Hurt, Pray, Love
Tamyra Kelly talks about her journey from breast cancer victim to survivor
WE THE PEOPLE
By Tabitha Ervin
Fort Wayne Ink Spot
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when people around the world honor and celebrate those who have passed on, survived or are fighting the disease. I spoke recently with Tamyra Kelly, a breast cancer survivor, about her journey fighting breast cancer but also of faith and forgiveness.
As she approaches her fifth year of being cancer-free, Kelly wanted to share her story battling cancer and also of receiving God's blessings for her life once she surrendered and forgave.
Kelly shared that as women we need to take care of ourselves spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. As busy wives, mothers, professionals and community leaders, sometimes we forget about our self-care and the daily stress or hurt we may be holding on to.
Kelly’s journey of carrying hurt and forgiveness in her heart, along with some real heart problems -- cardiomyopathy -- after having her last child in 1998, led her down an unhealthy road of stress and ultimately, a breast cancer diagnosis.
In January 2016, Francine’s Friends Mobile Mammography was in the parking lot where Kelly worked and she had an appointment. Not today, she said; it was cold, and she didn’t have time. But she went anyway, which led to a few follow-up appointments and then a final meeting with her doctor. After he gave her the bad news, Kelly passed out; when she came to, she began to cry. Her husband, Wayne Kelly Sr., said, “None of that, we are going to trust God.” And thus her cancer journey began.
Kelly had a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy. As she struggled with losing her hair, her husband reminded her that hair is transitory. As she reached her sixth treatment, her hair was gone, she had lost weight and her skin became darker.
At that point, Kelly prayed for healing and forgiveness, realizing she was bound by unforgiveness in her heart. One day her mother told her that she could pray for them. Why would I do that? she thought.
She knew she hadn’t forgiven; she buried the hurt deep inside. At this point, she realized she had to let go and surrender to God. Following her surrender, she entered her seventh treatment, when the doctors told her the cancer was gone and she would not need more treatments. She learned then that we have to let things go because the stress of unforgiveness can be dangerous to our bodies.
Kelly went from taking 13 pills a day to just three. She has a renewed mind and focus and teaches women about unforgiveness through speaking at churches and women’s conferences. She also says we shouldn’t fear therapy for our mental health, because we all can use professional support and therapy to assist us in processing our feelings and emotions that we may not be able to do on our own.
May this be a story that allows us all to reflect, check our hearts and minds, and remember self-care and checkups!
To reach Tamyra Kelly for conferences, go to her website wecanlivefree.com or find her on Facebook.
