An unexpected friendship, a beautiful gift, and the beginning of something I could never have orchestrated.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, was one of those days when I really wasn't feeling like myself. I was in my second week of chemo-radiation, and the treatments were beginning to take their toll. I was tired, not feeling well, and simply trying to get through each day.
I was at IVNV for my bi-weekly IV when I met a sweet lady named Sunshine.
I immediately loved her name. For years, I've affectionately called my children "Sunshine," often greeting them with a cheerful, "Good morning, Sunshine!" So meeting someone actually named Sunshine brought an instant smile and a warmth to my heart.
After she got settled in for her IV, we began talking. As we got to know one another, she shared some of her story with me. Sunshine had been chronically ill and bedridden for three and a half years. During that time, painting became an increasingly meaningful part of her life. She took a $10 online art class to build on what she already knew. What began as a creative outlet while confined to bed grew into so much more. Painting became a form of therapy and, most beautifully, an act of worship. Before long, she had painted more than 80 pieces!
You can read more of Sunshine's story and see her beautiful artwork here: Sunshine Neighbors
She began showing me some of her paintings, and I was absolutely amazed. They were beautiful! Several were paintings of Jesus, and I could see how much heart and meaning she poured into her work. I was especially moved by her story. Here was someone who had been through so much physically, yet had found a way to create something beautiful in the middle of her circumstances.
Then Sunshine asked about my story.
I shared how I had initially hoped to overcome cancer through a holistic approach. After two years of pursuing that path, my naturopathic doctor came to the conclusion that while we had slowed the cancer down, we weren't getting ahead of it. It was time to consider conventional cancer treatment.
I had hoped to pursue integrative cancer treatment in Seattle, but my insurance rejected that option, and my oncologist wasn't willing to help me advocate for it. I felt trapped and unsure of what to do next. With my naturopathic doctor's support, I ultimately decided to move forward with the conventional oncologist's phase one treatment plan: 30 rounds of chemo-radiation.
As I shared my circumstances with Sunshine, I also told her that I had been thinking about reaching out to my neighbor, Kelly Hughes. Back in 2024, Kelly had offered to organize a fundraiser for us, but at the time, I hadn't really known how to move forward with the idea. Now, with phase one of treatment underway, I was thinking about reconnecting with him.
My hope was to pursue phase two of treatment in Seattle with an integrative oncologist. The conventional approach would involve another four to four and a half months of chemotherapy, and I honestly didn't think I could handle that approach. I wanted to explore the integrative option, but I would need to trust the Lord to provide the finances to make it possible.
That's when Sunshine said something I never expected.
She told me she wanted to paint a picture of my choice and donate it to the fundraiser.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I nearly cried.
Here was this woman I had just met, who had endured so much herself, offering to share the beautiful gift God had developed in her during some of her hardest years. All I could think was how God had brought beauty out of ashes in her story, and now she wanted to share some of that beauty with me.
I drove home that day with tears in my eyes, thanking the Lord. Something deep within my heart and soul was stirring. I felt an unmistakable sense that God was moving in my circumstances. I didn't know how things would come together, but for the first time in a while, I felt a renewed sense of hope and the closeness of His presence. I was very sure the Lord wanted us to move forward with the fundraiser.
And then came Thursday, May 7.
Dan and I were visiting our neighbors, Kelly and Cathy Hughes. We had actually planned to bring up the possibility of the fundraiser he mentioned two years prior, but before we could even mention it, Kelly shared that he and Cathy had already been talking about organizing a fundraiser for us and wanted to do this for us.
I was in awe and holding back more tears of gratitude.
Just two days earlier, I had met Sunshine, who unexpectedly offered to contribute her artwork to a fundraiser I was only beginning to consider. Now, the very people I had been thinking about approaching were telling us they wanted to make it happen.
The timing was hard to overlook.
I couldn't help but see God's hand in those two days. What had felt uncertain and overwhelming was beginning to unfold in ways I never could have planned or orchestrated myself. That’s how we know God is in it, we couldn’t do it ourselves.
My faith was being increased by leaps and bounds. I was experiencing the closeness of God through people, conversations, and unexpected kindnesses coming from every direction.
I didn't know what God had in store. I was still hoping for Seattle, still facing many unknowns, and still had a difficult road ahead. But something had shifted in my heart. I knew God was doing something, and I could trust Him no matter how things unfolded. Whether His provision looked exactly like what I was hoping for or something entirely different, I knew His plans would be perfect.
Looking back, I can see that the fundraiser began long before the event itself. It began with a conversation between two women during an IV appointment, an unexpected offer of generosity, and a neighbor whose heart was already moving in the same direction.
Sometimes God sends encouragement in the most unexpected ways. And sometimes, He sends it in the form of someone named Sunshine.
But my friendship with Sunshine didn’t end with that first conversation. After I came home from the hospital, she would bless me with another gift, one that carries a very special meaning. I will share that story next.
In the meantime please visit her website at Sunshine Neighbors
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