January 13

The day is vividly etched in my mind, when the doctor informed me I had Stage 2 Colon Cancer. Time stood still as the mental jolt set in, being a husband and father of 3 young children. But with CCOB church family praying and supporting me, being anointed with oil and Pastor Lloyd lifting me up in prayer during service, I was encouraged and believed I would overcome this disease.

It would be a nice testimony if it ended there but it was only the start of the darkest times in my life. After chemo and radiation treatment, the surgery to remove the cancer took 7 hours, initially deemed successful. It would be the first of five major surgeries in the next six months. The follow up surgeries were due to complications from intestinal leakage, infection and fistula (abnormal intestine connection). With high hopes of each surgery fixing the problem came the disheartening news it did not work or it caused other complications placing me in ICU at times.

I laid still in the hospital bed for weeks believing that not moving would help my body heal faster. Before each surgery, my mind focused on the next one hoping it will fix the medical problems but each iteration led to other drawbacks. A common theme was two steps forward and three steps back.

At my lowest and darkest point, coming to an end of myself, I realized even all the money in the world could not help me, or another surgery was not the solution. A friend then said to me ‘You don’t know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have’. Already being a Christian for twenty years, I must have heard that before but it never truly resonated until that moment. Here I was lying in a hospital bed feeling sorry for myself when the Lord reassured me, I was in His hands; a loving, caring God who only wanted the best for me. I learned to rely on my faith and not my circumstances.

I was supposed to go through a sixth major surgery, but the Lord healed me miraculously that time and I did not have to go through with it. I still went through some setbacks but recovery did eventually happen and there were instances which healing baffled the medical team but I know it was the Lord. I have now been cancer free for 19 years, Praise the Lord!

I finally understand and totally agree with the saying ‘what does not kill you makes you stronger’. I have been able to overcome obstacles with mental fortitude I did not have on my own. The darkest days drew me nearer and have kept me walking closer with the Lord. I can claim this verse to be true: ‘I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly’ (Jn 10:10), as my purpose and devotion to His will for me totally fulfills my life.

Henry Mah