Author: Elder Thomas Tioe
Date: 02/17/2026
Category: Thanksgiving Testimonies

As I stepped into the year 2025, I carried the same enthusiasm many of us bring into a new year, with hopes for good health, plans for the future, and an unspoken assumption that life would continue as expected. I had no idea that the year would be a season of trials, stretching my faith in unexpected ways and teaching me to depend on the Lord more deeply than ever before.

It began with mild pain around my right hip. I assumed it was due to poor posture or a running-related strain, nothing serious, and went to a chiropractor for an adjustment. In the past, the pain would go away. This time, however, it did not.

On February 5, I noticed blood clots in my urine for the first time. A few days later, after running a routine 5K race, the bleeding continued, and the pain around my right hip increased. As the days passed, the symptoms steadily worsened. I visited my family doctor, thinking it was likely a urinary tract infection or kidney stone. After a week of antibiotic treatment with no improvement, I was referred to a urologist and underwent a CT scan. The scan revealed a tumor in my bladder, along with a hairline fracture in my right hip. Several days later, a cystoscopy confirmed the bladder tumor and showed a blockage affecting my right kidney, along with signs of inflammation. A biopsy was taken and sent to pathology.

On April 17, I received news that changed everything. The pathology report confirmed advanced-stage bladder cancer that had spread to my local lymph nodes and hip bones. The oncologist at the center told me candidly that he could not treat patients beyond stage three. He wished me well and referred me to Dr. Reddy in Johns Creek. Like anyone would, I felt a heavy weight of fear and uncertainty. Life suddenly felt fragile, as if I had been thrown into an ultramarathon I had never chosen to run and for which I had never prepared.

Before this diagnosis, I had made plans freely, assuming tomorrow was guaranteed. I thought about early retirement, planned family trips, and dreamed about the years ahead. I even set a personal goal to keep running the Peachtree Road Race until I turned 80. Now, I have learned to say “If the Lord is willing.” There is no guarantee that tomorrow will come, and that realization has taught me to live each day with a grateful heart. That shift did not take away my joy; it deepened it. Every day, every breath, every step is a gift of grace.

After nearly 30 years at AT&T, work is no longer the center of my life. My weekly schedule is now filled with medical appointments, something I was never accustomed to. In fact, before all this, my last annual checkup had been about five years earlier.

During this confusing and overwhelming season, I experienced God’s clear guidance in choosing where to receive treatment. I had to decide between going to an oncology center just ten minutes from home or traveling an hour each way to Emory Winship Cancer Institute. Emory seemed like the obvious choice because of its reputation and specialized care. To be safe, I scheduled consultations at both places. In the end, I learned that the medical treatment for bladder cancer would be essentially the same, regardless of where and from whom I received care. As we prayed, the Lord gave me a deep sense of peace to move forward with Dr. Reddy at the nearby oncology clinic. The proximity and reduced stress of weekly travel led me to the decision. Looking back, I can clearly see God’s hand in leading us there. He placed us in the right setting and blessed us with an excellent doctor, compassionate nurses, and a caring facility.

A few days later, an infusion port was installed on the right side of my chest. On Monday, May 12, I began treatment with targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Dr. Reddy also prescribed stronger pain medication for my hip, which helped me rest better at night. The timing of treatment proved critical because, just a day before therapy began, I experienced a frightening episode of severe bleeding, passing large blood clots. The amount of blood was overwhelming and made me nauseated. In that moment, I truly felt that the end might come quickly. Yet in the midst of fear, I was deeply comforted by the prayers and support of so many of you. Then, exactly three days and three nights later, relief came. Around 4 a.m., I woke up to use the restroom, and for the first time since Sunday, there was no blood. The urine was completely clear. I could hardly believe my eyes. I experienced God’s mercy, fresh in the morning.

I knew the road ahead could be long, narrow, and rugged. After going through multiple cycles of treatment, my body began to feel the toll. My skin has itched and peeled so much that it seems I get a new layer every three weeks, no facelift required. I’ve lost over 20 pounds without dieting or exercising, and I’ve saved a lot of money on haircuts. 😊 These treatments have stripped away strength, energy, hair, appetite, and at times even my ability to sing and play guitar. But they have not taken away the joy of the Lord in my soul.

