The year 2024 started quietly. It was a chilly day, but the sunshine warmed it a little. I came across advice that said you shouldn’t do any cleaning, including laundry, on New Year’s Day, and I decided to heed it.

That afternoon, I went to my mom’s house to prepare and enjoy our usual New Year’s Day feast. I had been feeling some pain on my left side but shrugged it off as pulled muscles. After all, I had spent Saturday painting my bedroom with two coats of paint. Since I couldn’t move my bed, I had to paint around it—imagine the awkward stretching! Clearly, those were just overworked muscles.

Or so I thought.

The feast was delicious, and I went home feeling ready to start the new year at work. Still, I didn’t feel great. But again, I blamed the painting. I went to bed early, hoping to sleep it off.

Later that night, the pain on my left side flared up, worse than ever. I woke up with the most excruciating pain in my lower left abdomen. I dislike going to the ER, but by 12:30 a.m., I called my mom to take me there. The waiting room was packed, with an estimated 4–6 hour wait. The pain was so unbearable that I began throwing up. That was when I decided to leave and wait to see my doctor instead.

That night was long and horrific. The pain was relentless. I couldn’t go to work and was devastated to learn my doctor was fully booked. Instead, I went to urgent care, where I was told it might be kidney stones. They sent me home with prescriptions for antibiotics and muscle relaxers. Relief was on the horizon—finally!

But the week that followed was agonizing. I was at home, enduring what I believed to be kidney stone pain, alongside ab muscles sore from overexertion. By Sunday night, I sent a message to my doctor. They called back and fit me in the next afternoon. What a relief!

I mentioned I had been severely constipated, or rather blocked, and was told to try Miralax the following day. A CT scan was also ordered to confirm the kidney stone diagnosis. I felt certain we’d see those stones on the scan—how could it be anything else?

But when I got the email with my CT scan results, my heart sank.

No kidney stones.

Instead, the scan revealed a large mass on my ovary. WHAT?! An MRI was ordered, and I felt panic set in. The MRI confirmed it: a huge mass on my left ovary, along with a cancer marker test that came back alarmingly high.

Fear consumed me. “I don’t want to die now,” was the thought that raced through my mind. With urgent referrals, I was fast-tracked to see a gynecologic oncologist. I already knew surgery was inevitable to remove the mass, but questions lingered: What else might they find?

When you’re facing a possible cancer diagnosis, your mind races. I thought about the future, about the challenges ahead. I thought about how I lacked close friends to lean on, and how I had just started to feel content with my job, finances, and life. And now, this.

But in that moment, I realized I needed to trust God. I prayed for strength to get through the two weeks of waiting before my appointment, and for guidance to face whatever news Thursday would bring. Leaning on my faith gave me peace.

As I write this, the pain has subsided somewhat. I hold onto hope that it isn’t cancer. Regardless, I know I’ve faced tough times before, and I’ll get through this too.

Trust God, everyone—He is always there for us.