My story of God’s grace and healing on World Cancer Day

In December 2019, I made a mammogram appointment which I thought would be a box-ticking exercise since I self-examined regularly. I subsequently received a message recalling me. I assumed this was because I’d inadvertently used talcum powder after my shower previously – something forbidden in the advisory letter.

I was greeted and scanned as before. However, rather than return to the waiting room, I was ushered through another door. Medical staff, including a consultant, were there studying my results.

I was asked if I’d noticed any abnormalities, changes or lumps. No; not at all. It’s not pleasant to undergo a mammogram (my mother always told me it was like having your chest shut in a fridge, and she wasn’t wrong), or to be examined manually. The consultant had clearly found something. Guiding my hands, I felt it too.

READ MORE: I was at peak fitness when I was diagnosed with cancer - it made me question what the Bible says about my body

When the consultant said, ‘I think we’ll do the biopsy now,’ I knew I was in trouble.

It’s now predicted that 50% of the population will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. Everyone’s journey is different.

We’re more aware of the causes of cancer than ever, so it’s easy to take mitigating action. Don’t smoke, reduce your alcohol intake, use sun protection, eat healthily, watch your weight, be sure to exercise, show up for regular screenings – all good strategies. Detection and treatments have improved enormously, which means survival rates have increased dramatically since the 1970s.

Almost 3.5 million people in the UK are living with cancer/post-cancer today. Someone is diagnosed approximately every 90 seconds (roughly 1,000 people a day). It kills around 168,000 people annually here, averaging 460 people each day.

READ MORE: When I was diagnosed with breast cancer the only thing that got me through the fear of losing my breast was God’s words that I’m a ’beautiful masterpiece’

As I lay on the examination table, feeling somewhat detached while watching a slightly surreal, grainy image on the screen next to me in which a needle inexorably progressed towards an obvious lump (thank goodness it wasn’t its colour), I regulated my breathing as I always do when needles come my way, and had a conversation with God.

I was in the throes of completing a manuscript based on Psalm 23:5 at the time, exploring if and how it’s possible to feast with God at his table when life serves dishes which are bitter and sour. 

I was in the throes of completing a manuscript based on Psalm 23:5 at the time, exploring if and how it’s possible to feast with God at his table when life serves dishes which are bitter and sour. Friends had contributed personal stories and I’d shared a few of my own but now, with horrible clarity, I realised I was being served another.  I faced a cold-blooded decision. Would I choose to feast with God in this new, dark season or would I sulk, turn away or allow misplaced anger to eat me up?

The prayer in my head surprised me. I told God that I hadn’t expected to leave planet earth either in this way or at this time. I’d genuinely thought there was more for me to do. Nevertheless, I was graced to thank him for my husband, four children and the great people and places we’ve known and visited. ‘If this is my exit point,’ I said, ‘help me to exit well.’ I can honestly tell you that while I didn’t feel the least bit heroic or spiritual, I felt covered by that incredible peace that truly passes understanding.

READ MORE: ‘Kate and I appear to be two lives affected by cancer that will never be the same again’

We had on overseas trip planned and I left, loaded with medication. 

We had on overseas trip planned and I left, loaded with medication. Unfolding the accompanying leaflets on my arrival opened the door to fear and trepidation. So many side-effects! I read them all thoroughly, once only while wielding a highlighter pen, and then prayed over the boxes. Resolutely, I folded them away, set an alarm to remind me to take them and to chose daily trust. There were days when I truly never thought any more about it.

Thanks to fantastic medical care at Southmead specialist unit in Bristol and an amazing surgeon, my operation was successful. The cancer was removed, hadn’t spread and I only needed radiotherapy, not chemotherapy. I was pronounced five years clear last June but have 17 months of meds to still complete. Others in my family have recently navigated their own cancer journeys.

Whether you’re celebrating survival today or remembering loved ones you’ve lost, I know it is possible to feast in intimacy with God, regardless of the path ahead. Keep trusting, keep praying and keep feasting. You’re in the safest of hands.

If any of these issues have affected you, you can call Premier Lifeline for support. Premier Lifeline is a national, confidential helpline offering a listening ear, emotional and spiritual support from a Christian perspective. If you would like someone to talk with and pray for you, call Premier Lifeline on 0300 111 0101.