God bless the NHS!
I was surprised when the little box with the NHS logo on it dropped through my letterbox. Had it really been two years since I last did the screening? I’d changed roles and moved house since then, but the system had obviously worked. So in early November 2024 I sent off a tiny poo sample, expecting to receive the all clear.
Two weeks later I opened a letter telling me that blood had been found in the sample and inviting me to hospital for a colonoscopy. I was surprised, as I didn’t think I had any symptoms, and so embarked on the experience fully anticipating a negative result.
Being able to watch the progress of the little camera through your own intestines is fascinating but it was also very clear to me when the picture changed from healthy bowel to unhealthy. I remember commenting ‘That doesn’t look too good’ and hearing the gentle sympathy in the nurse’s voice as she said, ‘No, that looks like you may have cancer’.
Biopsies and surgery followed swiftly after that, and through all that time I have continued to give thanks for the NHS screening programme that found a tumour I had no idea was there. Without it things would have been very different. My surgeon was able to remove the tumour before it perforated my bowel, saving me from an emergency that would have had devastating consequences.
Although I was in blissful ignorance, God knew. The words of Psalm 139 took on a new meaning for me, ‘O Lord, you have searched me and know me….for it was you who formed my inmost parts….even darkness is no darkness to you.’ I continually thank God for the care and compassion of the medical profession which drives those who train to become nurses and doctors, radiologists and specialists in all manner of disease. For their God-given dedication and vocation and for the way in which God’s light shines through them onto the darkest of situations.
I decided very early in the process that I wanted to be open about what was happening to me. I knew that I needed prayer and the support and fellowship of the family of God to help me through. Knowing that people and congregations, colleagues and friends, are praying for me has given me incredible peace and joy. There have been low moments, but they have been thankfully few, and the cards and messages I have received have lifted me and comforted me. Jesus has assured us all that if we believe in him, our life will be eternal. I know that God is good and that ultimately all will be well, and so I face whatever is to come with faith and hope.
I’m facing more treatment now and I’m grateful for your continued prayers. I can think of no greater encouragement than that which I have through faith, and I feel such sadness for those who go through this not understanding how much God loves them. Believing in Jesus is never a guarantee that nothing bad will happen to us, it’s not a bargaining chip to be played when we are in danger or distress. What I do know though, is that even in the darkest night of the soul, I am never alone. God is faithful and Jesus walks the path I must take with me. I hope that, if you’re having a hard time of it, if life is difficult and you find yourself alone or frightened, you know that you can lean on Him, God will never let you down.
So, if that little box drops through your door, or the letter for prostate/breast/cervical etc. screening comes to invite you for a check, don’t ignore it. It’s a little bit of love on your doormat, a message that says, ‘We care about your health’. It really might be a lifesaver.
The Venerable Jane Proudfoot, Archdeacon of Macclesfield