God save us all

So, I don't usually post about the Lord....but here goes.

I recently worked on an NIH research grant through the University of Missouri School of Journalism PRIME (Psychological Research on Information and Media Effects) Lab on using cancer survivor narratives to encourage African American women to get mammograms. I got to watch 80+ hours of testimony from breast cancer survivors, their friends, and their family members, code it, cut it to 1 minute "bites" and pretest it for an experimental study on the effects of these messages.

While I was watching the videos I was amazed by the statements made by these amazing women. Almost every single one of them stated that they knew God would help them through their sickness. NOT A SINGLE ONE stated that she was mad a God for making her sick. In fact, several said that their faith was why they were sick - they said that God knew they were spiritually strong enough to handle it.

One woman stated that at first she questioned God, asking "Why me?" Her next question was, "Why not me?" She said she knew God would get her through everything... that she had faith that he was there for her. He got her through her mastectomy and her chemotherapy afterwards. She joked that she didn't need hair or a breast... one she had never liked and the other she had only used to hang shirts on.

She wasn't the only woman who joked while telling her story. Countless others smiled and "laughed off" what they had gone through. They all said that they knew God was going to help them through it so they didn't need to worry.

I can't tell you all how many tears I shed while I watched their moving stories. These women were truly amazing. I know if I had been diagnosed my statements to God would not have been so faithful or selfless. I would have been angry. I would have asked what I had done to deserve this. I would have probably given God a piece of my mind. I would not have said anything to the effect of "Why not me"?

Study after study has shown that the African American community responds to spiritual messages. Why? Because they have faith.... they KNOW (not feel or believe) that God will be there for them.

I am reminded of a story I heard after hurricane Katrina (which was probably not true) about a family that decided to stay in their house. Some police officers came to their neighborhood and said that buses were there for them to leave in. The family decided to stay, saying "God will get protect us."

The next day, when the flood waters covered their first floor they moved to the second story. Again, some police officers showed up to help them to safety using a boat. Again, the family decided to stay, saying "God will get protect us."

The next day, when the flood waters covered their second floor they moved up to the roof. Again, some police officers showed up to help them to safety using a helicopter. Again, the family decided to stay, saying "God will get protect us."

The next day the family died. When they met St. Peter at the Pearly Gates they asked why God hadn't saved them. St. Peter's response was that he had sent help - a bus, a boat, and a helicopter - and they had refused.

God does not always send the help we expect. The breast cancer survivors had to go through chemo, radiation, breast removal, etc. in order to survive cancer. God sent them doctors, nurses, and hospital staff to help them survive. He also gave them friends and family who took them to appointments, brought them food, and sat up with them when they were sick.

To these women having faith meant SEEING how God was going to help them through their cancer. It did not include saying, "I will get better on my own. I don't need a mammogram. I don't need to see a doctor."

I hope that we were able to capture the pieces of their stories that will be moving enough to convince others to get mammograms. I would like to know that I took part in a study that helped people not just to go through cancer, but to know that God is there for them.

To every woman over the age of 40 I urge you to see your doctor, get a mammogram, and have faith. God is watching over you.