Welcome to Part 2 of my story. If you missed Part 1, I'd encourage you to go back and start there first. Today I want to tell you about the moment I became born again during cancer — not in a church, not in a hospital chapel, but in the vegetable section of a Costco on a Friday night in January 2017. And I promise you, it changed everything.
But before I get there, I need to be honest with you about where I was spiritually. Because I think it matters for everything that comes next.
WHERE I WAS BEFORE BEING BORN AGAIN DURING CANCER
Back in 2017, I would have called myself a lukewarm Christian. I was a believer — God was part of my life, I occasionally went to church, I prayed when things got hard. But honestly? I was going through the motions. On the outside, things looked solid enough. On the inside, I knew something was missing. That deep, personal relationship with Jesus — the kind where you are actively seeking Him every single day — I simply didn't have it.
Maybe you can relate to that. If you are being honest with yourself and that description sounds familiar, please pay close attention to what comes next. Because what happened to me might change your life too.
PICKING UP WHERE WE LEFT OFF
At the end of Part 1, we had just connected with a urologist at UW Medicine in Bellevue — a breakthrough that came entirely through prayer and the prayer team at Lorrie's father's church. I want to give a very special thank-you to Katia, the woman from that church who made the call that got this whole chain of miracles rolling. She had no idea what she was setting in motion.
That Thursday, we met with the UW urologist. He did a scope of my bladder — and almost immediately pulled it back out. He said, "I've seen all I need to see. I don't want to disrupt anything in there. It is definitely a very large tumor, the size of a tennis ball, hanging on the wall of the bladder. It needs to come out as soon as possible."
He could no longer perform surgeries himself. However, he knew Dr. Lin at the University of Washington Medical Center — the surgeon Lorrie and I had been trying to reach for weeks. He said he would send my information over, but he couldn't promise anything. We left with more clarity than before, but still no confirmed surgeon and no plan we felt good about.
THE FRIDAY NIGHT GOD SHOWED UP
The next day — Friday — I led an all-day strategic planning session for a client that ran until after 6 pm. Exhausted, I still needed to stop at Costco on the way home. A quick errand, especially given I might be heading into surgery the following week with a surgeon we didn't trust.
I headed straight to the vegetable and fruit section in the back. While I was picking up salads and produce, my phone rang. Unknown number. By that point in this journey, I was answering everything.
The voice on the other end said: "This is Dr. Lin calling. I understand you have been trying to get in to see me. I got a text from the doctor at UW Medicine about your tumor. As it happens, for some strange reason, a surgery I had scheduled for next Wednesday just canceled. This rarely happens. If you are available next week, I would be willing to do your surgery."
I left my cart right there and rushed to the bread aisle. And I fell to my knees.
In tears. In Costco.
This is what being born again during cancer looks like — not a ceremony, not a program, not a scheduled moment at an altar. It is God showing up in the most ordinary place at the most impossible moment and making it completely undeniable that He is there. I said yes to Dr. Lin immediately — surgery Wednesday morning, 6 am, no pre-op meeting needed. And then I just stood there, overwhelmed.
WHAT I KNEW IN THAT MOMENT
There is only one way that phone call could have happened. God.
The prayer team had been praying for this specific door. Lorrie had worked tirelessly through every human channel available. Nevertheless, none of it had been enough — until God, in one single instant, caused someone else to cancel so that Dr. Lin could call me on a Friday night in a grocery store.
Furthermore, for the first time in my life, I truly understood what it meant to be born again during cancer. It means leaving one version of yourself behind and stepping fully into a real, personal relationship with Jesus. There were no fancy lights, no dramatic signs. I simply felt His presence, His warmth, and a peace I had never experienced before — a peace that surpassed every bit of my understanding.
I called Lorrie immediately. She couldn't believe it either.
From that moment forward, I was all in. How could I not be? He had just moved mountains. He had opened a door that had been shut with no human way through it. And He had done it at exactly the right moment, in exactly the right way, to make sure I knew — without question — that it was Him.
THE PEACE THAT PASSES UNDERSTANDING
Philippians 4:6-7 describes exactly what I experienced that night:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
The prayer had been prayed. And the peace arrived. Consequently, from that day forward, I knew that whatever happened with my cancer journey was going to be OK — not because the outcome was guaranteed, but because Jesus was with me. He had proven it in a way I could not explain away.
If you are walking through your own diagnosis right now, I want you to hear this: Jesus is already with you. He has never left your side. All you have to do is turn to Him and ask — "Please help me through this. I need you." He will show up. He showed up for me in a Costco vegetable aisle, and He will show up for you wherever you are today.
No matter what you are facing on your journey with cancer or in life, remember: you are NEVER ALONE. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always with you and ready to help. All you have to do is ask, give it all to Jesus, and let him go to work.
Thank you for listening to Part 2 of my story. I can't wait to share more in Part 3 — and as I always say, you haven't heard anything yet.