Anonymous's Story: Finding Faith and Humility After Breast Cancer

This experience of having had an early breast cancer diagnosis, through surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, it almost seems like a dream now. I feel like I haven't really fully processed the apparent enormity and yet all too common experience of being a woman who went through this. So far I survived a cancer diagnosis and treatment. I wonder why there is such a disconnect now since completing treatment, ringing that bell over nine months ago, and where I am today as if it was almost someone else's story. But it wasn't and it isn't over because life goes on with that experience a chapter.

Is this a trauma response or is it simply that life afterwards is necessarily carrying on as if that was a blip in my life I was to learn from and appreciate what grace has been given me to still be here? With having various critical family events occur between then and now along with the before-cancer and after-cancer culture shock to my life, perhaps I have a more appreciative perspective on what matters. What I value and why. That people — all of us —are precious, never-to-be-repeated special editions and truly knowing life is one day at a time. Moment by moment. I don't know which one and when will be the last, but I wasn't meant to just stand still and wonder about the future.

Yet times of rest and reflection have become actions I will choose now without guilt to ask Jesus for help and to trust in God. Whenever I feel that I am not doing enough, being enough, I remember how amazing it is that I am here at all really. I cannot do this life without my God and like many experiences in life, having been through breast cancer and becoming more aware of so many people enduring so many things in life including health struggles, I am actually feeling very thankful today. God has made a way for me no matter what the future holds.

I really appreciate the church community I had started participating in, before I had to go away periodically to get treatments, that were praying for me. That first visit to the church, I remember members saying if anyone needed prayer or wanted to pray with them, to come up the front after the service concluded. And I will say at that point I didn't really know what to ask for, just joy perhaps. Then the diagnosis came out and I already felt that I was being carried along. Faith really did see me through the worst and brought out the best in those around me.

I pray for everyone that reads my story to give their life to Jesus and He walks alongside through the storms and will never leave you. Bless!