I had an experience that, at first, might sound devastating. But, when looked at through a spiritual lens, it has been an incredible series of blessings and miracles. This has shown me that God really is in the details of my life, and He has blessed me in unbelievable ways.
I ask your forgiveness for sharing something that is very personal, but it started all the other miracles. On February 13, 2023, I was getting dressed and noticed that there were blood drops on my underclothing over my left breast. This was definitely not normal, so I investigated and found a lump. This was when the miracles began.
Miracle # 1: The miracle is that I don’t routinely do this and would not have found the lump if it wasn’t for the blood. I saw my doctor, who immediately phoned the hospital lab and a specialist.
Miracle # 2: Miraculously, I was booked for a mammogram and an MRI for the following week. Often, you have to wait weeks or months for these special tests. The MRI showed a suspicious mass, and they decided I needed a biopsy to determine if it was cancerous.
Miracle # 3: Not by chance; someone cancelled their appointment, allowing me to have my biopsy done the very next day.
Waiting for the biopsy results was a very strange time for me. I thought about my possible death, but I had no fear. I didn’t want to be in pain, but I was at peace. I had given my life to God to do with what He would, or as President Nelson says, “Let God prevail!” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2020, 92)
Miracle # 4: On March 22, I met with the cancer specialist, who said that the biopsy results showed that I did have cancer, but it had been caught early. I would only need a lumpectomy instead of radical surgery, and I would not need chemotherapy. This brought me great relief!
I was scheduled for surgery in less than a month.
I was originally given a hospital admission time of 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 20, but the time was changed to 6:30 a.m. This was a problem because I live on an island, and the ferries don’t run that early. I would have to stay in town the night before.
Miracle # 5: I posted a request on the Relief Society Facebook page. It was not easy because I needed someone to not only allow me to stay overnight but also (BIG ASK) drive me to the hospital at 6:30 for my surgery. Within half an hour, a sister responded.
Elder Holland said: “When we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk and talk with-here, now, every day.” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2008, 30)
In the confusion and stress of my situation, I hadn’t thought about how I was going to get to the Comox hospital (60 km away) on Wednesday, the next day. I had to have a small procedure done in preparation for surgery on Thursday, and I realized that I needed someone to drive me.
Miracle # 6: My daughter, who lives 150 km away, felt prompted to call me. She booked off work, drove up immediately and drove me to the Comox hospital on Wednesday. After the procedure, she dropped me off at the dear sister’s home, where I spent the night.
When I woke up from the surgery, I expected to see my daughter sitting beside me, but she wasn’t there. I was told that a terrible windstorm had stopped all ferries to and from our island all day.
Miracle # 7: I recognized that if the hospital had not changed the time to 6:30 a.m., I would not have been able to arrive on time.
I now had another problem. I had no way home. The hospital was full, so I worried that I might be sleeping on a cot in the hall. I could ask someone to let me stay with them, but I couldn’t ask the sister again because her guest room was downstairs, and I was too unsteady to manage the stairs safely.
Miracle # 8: My ministering sister, another earthly angel, called me at the hospital. I explained the problem to her, and she solved it. She called another sister, who came to the hospital to pick me up. She drove me to her home, where my new room was just twenty feet from the front door. I was well treated by these wonderful earthly angels. My daughter came from Quadra Island the next day and drove me home.
Miracle #9: I want to share one last miracle. My doctor had taken multiple tissue biopsies to confirm that they had removed all the cancerous cells. When the biopsy results came back, there was no remaining cancer. I was now cancer-free!
Even though I don’t know why things happen in my life, I know that Heavenly Father does. Although painful at the time, there is always a blessing associated with the trial. This has given me the strength to be at peace, even when living in the “eye of the hurricane,” which can be a part of life sometimes. This peace and knowledge are probably the greatest blessing and miracle of all!
Having faith allows us to see the good things that happen in our lives as the work of God rather than as coincidences or good luck. Recognizing a miracle is part of the miracle itself! If we view life through a lens of faith in Jesus Christ, our eyes will be opened to the many miracles around us. They are everywhere!