My mother kept her sanity through prayer and the promise that my sister and I had made to pray for her as well. I never actually told her that I made a request to my old high school to mention “the mother of an alumni who’s currently battling breast cancer” during morning prayers. Throughout my life, I was never certain whether or not prayer was actually effective — I prefer taking action over saying words — but somehow, it felt like our chances of pulling through had become almost certain. Maybe it was because a couple hundred more people were on our side or perhaps because God was?

What do we look for when we pray? Whatever it is, we found it.

About a week later, she underwent three days of surgery, bringing a Bible with her. Knowing that I had no cooking ability, that my sister was too young to be expected to cook and that my dad was too busy, she had cooked enough food for us to survive the week, but it wasn’t the same. I heard silence as I left the house instead of a reminder to bring my keys. My sister set three plates for dinner instead of four. I heard mother’s voice on the phone after a day, but it felt more like a week had passed. What did mother say the day she revealed her condition? Something about being thankful for what we have.

She returned on the third day with bandages and an exhausted face. Apparently, she was surrounded by cancer patients, most of whom were in a permanent state of gloom. Since then, she hasn’t been doing as much heavy lifting. The rest of us took on more responsibility around the home. It became harder to keep the energy going, but it’s getting easier again. My parents are still proud of our accomplishments at school, my sister and I still tease each other and we’re all very thankful that things turned out the way they did.

“As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on each of them and cured them” (Luke 4:40). I can attest to that. 

Not that the storm has passed. Chemotherapy. Radiation. Hormone therapy. A possibility that we might not have detected the cancer fast enough. But we’ve kept each other, our sanity and our faith. What pulled us through? Determination. Patience. Thankfulness. Love. Lots of prayer. It’s still uncertain.  But it’s good enough.

(Jed de los Reyes, 18, is a French Studies student at York University. Read his full profile at youthspeaknews.org)