When Michelle entered the cancer ward, she took a missional stance — proclaiming hope and faith in the midst of suffering.
When Michelle entered the cancer ward she took a missional stance - proclaiming hope and faith in the midst of suffering.
Jacqueline Marie | May 21, 2025
Since 2021 St. Mary’s, Uxbridge, MA, has been on the parish renewal journey with Divine Renovation (DR). Through coaching, the parish has begun embracing principles and practices of parish renewal that are transforming their outlook on mission and evangelization. (Read more about their story here).
One of these practices is Missional Prayer, which is aligning our prayers with God’s purpose for us and interceding for the Holy Spirit’s work in transforming lives in our parish and neighbourhood.
This year, the parish’s women’s group had women share their testimonies at their monthly meetings. “Literally one of the most powerful hours in the parish,” says Diane, one of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) members. When Michelle, a cancer survivor, shared her testimony, Diane knew that the leadership team needed to hear her story. Michelle is a living example of Missional Prayer, which the SLT was embarking in coaching on.
This is Michelle’s story:
When Michelle White was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in January of 2020, her life changed overnight. “Treatment started immediately…my whole life changed immediately, within one day,” she recalls.
That day marked the beginning of two intense years of treatments, including surgeries, chemotherapy and a clinical trial — all of which happened in the isolation and restrictions of the COVID pandemic.
She was 49, with three children. It was then that prayer became everything to her.
“I felt the love of God very young,” Michelle says. “I grew up in an abusive and dysfunctional family, so church was always my safe place I could go…I loved talking with the priests and the nuns,” she adds. A child from a troubled home, she felt very seen and loved by the clergy and parish.
Later as an adult, when she met her husband, they attended together. “It was really welcoming and loving.” Sometimes they would drift away from the Church for periods of time and eventually return. “I had this mindset: ‘I didn’t need it now.’” She sometimes found faith “was something that was in me that I was forcing away to fit into my friend group.”
But with her diagnosis, she says, “my faith carried me at those moments I felt lonely.”
Once in treatment, her environment was filled with negativity without an openness to faith. Yet, “I knew Jesus was with me,” she says.
So, she spent the long hours in treatment praying.
“Treatment started immediately…my whole life changed immediately, within one day,”
“I needed to pray. Sometimes I needed to pray out loud because I felt that negativity,” she recalls. “I wanted to bring my Catholic faith in… In those places there is no talk of faith. And so, no one is willing to pray with you. You are alone.”
The nurses started noticing her praying – she would pray for them before her treatments. Soon, other patients were asking to join her.
“You’re setting the tone. Now we need to bring out more chairs,” the nurses told her.
At five in the morning on the day of her ten-hour surgery, she insisted on praying with and for every member of the surgical team that would be in the operating room. “I wanted to know their names, I wanted to know what they would be doing for me during surgery.”
The whole team came in masked up and let her pray for them. “I wanted them to know they were saving my life.” One doctor commented, “we have a live one here.” She laughs that it had to be the Holy Spirit because this boldness was not natural for her.
“They all said they had the best day the rest of the day.”
The next day, Michelle felt deflated. Post-op, she was told there was still cancer left and would need another year of treatment. But in the bleakness of that moment, God has not abandoned her. Just then four people from the operating staff came in to see her. Her prayers had impacted their lives. Two of them had just attended Mass, another two of them wanted to return to their faith. Her prayers were bearing fruit, she felt revitalized.
Being in a ward filled with terminal patients, her prayers shifted to those around her. “I wanted to see who needed the prayers… think of someone else rather than myself.”
Later in recovery, as a nurse walked her down the hall for her next appointment, Michelle heard a woman crying hysterically. The nurse told her the woman had just gotten her port put in; she was at the start of treatment. The woman was inconsolable. “I felt her defeat. I felt her pain,” Michelle says.
Michelle recalls feeling, “I can’t leave. I’ve got to talk to this woman!” Due to COVID regulations, there were no visitors — so she stood in front of the sobbing woman’s door praying. “It was heart-wrenching. I can still hear her cries.”
“I wanted to see who needed the prayers… think of someone else rather than myself.”
When the woman’s husband came out, Michelle asked if she could pray with his wife. He checked with his wife and then stood in the hallway so that Michelle could go in.
“I introduced myself. We spoke about cancer, about faith.” They exchanged emails and then Michelle said, “can I pray out loud with you?” They held hands. After the prayer, she stopped crying.
Afterwards in the elevator, Michelle thought, “that was not me, where did that come from?” Bursting into someone’s room, having a nurse wait for her, all because she knew she needed to comfort this woman with the love of Jesus. Through missional prayer, Michelle didn’t just pray for that person — Michelle prayed in her stead, allowing herself to be weighed down and bear the suffering woman’s burdens. She said “yes” to Christ’s promptings to take those burdens to him in prayer.
Two and a half years later, Michelle regularly participates in a cancer survivors group call. Recently, a woman sporting a full head of hair was on the zoom call as well — someone Michelle didn’t recognize. Then the woman said: “Michelle, that moment changed everything for me.”
It was her — the woman Michelle had prayed with. She, too, had no evidence of disease. “She went back to church,” Michelle says. Michelle was ecstatic. When she got off the zoom call, she told her husband she felt like she had won the lottery.
In a terminal environment, Michelle prioritized mission.
