It was late in the evening and as I listened to the song “Trust in You” by Laura Daigle, tears filled my eyes as I thanked God for carrying us through a very difficult period. I realized that I needed to surrender my dreams and desires to Him. Dreams that things could have happened differently.
We received news in January that my wife Li Hsing was detected with DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ), an early stage breast cancer. It was terrible news to us and I sought the Scriptures for answers. I knew that she had a family history of breast cancer and reconciled that it was genetic (Psalm 139:13-14) and unfortunate circumstances can befall us at any time (Eccl 9:12).
The doctor had provided the prognosis and the proposed treatment options. Next, we went about gathering all the information we could about this disease. At the same time, we sought the Lord and asked for prayers for healing. We searched the Scriptures and claimed upon Psalm 33:18-19 as the verses to tide us through this period. We boldly prayed for healing of the affected cells, knowing that our God is a great God and these are just small cancer cells which extend a few millimetres, surely He can command them to disappear if it is His will.
The operation to remove the tumour was planned for 4th March, and Li Hsing was extremely nervous about her first operation under general anaesthesia. I was anxious and expectant to witness God’s miracle as the radiographer did another mammogram before the operation. However, a miracle did not happen, the tumour was still there and the two hour operation would need to proceed as planned.
A week later, when we reviewed the results of the biopsy, we were told the good news that it was still early stage breast cancer, but the operation did not fully remove the tumour and Li Hsing had to be operated on again. It would be a much longer and more complicated operation this time – 11 hours to remove the entire breast followed by reconstruction of a new breast. We quickly scheduled for the operation for 2nd April.
We were back into the cycle of feeling anxious, seeking God for peace in the Scriptures, praying and waiting expectantly as the day of the operation approached. The stakes were higher in this operation and Li Hsing was getting increasingly anxious as the day approached. We were brought down to our knees in prayer as we realized that there was no way we could fight this battle on our own. Only God, our Creator and Sustainer of Life could see us through. I reminded Li Hsing that God is ever watching over her and would deliver her (Psalm 33:18-19). At the same time, if anything were to happen, she would be in a better place (Phil 1:21). As for me, I clung onto 1 Cor 10:13, and trusted that God would provide a way for me no matter what happened through this trial.
On the day of the operation, Amy Ong and I prayed for her as she was wheeled into the operating theatre. Li Hsing told me later that the surgeon actually prayed for her in the operating theatre before the anaesthesia was administered. It would be the longest 11 hours I had ever endured. There was nothing I could do about the outcome and I imagined that God was at work guiding the hand of the surgeon and the medical team. It was radio silence until late evening when I got a call from the surgeon telling me that the surgery was a success.
About one month after the surgery, we had a follow up with the surgeon and he noted that Li Hsing was making good progress. He also made the comment that she has conquered the mountain and what remains are little hills to overcome. Yes, there are times when we fear the mountain and really want God to move it, but sometimes He chooses to give us strength to overcome it instead (2 Cor 12:9).
By Tay Yong Thai, Elder (YCKC Bulletin 9 June 2019)