Blog|Articles|May 10, 2026

Finding Peace and Purpose Through Faith in a Breast Cancer Journey

Fact checked by: Alex Biese

Listen

0:00 / 0:00

Key Takeaways

A rapid diagnostic-to-treatment interval and established clinician trust enabled decisive acceptance of an aggressive treatment plan, including systemic therapy, bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, and radiation.
Persistent emotional equanimity was framed as spiritually grounded, with perceived reassurance present from diagnosis onward despite the burdens of multimodality therapy.
A communal prayer ritual created a tactile, memorable representation of ongoing social support that reinforced resilience during active treatment.
Sharing survivorship narratives over years functioned as peer-to-peer hope provision for others confronting breast cancer or high-stakes procedures, extending impact beyond the initial illness episode.

A breast cancer survivor shares how faith and community prayer provided unexplainable peace and a new mission to offer hope to others in need.

I’d like to share a story with you that made such a difference to me during my cancer journey.

I was diagnosed in July of 2014. From biopsy to the start of my chemo was less than two and a half weeks. I didn’t have a lot of time to ponder or think too hard about am I doing the right thing. I had been seeing my doctor for a lot of years for mammograms, I had great trust in her abilities and opinions about my care. She assembled a team of providers very quickly.

With the diagnosis, I was not in a panic, which even now surprises me. I had stage 2B invasive breast cancer. I quickly decided to do a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I had four cycles of two drugs, 12 weekly infusions of another drug, surgery and then radiation.

I immediately felt that all was going to be fine. I just had a peace that I couldn’t explain, even to my husband, son and daughter.

About three weeks into my journey, we were at church on a Sunday morning. At the end of the pastor’s sermon, he said that he had felt that they needed to pray for me/us all morning. We went up front at the altar. He asked for ladies to feel free to join us. All of a sudden, I felt so many hands on my arms and back.

The pastor said, “I want you to feel those hands,” which I said I did. He said, “No, you need to feel those hands every day. We will be lifting you up in prayer on a daily basis. Some days, hands will be on your back but other days, feel them under your arms as those same hands are lifting you up in prayer to our Lord. I want you to feel hands on your back as we will be praying for you on a daily basis!”

I tried to explain to pastor that day about how I had felt enveloped in His hands/arms from the moment I heard the diagnosis. It’s hard to explain but it really made a difference to me.

I have shared this many times over the last 10 years with women as they’ve started their breast cancer story. When my director at work’s daughter was facing brain surgery last fall, I asked him if I could pray with him before he left work the day before surgery. I shared this story with him and we both were impacted. He thanked me for sharing that with him and for praying with him. I don’t say any of this to pat myself on the back but to give the Lord the praise for bringing me through such a difficult season in my life.

My husband told me after I shared with this with two friends from our high school days, “When you ask the Lord, ‘Why me?’ This is your why. You make a huge difference in peoples lives! You can offer something that only a survivor can and you can offer her hope. Very proud of you.”

Kelly A. Darnall is a breast cancer survivor of 11 years and counting.

This piece reflects the author’s personal experience and perspective. For medical advice, please consult your health care provider.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.