“Malignant.” The word stood out in big, red letters as Kim Anderson stared at the biopsy results. Just a few months earlier, everything had seemed fine. But when a minor head cold led to what appeared to be swollen glands that never quite went away, multiple tests revealed a shocking diagnosis: thyroid cancer.
Just a few weeks prior, Kim’s husband had lost his job. They had less than two months left before their insurance policy would end, and the clock was ticking for a treatment plan to be put into place. “It's going to be an act of God if you get to see a specialist for a second opinion before the end of the year,” Kim’s sister-in-law told her.
“I didn't know what to do,” Kim reflected, “and I prayed.” She told her brother, “I know that God's going to take care of me, but I don't know which way to go. The way seems so dark.”
As she waited for God to open doors to an appointment, Kim recalls walking her dog before sunrise one morning: “It was foggy and I knew the way forward…but I could not see it. It was pitch black.” As she continued her walk, she realized the illustration that was being unveiled before her: no matter how dark the path seemed, she just had to keep moving forward. “[It was like] God was saying to me, ‘I’m there. It’s going to be okay.’ And he really moved mountains.” It wasn’t long after that day that an appointment cancellation led to an opening for Kim to see a specialist in Philadelphia.
Through her cancer diagnosis, Kim learned that she had not only one tumor that needed to be addressed, but a second, parotid tumor on the side of her face was also causing concern. “I can take care of the thyroid cancer,” Kim’s doctor told her, “but the MRI shows this other tumor is bigger and deeper, and I need to refer you to the lead surgeon.” Kim had just days left on her insurance policy and she didn’t know how long it would take to find an appointment with this new specialist. But she was trusting God to provide in His timing. In the meantime, she underwent the scheduled surgery to address the thyroid cancer – a procedure that took place just four days before Christmas. “When I realized I was going to have to face that daunting cancer mountain, I knew he would give strength for the climb, because the reminders were everywhere in December: Emmanuel, God with us.”
Just weeks after her thyroid surgery, Kim was able to meet with the lead surgeon in Philadelphia. She learned that the parotid tumor would require extensive surgery – a ten-hour procedure including not only the removal of the tumor, but a bone removal and facial reconstruction as well. The biggest danger with this procedure is permanent damage to the facial nerve, which meant loss of muscle control or facial paralysis could be imminent. “It was overwhelming,” Kim said. “On the way home from my appointment, I was thinking, ‘Okay, now what’s the next step? How do I get to the next point?’”
A week later, the insurance company called. “Do you know that your doctors are out of network, and none of this is covered?” they asked. Kim was at a loss. Her husband had recently found a new job, and after all the research she’d done to ensure her team of doctors was in-network with their new insurance, she now learned that nothing would be covered. Again, she felt like she didn’t know what to do. She was searching for answers in the dark.
Kim was facing a six-day hospitalization and month-long recovery. Paying that kind of hospital bill out-of-pocket would have been financially devastating. After a long fight with the insurance company, a one-night hospital stay was finally approved. “This is a start,” Kim thought, but in the back of her mind, she knew the doctor said she’d need to be admitted for six nights.
Meanwhile, surgery was looming. The thought of damage to Kim’s facial nerve was troubling, and the doctor said the possibility of no facial reconstruction would be very unlikely. But Kim kept trusting that God would lead her through the dark. “I thought, ‘Okay, I'm going to ask people to pray [for] the very, very, very slim chance that I wouldn’t need reconstruction.’” And she had an army of people praying with her.
When the day of surgery came, Kim’s team of doctors prepped her for the extensive procedure. Of that day, Kim reflects, “When I came out of recovery, I remember saying to them, ‘What time is it?’ And they said, ‘Twelve o'clock.’ I knew it was 10 hours in the O.R., so I'm thinking, ‘Okay, so it must be midnight…that was a very long time.’”
As she asked what time it was, Kim’s medical team told her, “We didn't have to do the reconstruction.” While the tumor hadn’t decreased in size, the surgeon found that it was easier to remove than anticipated. Kim was in disbelief. It seemed like a miracle. “I said, ‘You didn't have to do the reconstruction?!’ and I put my hand on my face and I could feel it. So that meant they didn't have to cut my facial nerve. And then I put my hand to my thigh and I could feel my leg, and that means that there's no reconstruction there. And then I lifted my hands, and I said, ‘Jehovah, Rapha, the God who heals!’ And I didn’t care who heard me!”
Not only did God answer Kim’s very specific prayer for no reconstruction or permanent damage to the facial nerve, but that reality also meant a shorter hospital stay: one night, to be exact. “That's how God resolved the insurance issue.” God was leading Kim all along, working even through that “start” of a one-night hospital stay. It wasn’t just a start; it was all she needed.
The day before Kim’s surgery, Kim’s friend came to pray with her: “She prayed for no surprises. Of course, that didn't happen because God surprised us!” Kim said.
Kim recalls reading that word, “malignant,” at the beginning of her journey: “I didn’t fall apart,” she said. “I just felt like God was preparing me and whatever would happen, it would be okay.”
Just prior to her diagnosis, she had been working on memorizing Psalm 27:
Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27: 1-2, 13-14 (ESV)
“So [because of reading this,] there are a couple of things I know: that God is good, and He is faithful. He provides the light we need for the path.”
Before surgery, some friends had reached out to Kim, remarking how frightened she must have been. “It seemed very dark.
‘But,’ I told them, ‘I have peace.’” A quote by author, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, had recently hit close to home: “The storm you are in will not last one moment longer or be one degree more intense than God intends for your good and for His glory.” Kim continued, “Psalm 29 says that the Lord blesses His people with peace, and I could face what was uncertain…knowing that He’s been with me and He’s going to continue to be.”
When asked about the importance of community, Kim remarked, “I don’t suffer in silence very well. I think there’s a reason that God has given us community. We’re not islands, and the body of Christ has profoundly impacted my life. A lot of people were praying for me.” People brought meals, offered to clean the Anderson’s home, and offered to help with transportation. They sent care packages, cards, texts, and encouraging messages. “God knew what He was doing when he designed the body of Christ. We can’t rejoice with others if we’re not vulnerable to share. If we don’t know what’s going on in someone else’s life, we can’t be a part of the victory when God answers.”
Kim had people all around the world praying for her. From her Adult Bible Fellowship, to friends and family, medical professionals she’d worked with, and her daughter’s third grade class in Indonesia, who cheered in the classroom when they heard that God had answered their prayers. “I’m sitting here today because of someone seeing God’s answered prayer, praying with me, and saying, ‘Now you need to go tell it.’”
“God can allow me to go through the fire. He will be with me. God is good. He is faithful. He answers prayers in ways that we don’t expect. His ways are always good. Even if the outcome would have been different, it would have been okay. God is still good. He would have seen me through. This may not be a closed chapter. This may be a lifelong thing…but it’s going to be okay. No matter how many days we have left, we want to live them to the fullest for what God has for us. If I’m honoring Him and giving Him glory with whichever way the path leads, that’s what it’s about.”