Have you ever been on a road trip where you came to a major roadblock and had to take a detour? That was my story of getting a breast cancer diagnosis in the midst of adoption.

Here’s what happened.

My background

I always wanted to have a family, but I didn’t meet the right guy, David, until I was 35.

Soon we married and lived in Alabama, and then eventually moved to Colorado. David had two children from a previous marriage, and then eventually we had two children of our own.

Yet, as I neared my upper 40s, I sensed our family wasn’t complete. An unexpected desire surfaced in my heart: adoption.

Kindling the desire

A few things kindled the desire, including an adoption event at our church. I began praying regularly about it, for a few years.

My husband wasn’t so sure we should adopt, but eventually he warmed to the idea, too. Soon we both began praying about what God might have in store for us.

Taking the next step

At first, we looked to foster adopt because the costs of international adoption seemed overwhelmingly high.

Yet as we continued along the process, we were both drawn internationally. We have always had a heart for overseas missions and children living there.

One door closes, another opens

In November of 2010, we began pursuing adoption in China, but when medical evaluations revealed that both my husband and I had histories with minor basal cell skin cancer, we were quickly disqualified.

Our search turned to Africa, and through a series of events, we connected with an agency in Ethiopia. We were quickly approved, began raising the necessary funds and grew excited about a dream that was now becoming reality.

Then I faced some unexpected news—a major detour.

A surprising detour

As we started our home study process for adoption one morning, I noticed a lump.

I saw my doctor and a biopsy revealed that I had stage 1 breast cancer, or ductal carcinoma.

David and I wept when we found out I had cancer, knowing all this could mean for our future, my health, and especially adoption.

A dead end

I was already familiar with cancer and how terrible it can be: my grandma had passed away from it, years later my dad died from colon cancer, and my sister is a Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor.

I didn’t fear dying, especially because my diagnosis was minor, but I feared it would derail the adoption—perhaps permanently.

Though I was tempted to conceal my cancer diagnosis from the agency, I let them know the news and they put our application on hold.

What seemed like a detour was now looking like a dead end.

How I found hope, strength and peace

I’ve had a relationship with God since I was young, and he is where I turn to find hope.

When I heard I had cancer, I grew confused. I asked God, “Why is this happening to me?”

It seemed that God had called us to adopt, and now we faced this dead end, or at least a major detour.

Yet I found hope through prayer and words from the Bible including Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.”

I began to trust God and experience peace about the situation, even though I wasn’t sure what would happen.

A Bend in the Road

During this time, a friend shared a poem with me called, “A Bend in the Road,” by Helen Steiner Rice. Lines like this seemed perfect for my situation:

“And together we stand at life’s crossroads

And view what we think is the end,

But God has a much bigger vision,

And He tells us it’s only a bend.”

As I read the poem, I felt like God was telling me that he is standing at this crossroads of adoption and health issues with me, and even though it looked like the end, it wouldn’t be.

I needed this assurance, as there were still many bends to come.

Pursuing treatment

Before we could take the next step with adoption, first I needed to deal with cancer.

In March, I had a lumpectomy but soon found out the margins were not clear, meaning some cancer remained. My doctor repeated the surgery a few weeks later, but again, they failed to get the margins.

We discussed a third surgery, but they couldn’t guarantee success. They suggested radiation—which would continue to delay adoption, not to mention how it could impact my health.

I decided to get a mastectomy and be done with it. While it wasn’t an easy decision, it seemed like the best path for me.

I had surgery on my 50^th birthday, and a month later, my doctor declared me cancer free. Soon after, our agency allowed us to restart the adoption process through Ethiopia.

Dreams of hope

During the waiting period, my husband had a dream about two beautiful Ethiopian girls. It seemed that God was showing us that we would not be adopting one, but two children!

Sure enough, we soon learned the agency had two Ethiopian sisters up for adoption, ages 6 and 8. God held them for us until we were able to resume our journey.

“My hope”

I learned their last name was Tesfaye, which means “my hope.” I was struck by this, as it attests to God’s hand in this situation.

My cancer journey was a time of darkness, confusion and searching, but Jesus gave me hope. He answered my prayers and led me out of darkness and into light. On the other side of my sorrow was great joy.

Adding to our family

Just six months later, after more paperwork and a court visit in Ethiopia, we officially adopted the girls and brought them home to our family on February 18, 2012!

Our family pictures during the next few years show the joyful story: opening Christmas presents together, family camping trips and ski trips, the girls’ faces changing from shy and reserved to exuberant smiles, the contented happiness of two beautiful souls who found a family.

Where I’m at today

Our family is doing great. Both girls are now in college, one locally and the other in California.

I have remained cancer free though a few years ago I had to go back under the knife for a total capsulectomy, which was challenging.

As I have struggled with the aftermath of surgeries, what has given me hope is not fixing my eyes on what is seen—my broken body—but what is unseen: God and his eternal promises for me (2 Corinthians 2:4).

Advice for others

If you are going through cancer, it’s important to surround yourself with a strong support group.

Maybe, cancer has come and blocked some of your dreams, like it did for me. Know that even facing dead ends, you can find hope.

Having a relationship with God is key to finding hope. If you don’t know him, pray and ask him to reveal himself to you. He says he will be faithful to do that.

For those who already know God, draw near to him and remember that he will be faithful in both small and big ways. His grace and mercy are sufficient to carry you through all the ups, downs, bumps and seemingly dead ends of your journey.

If you have placed your faith in him, the best is yet to come.