Healing Through Cancer

Guest Post by Jan Yount

It all started when I noticed a lump in my breast. At first, I didn’t think anything of it. It had only been nine months since my last mammogram. After a short time, I decided I should get it checked out. The doctor immediately sent me to get it tested. While I was getting the biopsy, the radiologist noticed the lymph node under my arm was also swollen. I was incredibly upset. I thought if you got regular mammograms, you would be protected from breast cancer that spread to the lymph nodes. I was told I would get the results of my biopsies in a couple of days. After four of the longest days, I finally got the results. It was breast cancer and had spread to the lymph nodes.

A new chapter of my life started as I walked through the doors of Stanford Cancer Center. The first doctor I met with told me I needed to begin chemotherapy treatment every three weeks. He advised I would lose all my hair, experience nausea, and would likely need to take a break from work. Once I completed chemotherapy, the next step would be a mastectomy. Hearing the news, I broke down in tears. I had recently lost my husband of 40 years to cancer. I watched him struggle through chemotherapy and it changed him. Not just his appearance, but his personality too. Our entire family struggled. I told the doctor I wasn’t going to undergo chemotherapy, that I would rather die. 

In search of an alternate treatment, I consulted with two other doctors before I found one that gave me another choice. One of the Stanford doctors worked with breast cancer trials. He told me I could start with antibodies to target the cancer cells. He indicated there were new drugs we could consider if this didn’t work. We agreed and moved ahead with his plan. As receiving antibodies by infusion is a time-consuming process, I found myself spending that time in prayer.

Fear was my constant companion. Hurting and afraid, I reached out to some friends at church. One advised not to go through this alone. Another called me and said God put it on her heart to put together a prayer team to regularly pray with me and for me. I quickly accepted this offer. This team got together about once a month and prayed over me. I have never heard such deep and faith-filled prayers. They believed God could heal me. The elders at the church also prayed over me.

Unfortunately, within weeks, I noticed the lump under my arm had grown. I went to my oncologist, and he said the tumor had increased in size and we needed to change the medication I was receiving. If I’m honest I was discouraged and frustrated. God had put a prayer team in place to pray over me. And yet my cancer was getting worse? I’ve now come to realize, what looked like a setback was actually a set-up for what God was about to do. In the very month my tumor increased in size, a new medication was approved for my specific type of breast cancer. This medication had few systemic side effects, no hair loss or personality change. The only catch? The medication was so new that insurance might not be willing to cover it. And yet, by the time I walked out of my doctor’s office and went to the scheduling desk, my insurance had approved the new drug, and I was sent directly to the infusion area to receive it. My tumor started shrinking immediately. 

I continued meeting with my personal prayer team monthly. God was taking me through a process. He was teaching me to trust him regardless of circumstance. He revealed there was more than cancer hurting me. I had wounds in my heart. I was carrying around fear. God was not only interested in healing my cancer, he wanted to heal all of me. 

The battle with cancer went back and forth. While my tumor shrunk, I started having pain in my leg. I was limping and the shooting pain seemed to take my mind off anything good. Again, I cried out to God. I noticed that though I was in pain, I had been healed of my fear. I learned how I could let go, and let God take control of this ugly illness. I trusted in Him. He is a good God, and he was there for me through it all.

The news continued to get worse before it got better. Doctors found my breast cancer had spread to my bones. The reason my leg was hurting, was cancer had weakened the bone and I was trying to walk on a broken leg. With the latest diagnosis, I was told I was in stage IV of metastatic breast cancer. The doctor didn’t even want to tell me how long I had to live, that while the cancer was treatable, it was not curable. I knew the prognosis for stage IV breast cancer was not good.

And yet…I continued praying with my prayer team. I continued to be healed physically and experienced healing in my heart. A broken relationship with my sister, through prayers of forgiveness for both me and my sister, was restored. The fear I’d been paralyzed by for so long was gone. Physically, the cancer in my lymph nodes disappeared. There was no longer any active cancer in my bones either. The tumor in my breast had shrunk by 50% allowing for it to be removed surgically. I underwent a mastectomy and radiation. They tested me after this, and there was no evidence of disease. They tested again, no cancer cells were found anywhere in my body. Separate tests were run on other areas of my body….no cancer.

God healed me in many ways during my cancer journey. Physically, I’ve had no active cancer for more than a year. Emotionally, the healing God provided is even greater. I walk with fresh priorities, amazed at who God is, how he called people to pray for me, how he answered those prayers, how he healed my heart and my body, how fully and generously he loves. I feel incredibly blessed that I can live like this and thank our powerful God every day for who He is, how he loves, and for every new day he gives.

Jan is a beautiful friend and fellow staff member. Thank you, Jan for sharing your incredible story. The purpose of this blog is to share the transforming and life-changing love of Jesus. Every story matters. If you feel a pull to share your story, I would love to hear it. Simply email blog@calvarylg.com.