God’s Plan

“If I had to do it all over, and God said, ‘I’m going to give you a son with cancer,’ I’d do it all again—no question,” Karen says.

When her son Tyler was 2.5 years old, he was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, and Karen & her family’s lives were changed forever. Tyler was given a 30% chance to survive 5 years. They geared up for the fight, and Karen knew she’d do whatever was necessary to save her son.

Karen grew up Buddhist but believed in God outside of Buddhism. She visited Christian churches as a child but was not a believer. Now, facing this wall of uncertainty without a strong faith to lean on, she began to seek God.

After 4 rounds of chemo, Tyler needed surgery to remove a tumor, and the doctor said there was a 95% chance they would also need to remove his kidney. On the way to the hospital, Karen prayed, “If Christianity is real, show me a cross.” But not just any cross. Karen is an engineer with a scientific mind and wanted actual evidence, an undeniable sign it was from God. While Tyler was in surgery, she prayed for his kidney to be saved, and when she opened her eyes and looked out the window, there was a very clear cross in the sky. Skeptical, she called her husband over, and he saw it too. A sudden sense of peace rushed over her. The doctor came out and told them they were able to save Tyler’s kidney.

Tyler had stem cell transplants, chemo, radiation, and experimental treatments, and his cancer cleared but relapsed. During this time, God led Karen & her family to church where they saw the church acting in compassion, and they felt the love of Christ. The entire congregation prayed for Tyler & his family, and after that prayer a tumor on his eye disappeared and the worst of Tyler's pain was relieved. Though the cancer remained, they were given extra time to spend with him. Tyler made it to his 5th birthday, and he passed in April 2005.

“I’m so grateful for the time I had with my son and for God’s plan,” Karen says. She will always love and miss her son—that doesn’t go away—but God used this loss for his greater plan. “We were trying to save Tyler from cancer, but Tyler saved our family instead by bringing us to Christ.”