If there’s anyone who knows what it’s like to face an onslaught of rejection and heartache while maintaining trust in a good, faithful God, it’s Lysa TerKeurst.
After announcing the demise of her 25-year marriage due to her husband’s infidelity earlier this year, she has come forth with more gut-wrenching news—and once again, the Christian women’s leader is handling it in a way that rings true to her title as the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries.
“I have breast cancer,” revealed TerKeurst in a Facebook video posted yesterday.
While going in for a routine mammogram and a follow-up biopsy, doctors discovered a cancerous tumor that was thankfully caught in its earlier stages; however, that didn’t make breaking the news any easier for the Proverbs 31 president.
“I’ve sort of dreaded this moment of telling you guys,” she admitted. “I really am fine, but I think because I’ve been through so much in the past couple of years with my other surgery and with different dynamics going on with my family…I’ve just kind of dreaded telling you because I think people will think, ‘What in the world? Like how in the world could this be added on to everything else you’ve already faced?'”
But TerKeurst followed her grim announcement with “some sweet perspective” that is an empowering charge for every Christ follower to remain grateful amidst hardship. She calls the timing of her marital distress and divorce a “gift from God,” as taking recovery time off this summer is what gave her the chance to make the additional doctor appointments necessary to catch the cancer.
Having no lumps or any outside indication that anything was wrong, TerKeurst says her mammogram was the saving grace that allowed radiologists to detect the tumor early.
“They caught it very very early. I am going to have surgery on November 10,” she said. “I really treasure your prayers. I’m going to have a double radical mastectomy and reconstruction.”
Despite the devastating diagnosis, TerKeurst remains in positive spirits about the procedure, and more importantly, the faithfulness of God.
“I have such a joy and a peace about the surgery,” she said, adding that “in terms of my emotional perspective and my spiritual perspective, God has been so good.”
TerKeurst shared a powerful verse along with the tough news, shedding light on where she finds the courage to draw such strength during her whirlwind of a year:
“I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever… For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.”~ Psalms 53: 8-9
“Clinging to the promises of God,” this grounded Christian woman is ready to tackle the beast that affects 1 in every 8 U.S. women head-on. In the middle of her battle, TerKeurst pleads other women to take the same precautionary measures she did to offer the best chance at recovery.
“I started having mammograms at age 40, and since this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanna say for sure, definitely GO get your mammogram,” she urged.
Watch the rest of TerKeurst’s emotional announcement paired with her empowering message of hope in the video below:
