Living with Cancer: Comfort, Compassion, and Community

Max Lucado wrote in his Live Loved Devotional, “A season of suffering is a small assignment when compared to the reward. Rather than begrudge your problem, explore it. Ponder it. And most of all, use it. Use it to the Glory of God. Your pain has a purpose.” They say when something bad happens you have 3 choices, you can either let it define you, destroy you or strengthen you. Debra Burns shares he...

It’s Fall Ya’ll and time to slow down. I love this season between summer and winter. In Florida it means we spend more time outside enjoying our patio and taking long walks. I’ve been busy visiting friends in Indy, Orlando, New Smyrna Beach, and planned a getaway to Clearwater Beach with Steve for a few days. In this episode I encourage you to pray the prayer of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4:10 , “Oh,...

Have you ever been pregnant with vision? Although I’ve never been pregnant, I felt like I was pregnant with a purpose and vision for my life. Imagine what it would be like to live a life with expectancy. Need a community to connect with? The Living with Cancer Support Group meets on Tuesdays at noon on zoom. Register Here · Website: www. DebraBurns.net · Amazon: https://bit.ly/4c0AaFb · Facebook:...

Today’s podcast was inspired by a message from Megan Marshman regarding James 1:2-4. Where do we find pure joy in the midst of battling cancer? What does it look like? How do we stop striving and just let God do what He’s going to do and be at peace with it? Are you ready to let go and let God? The Living with Cancer Support Group meets on Tuesdays at noon on zoom. Register Here · Website: www. De...

After watching the 2024 Olympics, I found some interesting insight during the gymnastics competitions. The announcers pointed out that the girls’ eyes were supposed to be focused on the end of the balance beam but when they fell, their eyes were on the mat. Where their eyes went, so did their bodies. This got me thinking about our situation in dealing with cancer and life. How often do we find our...

“Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. If you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. If you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.” If you have cheated death, what does the rest of your life mean to you? How has getting cancer impacted on your life? Will you be a different person on the other...

Cancer Support Group Registration Link: Register Here · Website: www. DebraBurns.net · Amazon: https://bit.ly/4c0AaFb · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debm.burns · YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ci2LJSqRpes · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraburns28/ · Email: connect@debraburns.net · Check out more online support groups www.inheritanceofhope.org & www.islamae.org

Acceptance may look different for each person. I believe there is a sense of peace and calmness around the person who has accepted God’s will for their life. “You can tell God about your big problems, or you can tell your problems you have a big God!” Cancer Support Group Registration Link: Register Here · Website: www. DebraBurns.net · Amazon: https://bit.ly/4c0AaFb · Facebook: https://www.facebo...

Is your confidence in God or people? Are you grieving things or people you have lost? How do you replace grief with joy? People with faith put their trust in God gradually. It does not happen all at once; it grows over time. We go through trials to activate our faith in God. He is the source of our hope. He promises to fill us with joy and peace as we trust in Him. Our confidence comes from the ho...

The definition of resilience is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness . To recover quickly from difficulties. That’s us! I hope you feel the grace of God is carrying you through and giving you strength to persevere, that’s resilience!! · Website: www. DebraBurns.net · Amazon: https://bit.ly/4c0AaFb · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debm.burns · YouTube: ht...

Even though we experience dark valleys and hard times, the Shepherd promises to be with us. Goodness, mercy and love will sustain us all the days of our lives. We don’t need to be trapped by fear, despair or rage. The table He’s prepared for us is one of peace, clarity and abundance. According to a book my friend gave me called, “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table” by Louie Giglio. Pg. 30....

Cancer can make you feel out of control. Some patients want to know how much time they have left but doctors don’t really know, and some choose not to give you a prognosis. Some doctors tell you a specific time frame and you may not appreciate knowing. Both options can wreak havoc on your mental stability. So, I suggested we focus on the few things we do have control over. I learned many years ago...

Do you ever think that if you give in to despair and start crying, you may never stop? This little girl says that when we feel the weight of despair, we can cry and release it. Nothing bad will happen. We must face our feelings and give ourselves permission to cry. Sometimes people just need a good cry. Tears are cleansing. Denying tears can prevent us from working through our pain right at the mo...

There may be times during your cancer treatment or after surgery when you feel horrible, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually too. Pain and suffering affect our mind, body, and spirit. Have you taken time to think about the big picture? There is an eternity waiting for each one of us! Eternity began the minute you were born. We are living for eternity while we are here on earth. Sin...

The truth about college they never tell you is that it’s not the knowledge you gain from books, lectures, and tests that prepare you, it’s the experiences that you are having along the way that shape you. There is so much more going on in your life that is making you who are becoming. Trust the process. Looking back over my cancer journey of three years, I too need to tell myself to Trust the proc...

During this season of healing your body, God is refreshing your soul too. He is guiding you, helping you, giving you strength and you are lacking nothing because He is taking care of all of your needs. Let your heart be filled with His love. Sit at His feet and feel His presence with you right now. He wants to cover you with His grace through the darkness. The Living with Cancer podcast was create...

Tim McGraw sings, “Live Like You’re Dying” but we can live a full and productive life even with cancer! Through Isla Mae non-profit friends can sponsor a patient to treat them to a day of beauty at the Isla Mae Spa in Jacksonville, FL coming this fall. It’s such a practical and unique way to show someone you care. Check out their online support and upcoming summer retreat. www.islamae.org Suggeste...

There may be times during your cancer battle you feel so overwhelmed with the unknown future or the multitude of side effects that you just feel like you’re sinking. When you are under too long, who are the people that will look for you, notice you aren't surfacing, and dive in to pull you to the surface when you lose your strength to swim in life? Todays episode is all about uplifting encounters...

Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with cancer? Do you need a supportive group that understands and wants to encourage and uplift one another?! A place where we can laugh or cry at the emotions, we face each day or every hour! Today I share how we can meet weekly and build a community from the comfort of your home. The best part is it’s online, free of medical advice, cliche answers and f...

“Keep on.” Those two little words meant the world to me. When you feel like giving in, Keep on. When you’re too tired to think. Keep on. Find out how you can keep on and help others get through the tough days. In this episode I invite you to join the Just Show Up Book Club with Inheritance of Hope starting May 29, 2024 at 11am. You can find out more details at www.inheritanceofhope.org and registe...

Have you cried out in desperation before? Do you give yourself permission to cry and scream and weep over what you are going through? It’s normal to feel like you’re grieving when you realize your life will never be the same. Crying is part of healing. It releases tension and gets painful feelings out in the open. For those who are willing to sit with a hurting person and be silent, we thank you....

As we try to navigate our way through this life-threatening battle, we open ourselves up to all sorts of information on the internet. It can be so overwhelming and confusing which leads to frustration and even anger. The internet is full of miss-information so beware! Michael Cane, the actor shared this during an interview, he said, “Use the difficulty. How can we work with it? What can we get out...

Have you ever felt so grateful for your life. Or your health. Or a good report? It’s a whole new level of gratitude like I’ve never experienced before. Gratitude. That’s what I want to talk about this week. It’s hard to be grateful for cancer. The notion sounds ridiculous. And yet when I wrote the book, “Grace Through the Darkness” in 2021 chapter 8 reflects how I was feeling 3 years ago. A quote...

Do you have a community of support around you? Have you heard about Inheritance of Hope? This non-profit organization inspires hopes for families dealing with illness by offering online resources and support for the whole family. For over two years I kept putting off finding a support group. I’m so glad I joined Inheritance of Hope when I did! They have resources for the caregivers and for the chi...

Welcome to episode six! Today let’s talk about sharing your diagnosis with family and friends. How to do it and when to do it is the one thing you get to control. You will come across all sorts of reactions. Some helpful and some, not so much. My husband often reminded me that you can’t fix stupid. Are you dealing with insomnia? Debra shares the secret of coping with insomnia. Grace is the strengt...