Touched by Grace
Rochelle’s Journey to Healing
Therefore, I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.”
—Hosea 2:14-15
1689 miles.
That’s how far, by God’s hand, I had been led to Envita Medical Center in the Arizona desert.
I came wearily, for the fight against cancer had grown long, waging war with surgeries and medications, lifestyle changes, doctors, and specialists at home and abroad.
I came seeking a healing that went deeper than physical suffering, one that led to wholeness in mind, body, and spirit, the true freedom to which I have been called as a follower of Christ.
I came expectantly, for I confidently believed that God would heal me. I just didn’t yet know if the healing would come on earth or in eternity. Every day I was given here was an act of defiance against the doctors’ grim prognosis.
Only four days into the latest round of treatments in Arizona, I was invited to a nearby church by a brand-new acquaintance, Cherie, to attend a worship service on the theme of healing. Would I like to come? I absolutely would! I was determined to fully embrace every opportunity to immerse myself in the quest to become healthy and whole.
I joined Cherie and a group of her friends in her vehicle, and we set out for a little white chapel in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The irony of the name wasn’t lost on me as I took in the sweeping views of snow-capped mountains and felt the warmth- even in winter- in the valley below. “Paradise” …a place of lush beauty and richness, and “Valley” …a metaphor for a place of hardship and suffering in David’s famous 23rd Psalm, together described a place of joy and refreshing in the midst of deep travail, and it aptly described my journey through cancer thus far.
We arrived well ahead of the service’s start time, yet the parking lot was already crowded. The chapel was packed beyond capacity, so we took advantage of an overflow space in a cozy guest house out back, where we could watch the service via closed circuit TV.
In the moments before the service started, I began to experience a peculiar burning sensation in my chest. A fiery, searing pain enveloped my right breast with an intensity unlike anything I had felt at any point since my diagnosis.
The nurse in me couldn’t make medical sense of what I was feeling. Despite the pain, I experienced an overwhelming sense of being touched by grace. I probed into my own being with a sense of curiosity. My mind and spirit felt inexplicably at peace, and I felt my body calm, and I relaxed. Something was happening to my cancer; I just knew it. Throughout the worship service, the agonizing physical sensations continued, and yet, I felt a tingle of excitement, for I was certain that the cancer was resolving itself.
I was never in the spotlight at the healing service. I was not called forward, prayed over, or given any specific message by the pastor. Quietly and unobtrusively, God had met me in this desert place, and I knew I would be forever changed.
A few days later, I went to the doctor for my scheduled PET scan. That evening, I sat at my computer and signed onto the patient portal to see the results.
They weren’t there.
A day passed, and then two, five, and finally a full week went by before I was scheduled to meet with my doctor. In all that time, the results of my scan were not available. Part of me was anxious and tempted to worry about what the delay could mean. The rest trusted I was healed. I eagerly anticipated an official answer from the doctor to confirm my suspicions.
I went to my appointment and checked in. I was escorted to an exam room in Envita. The doctor came in and sat face-to-face with me. With tears in her eyes, she told me she could find no trace of cancer anywhere. She pulled out the scan and placed it side by side with an image of my chest from six months prior, the very scan that had revealed the extent of my illness and led to acceptance into this program in the first place. Whereas the June scan was riddled with tumors; my December scan was clear, no trace of cancer anywhere.
“Rochelle, there’s no other way to explain this. You have received a miracle.”
We cried together in celebration of the wonder of God and this gift of life.
My Great Physician had brought me to an oasis in the midst of suffering, and there He healed my cancer and gave me my life back so that I might live it for Him.
As He continues to show me how to trust Him and walk in his grace, I will gratefully proclaim to all who will hear, “Miracles still happen! Trust God who will provide for your needs. Keep your eyes open to see the miracles He’s performing for you. They come in all shapes and forms, but they are no less miraculous, and each is a proclamation of God’s love and care for you.”
Removing my cancer was not the only miracle God has given. He has buoyed my strength and faith for each step of this journey with one beautiful provision after another: friends and encouragers who walk beside me, financial resources, and acceptance letters for programs I could not have otherwise accessed.
My treatment journey will continue to ensure no seeds of cancer remain or have the ability to take root in me. This journey toward wholeness and healing is for every facet of my being, and God is not finished with me yet. I’m trusting the outcome and handing Him the pieces of my life one at a time, learning to fully embrace living in the surrender.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
—Isaiah 43:19