"My story"

Christine

    In 1992 just after celebrating my first wedding anniversary, I found a growth on my right ankle. It was skin coloured and oddly enough had never been there before. As I looked at it and wondered what it was, I felt a quickening in my spirit to take this seriously and get it checked out. I went to the local Dr. and he felt it was just an ingrown hair and wanted to treat it with liquid nitrogen. Again I felt the urging to take this seriously, to take my health in my own hands and I asked my Dr. to biopsy it instead. A week later I was called into his office and given the news that I had Malignant Melanoma (skin cancer).  

    When you hear the “C” word your mind begins to imagine cancer running freely in your body and you definitely struggle with the fact that you my not have long to live. I had just turned 29 that week and felt that I had lots more living to do. Fortunately for me I listened to the Spirit’s leading and took this growth seriously and did not allow the Dr. to burn it off. At the time of my diagnosis I was a Clark’s Stage III which meant that the cancer had already metastasized from the original location on my skin to a deeper level. Had I listened to the Dr. and allowed him to treat the growth with liquid nitrogen I would have died as the cancer spread unchecked to my lymph nodes and throughout my body.

    That was such a difficult time for me, my husband and my parents as I tried to navigate the health care system which seemed to move painfully slow at times. The first Sunday after my diagnosis the worship team lead the congregation in songs which ministered to my anxious heart as I soaked in words of affirmation and promise. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God had been with me when I discovered the growth on my ankle, that His urging lead me to ask for a biopsy instead of liquid nitrogen, and that He was with me as I sat in the Dr.’s office when I got the diagnosis of cancer. I felt the affirmation from the worship music that God would be with me as I faced cancer treatment in the coming weeks and that He had a plan for my life. God was with me the day I had surgery and has been with me every day since then. I have been cancer-free since that day and am thankful to God for sparing my life.

    I rest on His promise: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Christine Hennes
November 3rd, 2017