrying me through my hardest days. When I don’t feel your presence, remind me you are still here. And when I know I only made it through because of you, help me to rejoice that I am loved and cared for by the God of the universe. Amen.

Reflection: Take a moment to reflect on your life of following Jesus. Are there moments you can look back on and see that the only reason you made it through was because God carried you? What is an example or two that you can use as a reminder when life is hard?