My Dreams Came True—and I Nearly Died
By Andrea Herzer
Celebrating 2024 takes on a different dimension when you have a potentially life-limiting illness. Just over a year ago, my oncologist said I would not live to see 2023. She cautioned me about traveling and described (in detail) all the ways my advanced-stage cancer could lead to a medical emergency.
Undeterred, I prayerfully decided to delay chemotherapy. You see, I had almost died from complications during previous cancer treatments. My oncologist even admitted as much when she told me, “I’m just so glad you lived! It’s poor form to kill the patient with the treatment.”
Although this isn’t the right choice for everyone, or even feasible for many, I decided to postpone treatments and instead soak up salt-water and sand-filled days making memories with my family. So, after much prayer and discussion, off we went to my favorite island paradise.
Spoiler alert: By the grace of God, I am still alive.
About Andrea
Having spent the last 20 years enduring life with multiple illnesses, including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Andrea is intimately acquainted with the hardships that accompany debilitating health issues. Navigating life while undergoing infusions, chemotherapy, more than 100 surgical procedures, and all the complications in between has given her deep compassion for those who also suffer.
Andrea’s devotionals have been read everywhere from her church pulpit to a radio station in Ghana, Africa. You can find her work on Christianity Today, iBelieve, Crosswalk, and OnePlace websites.
Over the last two decades, she wrote Incurable Faith to help others find the pathway to a life that overflows with the beautiful riches of God’s sustaining love even in the midst of pain and suffering.
One of her greatest joys is interacting with members of her Facebook Group. She is passionate about building others up in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ by providing them with practical tools to embrace spiritual abundance.