Mechele’s Story:
While caring for my elderly mother, I neglected my own health until a routine mammogram in January 2019 looked suspicious. My follow-up ultrasound revealed a tumor on my left breast.
My best friend Gretchen went with me for my five follow-up biopsies. I knew family and friends were praying.
“Five biopsies might be too difficult to get through in one day,” my physician said gently. “I can stop if we need to finish them at another appointment.”
“Oh no, Doctor,” I said politely, “Today let’s get ‘er done.” The phrase Let’s get ‘er done would become my mantra in the months ahead.
When the results were ready, my husband and I drove to Katy Hospital to meet with a nurse navigator who told us all of my biopsies were positive with DCIS cancer, which had also spread to my lymph nodes. My next steps were to choose a surgeon and an oncologist.
Four days later, still reeling from my own nightmare, I received the shocking news that my older sister—who already battled MS and diabetes—had also been diagnosed with DCIS breast cancer. Hers was spotted in both breasts but didn’t involve any lymph nodes.
Wow God! Really?!
As I sought to process these dual diagnoses, I stood in front of my kitchen sink, where a plaque said, “There is always hope.” Was I going to believe it when I really needed to?
“God, I’m scared—no, I’m terrified for me and my sister!” I prayed. “But why not me—other women get breast cancer. God, what are you planning to do? Because I want to live! But whether I live or die, I know you’ve got this.”
I also prayed for my sister. “God, you know she has MS and diabetes. If one of us has to have a tough treatment, please let it be me.”
Mercifully, God later said “You got it.” My sister would have an immediate bilateral mastectomy with no additional chemotherapy or radiation. Praise God!
Despite my brave prayers, I cried buckets of tears. But as I began to face this dark reality, support began rolling in. My new community group at church rallied around me and my sister. While we waited for appointments, they prayed over us. My friends even gave me a chemo shower, where I received gifts to help me get through the five-month chemo journey, such as hats and a mastectomy pillow.
My closest girlfriends dropped in to pray over me in person. High school friends from all over Texas put together a huge shoebox of cards full of prayers, funny memories and photos. When my treatment began, I had a card to open each day. Friends drove me to appointments, and hot, comforting meals arrived at just the right time.
Even with incredible support, the months ahead looked impossible. How does someone go through five months of chemotherapy?
One.
Day.
At a time.
For each day, I had a faithful God who walked with me through every detail. Rough days included symptoms like a racing heart rate, low protein labs, rashes—and lies from Satan that God didn’t love me enough to spare me this pain. And so many fears! Yet God’s presence somehow lightened my burdens.
Every day God renewed my hope, another answer to prayer from the early days of my journey. Every day another card from the shoebox lifted me. People I’d never met before spoke hope and encouragement to me. Hobby Lobby greeted me with a huge wooden HOPE sign when I walked into the store one day. Hope became an action word propelling me forward.
People all around me were looking for hope. I prayed, “God, may others see You at work in me and this cancer and find hope.”
After all the chemo was finished, I had to face the day I would lose my left breast. The night before surgery, my husband held me while I cried myself to sleep.
In the morning, I was surprised by peace and the thought, Let’s get er’ done! I’m ready to get rid of this ugly cancer once and for all!
My surgeon removed the breast and fifteen lymph nodes. I spent one night in the hospital and went home to recover with good news: only seven of the lymph nodes were positive for cancer cells.
After I recovered from surgery, a girlfriend called to invite me to a support group at her church called CanHope. When we showed up, I looked like a typical chemo cancer patient—skinny and hairless. I chatted and ate dinner with other cancer survivors at round tables. Then we moved into the chapel to hear a message about Jesus being the best caregiver. CanHope attenders gave health updates, and we laid hands on and prayed for each other. The camaraderie was amazing.
But my journey wasn’t over yet. After healing from surgery, I started 20 radiation treatments. Reconstructive surgery waited several months down the road.
While having lunch with a friend one day, I ran into my pastor.
“Why don’t we have a ministry at Kingsland for people going through cancer?” I asked him. “We should.”
“You’re so right, Mechele,” he said. Then he smiled at me. “So what are you going to do about that?”
My pastor was bold, but I sensed God calling me to start a new ministry at our church called OneHope modeled after CanHope.
Since then, God has used me and my friend Debbie—both cancer survivors—alongside a wonderful team to start OneHope at our church, serving those walking through cancer and chronic illness as well as their caregivers. He has provided incredibly encouraging speakers each month. Group members support each other during their hardest journeys, praying together and pointing each other to Scripture.
OneHope’s theme passage is 2 Cor 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
God has not wasted my cancer but has given me a heart to comfort others.
He is truly my One Hope.
