There is usually an event that can be identified as the moment when your cancer journey begins, a beginning to the tests and treatments associated with the search for remission and recovery. For me, it was a telephone conversation, an awkward pause, and then the words: ‘I am sorry but….’.

Gillian Straine

Gillian Straine

The journey through the land of cancer, with its strange language of cannula and blood count, surrounded by many professionals and loved ones, is lonely and difficult. But Jesus promised that God is with us always. With this faith packed in our metaphorical bag, the journey through cancer can be one not only to find a physical cure, but a place of spiritual journeying into the presence of God despite the suffering which so often paves the road to healing. Here are a few tips:

  1. You will spend many hours sitting in hospital waiting rooms: cancer patients need patience. Draw on the Lord and the history of waiting on which the faith is built: I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. Psalm 130.5
  2. You body will be examined, scanned and probed; normal boundaries are trampled all over and you are reduced to a set of notes. But remember that it is your body and you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). Ask questions and demand answers, and remember that you are always more than the notes - you are a child of God, in whom he is well pleased.
  3. Don’t be afraid to be afraid. Cancer is scary and it is okay to express negative emotions. Jesus overturned tables in the temple and the faith has a long history of lament and righteous anger when things go wrong. The psalms are particularly useful place for reflection and a reminder that no matter how bleak it seems and no matter how we are feeling, God is with us.
  4. You will no doubt have friends and family around you and many will want to help. Others, however, will not be able to handle your illness. Surround yourself with people that can give you the support you need, and look out for angels’ sent to you unawares.
  5. Take a little time to understand your cancer and your treatment. It is surprising how liberating you might find a bit of science. Give thanks to God for those who develop treatments, many of which are derived from plants and naturally occurring chemicals.
  6. On his way to the crucifixion, the cross was carried by Simon of Cyrene. In your suffering you may find that others have to carry you a little way and we have to be vulnerable. Know that Jesus did too, and that it was in His weakness that he showed the power of God
  7. Be yourself. You may quickly see the rainbow through the rain and the meaning in your cancer, but don’t feel forced into a particular interpretation. You may feel utterly broken and unable to see through the chaos. God will never abandon you; remember God’s words to Isaiah See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands. You are never abandoned, keep faith, hang on.
  8. If the doctor tells you that you are in remission, celebrate and give God thanks. But, if you feel even a touch ambivalent about remission, know that Jesus remained in the grave for three days before the resurrection. Your recovery might not be immediate, take your time and wait on the Lord.
  9. In remission, you have to live with long term uncertainty. You probably don’t know why you got cancer, still less how you can stop it coming back and this is frightening. Trust God, keep talking and ask what your mission is now, in remission. God raised Jesus with scars, so never doubt the importance of your experience and your scars.
  10. Our faith is founded in a glorious story, a story that saves. Don’t be afraid to tell your story of cancer, suffering and faith. It is healing to do so, and others might find their healing if you are brave enough to allow others to see your scars. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything off has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2Cor5.17)
Cancer: A Pilgrim Companion, Gillian Straine (SPCK, January 2017)
Cancer: A Pilgrim Companion, Gillian Straine (SPCK, January 2017)