Many times, when the feeling of hopelessness set in, I chose to keep walking forward, trusting that the Lord would carry me every step of the way. Psalm 23 has taken on a deeper meaning for me: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” If the Lord is with me, what do I really have to fear?

Even in moments like this, I continue to see the Lord’s guiding hand. The process of receiving short-term and later long-term disability benefits went smoothly. My Social Security Disability Insurance was approved without difficulty, and my medical insurance coverage has continued, providing much-needed stability and peace. During this time, I experienced tremendous support from AT&T and the care and encouragement of many coworkers. At the same time, I wrestled with the decision of whether to return to work or retire after 35 years in the workforce. In response to prayer and reflection, God made it clear that my season in the marketplace is coming to an end. The affirmations of coworkers confirmed that my work there was complete, and I now sense God leading me into the next phase of service, the work of His Kingdom.

In September, I received promising medical reports. My cancer marker was dropping, and scans showed clear progress. We rejoiced in those moments. On October 27, I was declared in remission, and targeted therapy was discontinued. Yet the Lord continued to remind me that faith is not rooted in outcomes, but in who God is. Like the three men in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:17–18), I believe God is able to deliver. But even if He chooses not to answer in the way I expect, He is still worthy of my trust and praise.

In December, my cancer marker began to trend up slightly, and a PET scan showed renewed activity in my right hip. Dr. Reddy reviewed the available treatment options and recommended radiation therapy to address the affected area. After consulting with a radiation oncologist, I began radiation on January 13, 2026, receiving daily treatments of about ten minutes for two weeks, for a total of ten sessions. The side effects were minimal, limited mainly to mild hip pain. During this time, I continued with immunotherapy as before. Thus far, the side effects have been manageable, and I am still able to do most of the things I used to do. I am deeply grateful to the Lord for allowing me to enjoy a good quality of life. I have learned how to live with cancer. It has reminded me that as long as I live in this mortal body, there is an ongoing struggle between the old self and the new, yet God is faithfully at work, shaping me day by day into the likeness of Christ. I am content with where the Lord has placed me. I have told Him that I want to remain useful in His Kingdom, and when He decides my work here is done, I trust Him to call me home in His perfect time.

What Have I Learned? 

This season has taught me to have deep gratitude for my wife, my sons, my doctors, and friends who walk and run beside me, and above all Jesus, who carries the heavier end of the yoke and gives hope that anchors the soul. I do not know exactly what lies ahead, but I do know this. God has been faithful every step of the way, and He will continue to be.

The God we believe in is a God of love, the Triune God, three Persons united in perfect love. He desires relationship with us, not merely through words, but through experience.

When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, Abraham obeyed. God credited it to him as righteousness, not because he said he would obey, but because he did. God said something extraordinary: “Now I know that you fear God” (Genesis 22:12). God experienced Abraham’s obedience, something He desires from each one of us.

I have always believed that my wife and sons love me. But when I was diagnosed with cancer, I experienced their love in a deeper way — not merely through comforting words, but through action. They actively searched for answers, took on additional responsibilities, and cared for me sacrificially. I always knew they loved me, but I had never experienced that love so profoundly until it was proven. 

When we face trials in life, have we considered that God may allow them to give us a real opportunity to respond to Him?

Would I choose to have bladder cancer? Of course not. But now that I have it, will I spend the rest of my time complaining or questioning God’s wisdom, mercy, and grace? Of course not. I choose to remain faithful, because through faithfulness, God experiences my love for Him. Even in the earliest days of this journey, one truth has remained clear: God has not left me. He is in control, and He knows exactly what He is doing with my life. His presence has been made real to me in ways I have never experienced before. Like the psalmist, I can say with confidence, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

So my encouragement to all of us is this: Let us press on, let us run with perseverance, let us number our days wisely, and let us invest in what has eternal value.

 

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