Last week, the Richland Source news site included the story of Robin Walker, a member of Grace Church, a Charis Fellowship congregation in Lexington, Ohio (Nathanial Foote, lead pastor). Robin was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2013, which began a series of hardships in her life. The article traces her path of faith, including that she had her last treatment five years ago. A portion of the story appears below. Click here to read the complete article.
Bellville woman views past hardships through lens of faith
Robin Walker, 57, believes everything happens for a reason.
Even in the most devastating of circumstances, the Bellville resident has clung to her faith, trusting that the Lord has a plan and purpose for everything.
On April 10, 2013, Walker was diagnosed with stage IIIB colon cancer after coping with sickness for about two years, not knowing the cause for her illness.
“I had no energy. I was very lethargic. I would feel very nauseous, and yet I wouldn’t get sick. I kept having issues with blood in my bowels, and so I went to the doctor and the doctor referred me to a surgeon who said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s the cleanest colon I have ever seen in my life,’” Walker recalled.
The surgeon advised that she lose some weight, encouraging her to eat healthy and exercise — which she had already been doing, she said.
“I was trying everything,” she said. “I tried gluten-free and I would lose 20 pounds and then it would come right back on. I tried all these things.”
Her visits to the doctor became more frequent as she wasn’t feeling any better.
“I said, ‘Something’s not right here. I’m still bleeding. It hasn’t stopped,’” she told the doctor.
“And he was like, ‘I’m telling you, if you had cancer, this would be going on, and this would be going on. There’s nothing wrong you.’”
Walker carried on as best she could until one day while exercising at the YMCA she collapsed. That same day at work at Haring Reality, a colleague referred her to a physician who was able to see her the next day and scheduled a colonoscopy.
“When I woke up from (the colonoscopy), my husband was sitting in the chair, he was crying, and my doctor was crying,” she said. “He just looked at me and said, ‘I’m so sorry. You have cancer.’”
Click here to read the complete article.