Carried Through Cancer: Five Stories of FaithNäide

Annie’s Story

Annie was diagnosed with peritoneal (abdominal lining) cancer in 2017. She was tipped off that something was wrong when she noticed that a shirt she wore to play tennis, which should have been loose, was very tight around her belly. When she mentioned it to her husband on the drive home, he told her he’d noticed that when she lays down it looks like there is a basketball in her stomach.

When a series of tests and scans revealed the cancer, which includes ascites (fluid build-up in her abdomen), she had two procedures over a two-week period to remove a total of twenty-three pounds of the fluid from her abdomen. Then she started chemo. She has undergone chemo every three weeks for nearly a decade, and will continue for the rest of her life.

“At first I didn’t even know how to pray, but my pastor said he was going to pray for complete healing.”

Though there is no cure, and complete healing will not likely come in this lifetime, God did bless her with another gift.

One of the first times the elders of her church came to her home to pray for her, her pastor said, “I know you’ve got grandchildren, and God gave me a verse for you. Psalm 71:18.”

Annie held onto that verse and was encouraged, even through her tears. But cancer is hard, and there are days when darkness and depression push their way in.

“There was one day when my husband and I were both really down, and there was just a heaviness around the house. It came upon us suddenly, and we basically just sat around depressed.”

As they sat under what felt like an impossible burden, their phone rang. It was one of their four children, a son who lived out of state. Annie’s spirits lifted a little, thinking she had such a caring kid who would call just to chat with his mom. When he asked if his dad and little sister were home, Annie knew something out of the ordinary was going on, but wasn’t sure what.

When everyone was on the call, her son announced that he and his wife were going to have a baby.

“That incredible blackness, if you will, of our moment was lifted. And that verse came back to me. It said do not forsake me so that I can tell the next generation of your mighty acts, and tell those who have not yet come. And now God was sending us this baby who had not yet come. It was a wonderful gift.”

Prayer: Dear Father, Thank you for the gift of babies, and for the opportunity to share your truth with the next generation. Help me to walk through the dark days, and show me your goodness to draw me back out into the sunshine. Amen.

Reflection: Have you had dark days in your cancer journey that have turned to light with some good news or a gift from someone you love? Think about others in your life who may be struggling and ask God to show you a way to give them good news or encouragement.