After learning she had stage four cancer, Nancy came to the Mission seeking a place to live. A year later, she left with much more: a community of support, a strengthened faith and a cancer-free diagnosis.
A Time of Adversity
It was the one place Nancy knew she could go. It was as if she was guided there. When she walked in the doors she was greeted with the biggest hello and most authentic, “How are you doing?” that she had ever received.
“I came to the Mission’s office and was greeted as if they were waiting for me,” Nancy remembered. “I was like a child, taking little steps toward this beautiful, happy person. I walked up to the counter with tears in my eyes, and I said, ‘I need somewhere to stay.’”
When COVID hit, Nancy had gone to the doctor and received a diagnosis she wasn’t expecting—stage four ovarian cancer.
It was a ripple effect of adversity from there. “I told my family and they just left me. No one called. No one asked, ‘Can I help you?’” Nancy said. “I had to retire, so I had no job and no place to live. I had prepared my vehicle to live in for a while. I was alone.”
Yet despite it all, Nancy’s faith never wavered. “When you know that God is on your side, there’s comfort.”
Nancy experienced first-time homelessness and she wasn’t alone.
Last year 44% were also homeless for the first time
These two barriers are more common than you think:
31%
with chronic health condition
25%
with disabling condition
The Upper Room
Nancy named her room at The Crossing “the upper room,” because, like it was in the Bible, it was an intimate space for her to pray, worship, fast, heal, and connect with God.
“That’s how powerful it was in there. The upper room, that space, it was where I was led to grow, recharge and rebuild, so for the glory of God, He can use me. I’m healed for that reason.”
A Journey of Healing
Nancy never thought she’d end up at a place like Denver Rescue Mission, but when she walked through the front door, she knew she was there by no mistake. “I knew it was the place that I needed to be to heal,” she said.
For a year, Nancy was in the Bridge program at The Crossing, where individuals and families have a safe place to live while they transition out of their circumstances—or in Nancy’s case—where they can heal.
“Through the classes, the prayers and the community, I started to heal,” Nancy explained. “I would go to the doctor to get chemo and the results came back every time that I was healing. The spirit of God through this is phenomenal; it’s something I can’t explain.”
Nancy and her daughter
Nancy’s daughter and granddaughter also joined the Bridge program during that time, giving her the family she needed. The staff at the Mission were also like family, as they rallied around her with support.
“That was the healing I needed. That was the family I needed,” Nancy shared. “I could not be here today if it wasn’t for them. It was my healing spot.”
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A Future of Hope
The Mission is where Nancy was healed in more ways than one: spiritually, mentally, physically, and financially.
Nancy with her case manager
With her counselor and case manager’s help, Nancy prayed, took classes, processed difficulties, and laughed for the first time in a long time. She began a physical journey of healing by starting to walk for exercise. And she connected with God like she never had before.
“Food for my spirit was there, and I was stuffed on all those levels,” Nancy said. “The Mission watered a seed that hasn’t left—for my faith to continue, to heal and to help someone else.
Now, two years later, Nancy is cancer-free. She is in an apartment and looking forward to staying healthy and living out the purpose that God has for her life. She wakes up each morning with a smile on her face, knowing that God has directed her path and will continue to guide her.
“I’m one of those who came out better than I was before cancer,” she said. “My faith is bringing me through each day, and I don’t worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow because God is in control.”
Nancy with her oncologist and nurse
A Supportive Community
Nancy is grateful for the support she received from staff at the Mission, her daughter and her healthcare team. Here is what she had to say about her support community:
“They were a blessing to me. When I needed paper towels or when I didn’t have a mop, they were there.”
Maintenance and Custodial Teams
“Chaplain Shaun blessed us as well. She did a couple of classes and we prayed. It wasn’t just food for my body, but food for my spirit.”
Chaplain
“Olivia and I would burst out laughing and Joy has been such a rock in my healing process. The laughter is healing, and just someone being there to share with and a shoulder to cry on, that was big. I needed all of that.”
Case Manager and Counselor
“I was greeted as if they were waiting for me. It was amazing. When I walked in the door, I got this big, ‘Hi, come on over. How are you doing?’ I mean, this big welcome that was authentic.”
Admin Front Desk
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- A Healing Place
- The Mission in My Words: Kathie Ruesch
- Letter From Our CEO
