October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so Joyce wanted to share a bit of her story with you and hopefully bring some encouragement to anyone in this season.

JOYCE: YOU KNOW, 20–I DON’T
KNOW, IT WAS 1989, SO HOWEVER

MANY YEARS AGO THAT WAS, 28?

IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID?
BOY, YOU GOT SMART PEOPLE HERE.

[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]

JOYCE: I WAS GONNA HAVE
TO GET MY CALCULATOR OUT

OF MY PHONE TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

I WENT TO THE DOCTOR
FOR A CHECKUP AND FOUND OUT

I HAD BREAST CANCER.

WELL, I WAS OUT PREACHING FAITH,
YOU KNOW, I WASN’T GONNA GET

BREAST CANCER, I WAS PRAYING
FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO BE HEALED.

AND IT WAS THE VERY FAST-GROWING
TYPE OF CANCER;

LITTLE, TINY TUMOR,
BUT VERY FAST-GROWING CANCER.

SO, I DON’T KNOW HOW THEY WOULD
TREAT ME TODAY, BUT THEN THEY

JUST SAID, “YOU HAVE TO HAVE
A MASTECTOMY.

THERE’S NO MESSING AROUND
WITH THIS.

THAT’S JUST WHAT YOU GOT TO DO.”

SO, HERE I WENT FROM BEING
A WOMAN OF FAITH AND POWER

TO BEING IN THE HOSPITAL
LOSING PART OF MY BODY.

WELL, I HAD A DECISION TO MAKE.

AND PROBABLY SOME OF YOU HERE
TODAY HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE,

AND PROBABLY MANY OF YOU
WATCHING TELEVISION HAVE

A DECISION TO MAKE.

I LOVE WHAT PAUL SAID.

HE SAID TO LIVE AS CHRIST,
TO DIE IS GAIN.

YOU KNOW, NONE OF US WANT
TO DIE, BUT IF YOU’RE

A BELIEVER, YOU DON’T NEED TO BE
AFRAID OF IT BECAUSE, HONESTLY,

IF WE READ THE BIBLE, THINGS ARE
GONNA GET A WHOLE LOT BETTER

WHEN WE’RE NOT HERE
THAN WHILE WE ARE HERE, SO.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

JOYCE: WHEN PEOPLE THAT ARE
BORN AGAIN LEAVE THIS REALM

AND THEY GO HOME TO BE
WITH THE LORD, WE’RE REALLY NOT

GRIEVING FOR THEM,
WE’RE GRIEVING FOR US.

IT’S OUR LOSS THAT WE’RE
GRIEVING FOR, AND THAT’S RIGHT

AND THAT’S PROPER AND THERE’S
NOT ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT,

BUT THERE’S A LOT OF REALLY
GREAT THINGS IN THE BIBLE

THAT WE CAN REMEMBER THAT WILL
GIVE US COMFORT, ONE OF THEM

BEING WHEN YOUR TIME COMES,
YOU ARE GOING TO SEE

YOUR LOVED ONES AGAIN
BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GONE,

THEY’RE JUST NOT HERE ANYMORE.

THEY’RE WITH GOD
AT THE RIGHT PLACE.

AND SO, WE NEED TO REALIZE
THAT WE CAN HAVE A TYPE OF DEEP

REST KNOWING THAT THINGS
ARE GOING TO BE OKAY.

AND I WENT THROUGH THAT
WHEN I HAD THE BREAST CANCER.

AT FIRST I WAS SO SCARED,
SO SCARED.

AND I HAD TO WORK THROUGH THAT
AND COME TO THE POINT WHERE I

BELIEVE THAT GOD WAS IN CONTROL
OF MY LIFE AND HE

WAS GOING TO TAKE CARE OF ME
NO MATTER WHAT.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT?

I ENDED UP, I DIDN’T
HAVE TO HAVE ANY KIND OF CHEMO

TREATMENTS, NO KIND OF ANYTHING,
THEY GOT EVERYTHING.

EVERY YEAR, 28 YEARS IN A ROW
NOW, I GO AND I GET TESTED,

AND EVERY YEAR, CLEAN REPORT,
EVERYTHING IS GREAT.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

JOYCE: NOW, A FEW YEARS AGO,
I WAS HAVING SOME REALLY SERIOUS

BACK TROUBLE.

AND SO, THEY FINALLY DECIDED
THAT THEY WERE GONNA LOOK

AT MY WHOLE SPINE, AND THEY DID
SOME KIND OF A SPECIAL TEST,

AND SO THEY CAME BACK
AND THEY SAID, “WELL, WE NEED

TO DO A FURTHER TEST,” I FORGET
NOW WHAT THEY CALLED IT,

BUT IT WAS SOMETHING WHERE THEY
JUST LOOK AT YOUR WHOLE BODY

BECAUSE THEY SAID, “YOU’VE GOT
SOME LESIONS ON YOUR SPINE

THAT COULD BE CANCER
THAT HAS METASTASIZED

FROM YOUR BREAST CANCER.”

WELL, CAN YOU IMAGINE
HOW THAT MADE ME FEEL?

OH MY GOSH, WELL,
GOT ANOTHER DECISION TO MAKE.

SEE, WE’RE ALWAYS MAKING
DECISIONS, AREN’T WE?

ABOUT HOW WE’RE GOING TO HANDLE
THINGS AND WHAT WE’RE

GOING TO DO.

SO ONCE AGAIN, I HAVE TO SAY,
“WELL, GOD, I’M IN YOUR HANDS.

I HOPE THAT’S NOT THE CASE,
BUT I BELONG TO YOU.

I TRUST THAT YOU’RE GONNA
TAKE CARE OF ME.”

AND SO YOU WAIT IT OUT DAY
BY DAY BY DAY.

WELL, SO THEY DID THIS TEST
ON MY WHOLE BODY, LOOKED

AT MY WHOLE BODY, I THINK THEY
CALLED IT A PET SCAN, AND THEY

CAME BACK AND THEY SAID,
“WELL, INTERESTING THING,

IT LOOKS LIKE ON YOUR SPINE,”
I LOVE THE WAY THE WORLD PUTS

IT, “THAT YOU HAD CANCER
AT ONE TIME, BUT SOMEHOW

OR ANOTHER, IT HEALED ITSELF.”

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

JOYCE: WOW.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

JOYCE: WELL, YOU CAN IMAGINE
HOW THAT MADE ME FEEL.

AND SO, THE GOOD NEWS IS,
IS THEY LOOKED AT MY WHOLE BODY

AND THEY SAID, “YOU DON’T HAVE
ONE TINY BIT OF CANCER

IN THERE ANYWHERE.”

SO I GOT A GOOD PICTURE
OF THE WHOLE THING AND CAME OUT

OF IT FEELING BETTER
THAN I DID BEFORE I WENT IN.