Grace Was Already at Work
A brief conversation became a cornerstone of prayer.
A.M.D.G.
April 26, 2024 is a day that I will never forget. It was the day I first heard the word “cancer” as a possible diagnosis. It was a frightening moment filled with tears and anxiety. A new chapter was beginning in my life. Little did I know that God had been preparing me for this moment through little graces for over twenty years.
It felt like this journey started on April 24, 2024, when I first went to the Emergency Department at one of our local hospitals. There was some gastrointestinal discomfort that had been ramping up over the past week and I had experienced some moderate back pain over the course of a few days. Things finally reached a breaking point when I woke my wife up at 3:00 am to tell her things were worse and we needed to go to the hospital. I had two unbearable pains in my abdomen. It felt like the strongest person I knew was jabbing two knuckles from each hand into the tissue below my ribcage on both sides of my stomach. My pain level had reached a 10/10 by the time we made it to the hospital.
At first, the doctors were suspicious that my diet over the past week had caused pancreatitis (an inflamed pancreas). They offered some pain medications, advised that I move from the previous week’s less than ideal diet, and follow up with my primary care physician after scans showed some inflammation in my terminal ileum and a lesion on my liver. Things did not improve over the next 48 hours and we found ourselves back in the emergency room.
The second visit to the emergency room had a noticeably different tone. The doctors showed care and concern for my well being during the previous visit, but there was an air of calm. They had a reasonable explanation that was supported by the lab tests and imaging taken on the 24th. Lab tests and imaging on the 26th no longer supported the initial diagnosis. We had a gut feeling that something was seriously wrong in my gut.
At approximately 4:00 pm, a new doctor walked into the room, introduced himself as taking over as the previous doctor had finished his shift, and then shared that my scans now showed five lesions on my liver and a “mass” on my terminal ileum. There was no longer any surprise when he continued and said, “I am not saying it is cancer, but we are suspicious that it could be. We would like to admit you for further observation and testing.”
We cried. Next we called our parents. They cried. But then, grace unexpectedly stepped into the equation.
A Small Unexpected Grace
About nine months earlier, my friend Patty introduced me to the Cause for Canonization for Servant of God Michelle Duppong. Michelle’s story is inspiring. She was diagnosed with stage four cancer following what was supposed to be a routine surgery to treat ovarian cysts. Upon opening her for the surgery, doctor’s discovered cancer had grown throughout her entire abdomen. It was initially predicted that Michelle would have approximately two months to live. By the grace of God, she lived for twelve months and died at the age of 30 on December 25, 2015 (Christmas Day).
Her story is an inspiring one. So much so that a documentary was made about her life, suffering, and death. As Msgr. James Shea notes in the documentary about Michelle, there isn’t much that is remarkable about the diagnosis part of the story. It happens frequently that young adults are diagnosed with terminal medical conditions and die. What makes Michelle’s story remarkable is how she suffered with grace and a desire to grow closer to Jesus through her suffering. Michelle had a desire to lead souls to Christ and allowed God to work through her suffering to lead others to Him.
There was no initial call to action from Patty when she first introduced me to Michelle’s cause. She was sharing because she was inspired by it and thought I would enjoy hearing the story.
The first call to action came in November of 2023 when Patty contacted me to say that Michelle’s parents would be in St. Louis for an event and that she had arranged an interview with them for my radio show.
The second came when there was a preview of “Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story” at a local theater in February of 2024. Patty told me that I was going. It wasn’t a question. I watched the movie sitting by myself towards the back of the theater. I was moved to tears by Michelle’s faith and courage as she endured an illness her spiritual director described as Holy Week stretched out over 12 months.
I distinctly remembered these conversations and testimonies while sitting in the exam room of the Emergency Department. I called Patty with my own call to action. She had given me a Michelle Duppong prayer card with the official prayer for her Cause for Canonization. I knew that I would be in a good place if I could face this diagnosis with half as much grace as Michelle faced hers. I also knew that Patty always kept a copy of the prayer card in her purse. I called her and explained the situation. I asked Patty to text me a picture of the prayer card. We immediately began praying for Michelle and asking Jesus for the grace to suffer with the grace He gave her and for the grace of complete physical healing. It was the first day we prayed a prayer that has changed my life.
Grace unfolding before our eyes
I did not know that I would soon be facing my own cancer diagnosis when Patty first told me about Michelle Duppong. I did not know how the stories of holy trust and surrender shared by Michelle’s parents would radiate in my life as I began my journey. I did not know that a documentary would provide a blueprint for suffering. I shudder to think what would have happened if I had ignored Patty when she first introduced me to the story of Michelle Duppong. Can you imagine if I had said, “What does this have to do with me? Why should I care?” and moved on?
I don’t like to use the term coincidence for events like these. I prefer the term “providence.” God provided Patty an opportunity to share something with me. She could have dismissed it just as easily. God provided grace that nudged me to pay attention. It wasn’t forced upon me.
Being diagnosed with a “mass and lesions” that would eventually be named Stage Four Neuroendocrine Tumors, a rare cancer that does not typically respond to chemotherapy, was a life changing event that hit us in a matter of minutes. The grace of hearing and receiving Michelle’s story is one that unfolded over the better part of a year. It was, in many ways, a grace that unfolded quietly and fell upon us more like the dewfall than a torrential rain.
Reflection Questions
What graces do you see unfolding in your life in small, quiet ways?
Where have you expected God to act dramatically, but have seen Him choose to be gentle and work over time?
What small grace sustains you when nothing “new” seems to happen?
What graces would you have missed in your life if you were only watching for miracles?
As we start the new year, maybe change won’t come through one big moment—but through the graces that keep showing up.
Sincerely,
Adam Wright
A Gentle Note on Support
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Most of all, thank you for being here. May we learn together how to recognize God’s grace—especially in the small places.