Her example didn’t just impact the hospital – it helped her parish see prayer as a powerful way to join in Jesus’ mission of transforming lives.
Since 2021 St. Mary’s, Uxbridge, MA, has been on the parish renewal journey with Divine Renovation (DR). Through coaching, the parish has begun embracing principles and practices of parish renewal that are transforming their outlook on mission and evangelization. (Read more about their story here).
One of these practices is Missional Prayer, which is aligning our prayers with God’s purpose for us and interceding for the Holy Spirit’s work in transforming lives in our parish and neighbourhood.
This year, the parish’s women’s group had women share their testimonies at their monthly meetings. “Literally one of the most powerful hours in the parish,” says Diane, one of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) members. When Michelle, a cancer survivor, shared her testimony, Diane knew that the leadership team needed to hear her story. Michelle is a living example of Missional Prayer, which the SLT was embarking in coaching on.
This is Michelle’s story:
When Michelle White was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in January of 2020, her life changed overnight. “Treatment started immediately…my whole life changed immediately, within one day,” she recalls.
That day marked the beginning of two intense years of treatments, including surgeries, chemotherapy and a clinical trial — all of which happened in the isolation and restrictions of the COVID pandemic.
She was 49, with three children. It was then that prayer became everything to her.
“I felt the love of God very young,” Michelle says. “I grew up in an abusive and dysfunctional family, so church was always my safe place I could go…I loved talking with the priests and the nuns,” she adds. A child from a troubled home, she felt very seen and loved by the clergy and parish.
Later as an adult, when she met her husband, they attended together. “It was really welcoming and loving.” Sometimes they would drift away from the Church for periods of time and eventually return. “I had this mindset: ‘I didn’t need it now.’” She sometimes found faith “was something that was in me that I was forcing away to fit into my friend group.”
But with her diagnosis, she says, “my faith carried me at those moments I felt lonely.”
Once in treatment, her environment was filled with negativity without an openness to faith. Yet, “I knew Jesus was with me,” she says.
So, she spent the long hours in treatment praying.
“Treatment started immediately…my whole life changed immediately, within one day,”
“I needed to pray. Sometimes I needed to pray out loud because I felt that negativity,” she recalls. “I wanted to bring my Catholic faith in… In those places there is no talk of faith. And so, no one is willing to pray with you. You are alone.”
The nurses started noticing her praying – she would pray for them before her treatments. Soon, other patients were asking to join her.
“You’re setting the tone. Now we need to bring out more chairs,” the nurses told her.
At five in the morning on the day of her ten-hour surgery, she insisted on praying with and for every member of the surgical team that would be in the operating room. “I wanted to know their names, I wanted to know what they would be doing for me during surgery.”
The whole team came in masked up and let her pray for them. “I wanted them to know they were saving my life.” One doctor commented, “we have a live one here.” She laughs that it had to be the Holy Spirit because this boldness was not natural for her.
“They all said they had the best day the rest of the day.”
The next day, Michelle felt deflated. Post-op, she was told there was still cancer left and would need another year of treatment. But in the bleakness of that moment, God has not abandoned her. Just then four people from the operating staff came in to see her. Her prayers had impacted their lives. Two of them had just attended Mass, another two of them wanted to return to their faith. Her prayers were bearing fruit, she felt revitalized.
Being in a ward filled with terminal patients, her prayers shifted to those around her. “I wanted to see who needed the prayers… think of someone else rather than myself.”
Later in recovery, as a nurse walked her down the hall for her next appointment, Michelle heard a woman crying hysterically. The nurse told her the woman had just gotten her port put in; she was at the start of treatment. The woman was inconsolable. “I felt her defeat. I felt her pain,” Michelle says.
Michelle recalls feeling, “I can’t leave. I’ve got to talk to this woman!” Due to COVID regulations, there were no visitors — so she stood in front of the sobbing woman’s door praying. “It was heart-wrenching. I can still hear her cries.”
“I wanted to see who needed the prayers… think of someone else rather than myself.”
When the woman’s husband came out, Michelle asked if she could pray with his wife. He checked with his wife and then stood in the hallway so that Michelle could go in.
“I introduced myself. We spoke about cancer, about faith.” They exchanged emails and then Michelle said, “can I pray out loud with you?” They held hands. After the prayer, she stopped crying.
Afterwards in the elevator, Michelle thought, “that was not me, where did that come from?” Bursting into someone’s room, having a nurse wait for her, all because she knew she needed to comfort this woman with the love of Jesus. Through missional prayer, Michelle didn’t just pray for that person — Michelle prayed in her stead, allowing herself to be weighed down and bear the suffering woman’s burdens. She said “yes” to Christ’s promptings to take those burdens to him in prayer.
Two and a half years later, Michelle regularly participates in a cancer survivors group call. Recently, a woman sporting a full head of hair was on the zoom call as well — someone Michelle didn’t recognize. Then the woman said: “Michelle, that moment changed everything for me.”
It was her — the woman Michelle had prayed with. She, too, had no evidence of disease. “She went back to church,” Michelle says. Michelle was ecstatic. When she got off the zoom call, she told her husband she felt like she had won the lottery.
In a terminal environment, Michelle prioritized mission.
Her example didn’t just impact the hospital – it helped her parish see prayer as a powerful way to join in Jesus’ mission of transforming lives.
