Beyond the Diagnosis: Breast Cancer, Faith, and Purpose

Author: Christina K. Nash, MBA

I was first diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2017, at the age of 33. Five years later, I learned that the breast cancer had metastasized. That news forced me to confront not only what was happening in my body, but also how I had been living – and what I believed healing truly required.

In 2017, I was in the busyness of life – getting through my daily To Do list, raising my children, climbing the corporate ladder, being a wife, socializing with friends, keeping house – doing all the things I was supposed to be doing. I saw the diagnosis as a nuisance and did not stop to process my feelings about chemotherapy treatment, removing my breast, and all the ways in which my life was going to change as a result of cancer. I just pushed through, as many of us tend to do. I swallowed my sadness, put on a performative smile and a cheerful attitude and continued my busy life. I continued for 5 years with the busyness habits... I idolized material and external achievements, but my soul was broken.

Before cancer, I understood health mostly through the Western medical framework I knew, which emphasized treating illness once symptoms appeared. I did not yet understand how deeply my well-being could be affected by the connection among mind, body, and spirit; by nutrition; or by the nurturing power I ultimately found in God’s creation. I knew exercise mattered and balanced meals nourished my body, but that was the extent of my health knowledge. I worked too many hours, sat at my desk for too long, ate poorly, drank too little water and too much wine, slept too few hours, and lived under constant emotional stress from toxic relationships. My health was in chaos, but it felt normal to me. After all, I appeared to be living what many would call the American dream: I was married with two children, had earned an MBA from a top-tier academic institution, was building a successful career at a stable organization, and was financially secure. I had placed these material treasures above my health and my spirit.

As a long-time Christ follower, I knew scriptures that warn against placing worldly pleasures and achievements above God (Luke 12:15-21, Luke 16:13, Luke 18:22-24, I Timothy 6:10, Ecclesiastes 5:10, Psalm 62:10). Yet my joy was misplaced in these fleeting manifestations of success. I had become desensitized to worshiping the blessings instead of the blesser. I was a good person by the world’s standards. I contributed to charitable causes, provided financial support to those around me in need, gave a weekly offering at church, and carried myself in a polite manner. However, my soul – and health – languished because of the inward traits of the flesh. I was vain, judgmental, impatient, prideful, ashamed of past decisions, idolizing my success, and relying on alcohol. And I was hiding it all because these are character traits that can be masked by the skillful deceit of charm. My soul was sick, and my body was out of balance with the Creator. I was not connected to the source that provides peace and love. I came to understand and contend with these truths in 2022 when I learned the breast cancer had metastasized into early-Stage 4 cancer.

What is cancer?

In basic terms, cancer begins when changes in a cell’s DNA disrupt the instructions that normally regulate how the cell grows and divides. The altered cell can multiply uncontrollably, fail to perform its intended function, and interfere with healthy cells. Normal cells follow specialized instructions—for example, breast cells can produce milk, lung cells help exchange oxygen, and liver cells help process substances in the body. Through my spiritual lens, I came to see cancer cells as a metaphor for what happens when something operates outside its intended purpose: sin at a cellular level. I do not mean that cancer is sin or that a patient’s spiritual condition causes the disease. Rather, the metaphor helped me make meaning of my experience. Medical treatment remains essential, and I also found value in caring for my emotional and spiritual well-being.

For me, studying the Word of God from a historical perspective gave me grounding. I love history and facts, so an academic approach to bible-reading grew my appetite for more. I listened to productions about the Gospels (by Jordan Peterson) and then decided to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John…and re-read them. I was moved by what I learned and it healed my spirit: Jesus healed people who had faith, even if they were not Jews (Luke 7: 1-9). He, the Creator of the universe, was amazed by the faith of gentiles! Who knew God could be amazed by human being?! From that point on, I knew my healing would come through my faith. I began to read the writings of Paul and how to live by faith. Through the book of Romans, I saw myself for the first time – the ugly parts of me, the broken bits, the fears. And I also saw who God created me to be a truthful worshiper. My heart, my body, and my soul felt lighter at this revelation. The comfort and identity I had found in worldly possessions and achievements all of a sudden meant nothing to me. I was also freed from pain, shame, and guilt. I am forgiven because Jesus said so and I can live in the freedom that faith provides.

My faith does not ask me to choose between prayer and medicine.

I remain grateful for the science, physicians, treatments, and research that care for the body, and I encourage anyone facing breast cancer to seek trustworthy medical guidance and reliable information from resources such as the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and Breastcancer.org. Yet my journey has taught me that healing is larger than what can be measured in a scan or a laboratory result. Christ meets us in the places medicine cannot reach: the fear we hide, the shame we carry, the false identities we build, and the exhaustion of trying to control what we cannot. He heals the soul, teaches us to live in truth, and gives us peace even when our circumstances remain uncertain. I cannot promise what anyone’s physical outcome will be, including my own. I can say that a life grounded in Christ has become the healthiest foundation I know—a life in which I can receive medical care with wisdom, care for my whole being with honesty, and face each day with hope.