Jessica Hanna
Hello my name is Jessica and I am a 39 year old entrepreneur, pharmacist, and Catholic homeschooling mother of 4. I am a cradle Catholic who grew up in the church, but like most, I had years where my faith took a backseat. Since my early years I had felt called to God in a special way, even in my “worldly” phase…I had always had a pull towards Christ and He seemed to often have His way of calling me back to Him. One of the first big “callings” was when my husband had a fluke life threatening illness in 2014. However, the world had set in once more, and so God had to call me back again when the pandemic hit in March of 2020. Finally, the big curtain call was when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of 2020 while I was only 14 weeks pregnant. Not knowing how the story would end and abandoning EVERYTHING at the foot of the Cross, I created an Instagram page (@blessed_by_cancer) just 4 days after my initial diagnosis back to allow for others to pray with me, and to take them along for the journey that was being led by Christ. As one could imagine it was a time of intense uncertainty, and the story takes on many twists and turns!
Although it was initially thought to be an early stage cancer, termination of the baby was suggested but I had quickly denied it. After surgery, my cancer was found to actually be late stage with a whopping 13cm tumor and all 43 lymph nodes positive. Needless to say doctors were convinced I was terminal as they instructed myself and my husband to prepare ourselves for an end of life plan. The only option now was aggressive treatment, but I continued to deny termination and also denied the notion that my fate would be determined by anyone, other than God!
I endured several treatments pregnant including chemotherapy, yet with God’s help and grace I seemed to have little to fear. Using the Passion of Christ’s crucifixion and death to unite each of my sufferings with His, it all became joyful - Doctors even questioned why I was so “happy” with cancer. I began to increase my devotions, utilized the Sacraments, prayed harder, ate smarter, filtered my water, changed my household products to non-toxic…I cleansed my body but most importantly I cleansed my soul. Many miracles, I call “winks from God” happened along the way including a soon-to-be Saint, Blessed Father Solanus Casey, finding his way to me.
Over the course of my journey, this social media ministry grew, as people watched and prayed together for my final outcomes. When my baby, Thomas Solanus, was finally born on May 30th, 2021 (6 long months after the news I could be terminal), it was finally time to scan and determine my final stage. On June 15th 2021, I received the news that my scans were miraculously CLEAR! The doctors said I was extremely lucky but I told them I was extremely BLESSED. Today, my ministry has evolved into praying for other people’s intentions as a community along with continuing to follow my journey. I have also become a public speaker for both the pro-life movement and Catholic evangelization, spreading to others the sanctity of life as well as the sanctity in suffering. My journey continues online for the world to see with another surgery coming up this December. I call myself “blessed by cancer” because without this suffering I would never had abandoned the world and FINALLY put the entire focus on my eternal life. No matter how my story continues or where my ministry takes me, I know one thing for certain…God’s plan is my only plan, I have no plan B!