God@Work

“We have been at FAC for 17 years. We were attending a Presbyterian church until my daughter, Jennifer, was invited to attend FAC. She said ‘Mom, you have to come to Fellowship Alliance Chapel with me.’ She said it felt like it was home to her. She was right. I did love it and the first time I went, I actually cried because I felt like Pastor Marty was actually talking directly to me. We’ve been here ever since.”

Linda is married to John “Jack” Mahon and has two daughters, Bridgette Henderson and Jennifer Faucett. She is also the proud grandmother of four. Linda and Jack split their time between Medford and Naples, Florida.

Linda’s faith has always been strong. Testing tends to make faith stronger. Forty years ago, she had a mole removed from her arm. It was melanoma. They removed all the cancer. “In 2014, I found a lump under my arm, the same arm. They did a biopsy, and it was melanoma. It was back. It had metastasized to two places in the upper chest.

“I went on one medication that had to be stopped because I became toxic. They put me on another medication, an immunotherapy which was administered as four infusions, and that’s when I got severely sick and dehydrated. The first shot was okay. The second damaged my pituitary gland and thyroid. The third shot gave me severe ulcerative colitis, and I ended up in the hospital.”

Linda went to the ER at a local hospital where they gave her fluids and sent her home. The next morning she was so sick, her doctor ordered her to another hospital where she was placed in ICU due to her falling blood pressure and severe dehydration.

“At four o’clock in the morning, a nurse came in and said she wanted to do a test. She asked me to sign a consent form. I told her that I wanted to see the doctor.

“The doctor came in and explained everything to me. I asked if it couldn’t wait until morning and she said an emphatic ‘no!’ So I signed the consent papers. I asked for the doctor to do the test because my condition was deteriorating.

“The doctor said the test would be painful and I was to talk to her about my family to keep my mind occupied. She took my right hand to begin the test.

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you.” —Isaiah 41:13

“The test could only be attempted three times. The first time didn’t work. We talked some more. The doctor tried a second time, and that didn’t work either. That’s when I started to pray out loud. I said ‘God, You need to step in here. It’s Your turn. I need Your help! I need You now!’ Then I started reciting Matthew 7:7, ‘Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.’ And then I recited Isaiah 41:13, ‘For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you.’ I don’t consciously know why those Scriptures came to mind, but they were my cry to God.

“The doctor attempted the test the third and final time. I looked up at the doctor and asked if she was successful. She shook her head, ‘No, it didn’t work.’ I was so disappointed. Just at that time, the machine began to take my blood pressure again. I looked over at the nurse, and I saw this look on her face. It was unbelievable. She had this shocked look. I turned to the doctor, and she was in disbelief. She said, ‘Look at your blood pressure!’ I turned to the machine, and it read 135/77! Perfectly normal. That’s when I knew God had intervened.

“The doctor bent down and whispered, ‘We’re not allowed to talk religion, but God was with you!’”

The next morning, Linda’s daughter called the church and informed Pastor Brent of her condition, and he went to pray with her. She was near death not many hours before. Now she was out of ICU.

Linda has been on different medications since August 2015. In April 2016, the PET scan showed she was cancer-free. In June 2016, cancer free again. At the end of August, a PET scan showed the melanoma was back in one lymph node, and it was removed. Cancer-free again. Another PET scan in November was not as good. Four more lymph nodes were found.

“I am back on two medications, but I feel good. I am confident that God has great plans for me.

“When you first get a serious diagnosis, you cry. You ask all the usual questions: ‘Why me? Why now? Why is this happening?’ What helped me the most was a book a friend gave me called Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. It helped me stay in His presence.”

Linda stays in the Word, reading Jesus Calling and the YouVersion Bible reading plans. She spends time alone with God every morning. “I get up; I read my Bible; I read Jesus Calling; and I go into the bedroom and sit there. It’s just me and God. Stay in God’s presence. It is real. It is true. Ask, seek, and knock. He will answer. He has a hold of your right hand! Don’t worry about your future and don’t dwell on your past. Seek His presence. You have to do it.”

At the darkest, lowest point, God gave Linda Scripture that assured her that He was there and in control. And the doctor and nurse can attest to that!

“God was with me 40 years ago and continues to be by my side. I can honestly say there is nothing too hard for God.”