In February 2001 I was struck down with a mystery illness that made my right arm and leg very weak. My doctor sent me to hospital for tests. At first they thought I had had a stroke and I was terrified of what the future might hold.

 

After the tests began, I was told that I had probably not had a stroke, but they were not sure what the illness could be, so further tests were needed. I was off work for 4 weeks, and each day I gained a little more strength in my arm and leg. By June I had had a lumber puncture and finally an MRI scan on my brain. Although I felt physically well I was still apprehensive about the outcome of these tests. Throughout this time I had a lot of support from my natural family and from my church family, and drew a great deal of spiritual strength from the latter.

 

All the while I believed that no matter what was wrong with me, God was ultimately in control. I was finally given an appointment to see the consultant in July, and since I now felt completely well again, I confidently went along to see him, expecting him to say that the tests had shown nothing abnormal, and whatever had been wrong in February had cleared up.

 

My confidence was shattered when the consultant told me I had multiple sclerosis. I burst into tears and my imagination began to run riot. Then The Lord reminded me that on three separate occasions between February and May (first through a televised church service; then through a guest speaker at my own church, and finally through a reading in the Word for Today - He’d said, “don’t worry”! Instantly the panic left me and I began to feel calm. Just after my diagnosis I had a second episode of MS sickness, and my senior pastor’s wife, Margaret, gave me a scripture from The Lord, it was Isaiah 40 verses 28, 29 and 31, Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

 

Over the next few months I continued to draw strength from God’s word and tried not to worry about what the future might bring. My husband and I booked a holiday to Mexico for the following August (2002) and we tried to carry on as if the events of the past few months had not happened. Just over 12 months after my diagnosis and one week before the holiday we’d been looking forward to, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I thought, ‘this can’t be happening to me’! The doctor told me I must cancel the holiday, as he couldn’t guarantee I would be OK in the heat of Mexico. We cancelled the holiday and I spent the next week in hospital having tests to see what was the best way to treat the disease.

 

During that time I read something in the Word for Today that seemed to be saying the devil was attacking me, and God had allowed him to go this far, but no further. I held onto this thought and it seemed to sustain me. I also believed that, since God had seen me through the MS scare, He was not about to desert me now. I knew He was able to heal me instantly, but I also knew that His ways are higher than ours, and His timing is perfect, and if I had to go through this, He would be with me all the way.

 

By November 2002 it had been decided that radiotherapy was the best way to treat the tumour, as surgery could not guarantee it would all be removed. I was to have 20 daily doses of radiotherapy and the Christie Hospital. By the time my treatment began, the tumour had grown to the size of a large egg and I had a lot of back pain as it was pressing on a nerve. I booked 4 weeks off work and my employer leant me a company car so I would not have to rely on public transport - The Lord was showing me that He had covered every detail.

 

My treatment began on 3rd December – my 8th wedding anniversary. When I arrived home after that first session, my youngest daughter told me my Grandma had just died. She had been ill for several weeks and the news was expected, but none of us were prepared for the grief we all felt. The Lord brought a great sense of peace to our hearts at the funeral and again I felt His sustaining power. As the treatment weakened me physically, The Lord strengthened me spiritually and somehow I knew I’d be fine at the end of it.

 

3 months after my last session of treatment I had a scan to see if the treatment had worked, the next day I read Isaiah 42 verse 16, which says: ‘I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. This scripture seemed to jump off the page at me as if it was alive – which of course the word of God is, but I didn’t understand the significance of it.

 

2 weeks later I went along for the scan results of and an examination by the doctor. She said that if there was anything abnormal still there, the area would be rough, but it was smooth. Isaiah 42 came straight back to my mind and I understood that The Lord was telling me I was healed. I still attend the Christie hospital for check-ups on a regular basis. Each time I go there I thank The Lord for being my saviour.

 

Through these trials I have learned to lean on The Lord every day, and to be thankful for all He has given me and all He has seen me through. I take every opportunity to reach out to others who don’t yet know the power of prayer or God’s word and love. Without these trials I believe my faith would not be as strong as it is today, and I would not be as close to God as I am today. I am grateful for all He has taught me, He is the joy giver and He is the only One who can supply all my needs.