Growing in Faith Through Cancer

April 29, 2026 / by Jill Matheis

On July 31, 2025, I had surgery to remove a small tumor from my bladder which was diagnosed as cancer. After hearing the word cancer, my mind went a lot of different directions.

I needed to research and find out more about this disease that I have. What are the common treatments, best treatment facilities, and new medications? I had to decide what my next step would be. There were a lot of decisions to make. I had never realized how many decisions a newly diagnosed cancer patient faces. I was overwhelmed and my thoughts were consumed by cancer.

After the initial shock wore off, I realized that I needed to bring all of these concerns and anxious thoughts to God. I have a deep faith in God and believe He hears all of our prayers, but sometimes I forget that going to Him should be the first step when we are faced with something challenging. I reminded myself that my cancer diagnosis was not a surprise to God, so I needed to trust that He would care for me and my family during this journey.

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Philippians 4:6 became very personal to me as I started my cancer journey. God has answered so many prayers since July, and I can rely on His loving sovereignty. I was fighting a physical illness, but there were other family members, friends, and people at church going through difficult things too. As I focused on praying for specific needs of others, Jesus gave me peace with my own situation. When I saw prayers being answered, I became more in awe of His greatness, grace, and love. In February, God answered a prayer in a big way when my latest biopsy results came back benign. Praise God for answered prayers!

As I’ve become more intentional in my prayer life, my faith has also grown. I still have a long way to go, but when I earnestly pray over a person or situation, I’m finding it easier to release that concern to a loving Savior. I can trust that He hears my prayers and is in complete control. Do I still sometimes get anxious, impatient, and fearful? Of course I do, but I trust that as I continue to grow in faith, I will become more Christ-like, and God will be glorified.

Jill is married to Tom and they have 3 adult children. Erica (married to Michael), Nathan, and Grace. Jill works part-time as an office manager for a construction company and enjoys doing yard work, going on long walks, playing board games, and spending time with family.