A Mission Born from Cancer

Jeremy Ballard has always centered his life around one essential principle: his faith. When a bad cough turned into a lymphoma diagnosis, instead of struggling to come to terms with what the future would look like, he leaned into his relationship with God and became a beacon of hope for others.

“Sometimes when things change you, they change you forever,” said Jeremy. “God chose us for a testimony, and without a test, there is no testimony. Learning that you have cancer is never something you want to hear, but I knew that this was bigger than us. God was using me, and this was just the beginning.”

From going over potential side effects to the installment of his port, Jeremy was surrounded by love from his family and his church.

“In the Old Testament, there was a biblical practice of anointing with oil to symbolize God’s power, presence and healing,” he said. “After learning about what my treatment would entail and some of the things that could happen, I took the papers that included all the side effects and anointed them with oil and prayed over them for God to grant me mercy. When you combined that with the authentic prayer shawl that my church ordered from Israel and blessed for me, I felt like I was cloaked in God’s armor and ready to face what came next.”

While the prayer shawl provided Jeremy with a sense of peace throughout his chemotherapy treatments, it also sparked conversations of faith and testimony with other patients and staff at each of his appointments.

“My diagnosis turned into my mission,” said Jeremy. “The purpose wasn’t about me but was about who I’ve been able to touch and impact throughout this trial.”

The severity of Jeremy’s cancer called for an aggressive regimen that was initially a cause of concern for his medical team. However, following his fourth chemotherapy infusion, Jeremy was found to be in complete remission.

“I never lost my hair, I didn’t lose weight, I wasn’t overcome by nausea,” he said. “For a treatment that had triggered such concern, I didn’t experience the big side effects routinely found in this type of regimen and I was cured in four treatments. The healing power of God was evident. God allowed me to still work, go to church, and do what I needed to do as an employee, father and husband. I wasn’t saved from cancer; I was saved for the testimony that this experience has given me to God’s faithfulness.”

Following the quality of care he received and the relationships he built that have outlasted his need for medical treatment, Jeremy found a connection with Baptist Health’s Christ-centered mission. Through his heart for serving others, Jeremy is helping to ensure that Baptist Health can continue providing the highest quality care for other patients who find themselves in similar situations and ensure that they have the resources they need to navigate their care from diagnosis to survivorship.

“On this walk there was only one set of footsteps, and I promise you, they weren’t mine,” he said. “God carried me every step of the way. He has a plan of each of us, and for me, what I can do is share my story and hope that helps someone else to find their way.”