By Dr. Verlyn Fontaine Waterman
There are battles you fight in silence.
There are wounds you carry with dignity.
And then, there are testimonies that were never meant to stay hidden.
This is mine.
The Diagnosis That Shook Everything
In 2017, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 squamous cell carcinoma in my right tonsil.
A tonsillectomy followed. Thirty-three lymph nodes were removed from the right side of my neck—miraculously, none tested positive for cancer.
No chemotherapy. No radiation. But I wasn’t done.
In 2023, I was diagnosed again—Stage 1 carcinoma at the base of my tongue, this time on the left side.
Radiation was recommended as the only option. I agreed. I submitted.
But with each session, I felt pieces of myself slipping away.
Radiation burned more than my throat.
It scorched my voice. It muted my strength. It shook my purpose.
And it tried to convince me that my temple—this body God designed—was breaking down.
The physical pain was unspeakable. The rawness of my throat made it nearly impossible to swallow my own saliva. Mucus buildup became torment.
Food lost its taste. Hydration was only possible through infusion.
And the only reprieve was morphine—my temporary comfort, but also my silent captor.
But there was one thing the cancer and its treatment couldn’t silence:
my spirit.
When Heaven Interrupted Earth
I cried out to God for healing.
Every day, though my voice was weak, my heart thundered with prayer.
And one day, while lying under the radiation machine—body collapsing, soul exhausted—I heard it.
A voice. Gentle, yet unshakable.
“You asked Me for healing, and yet every morning you lie down under this machine.
This machine has no healing power.
I alone am the Healer.”
The machine shut off.
I returned the next day.
Same time.
Same room.
Same procedure.
Same voice.
“You asked Me for healing. Why are you here?”
The machine shut off again.
And on the third day, it happened once more.
That was all I needed.
“You don’t need to tell me again,” I said in my heart.
“I’ve heard You.”
That was the end of my treatment.
Session 17 of 34.
Done.
The Aftermath and the Miracle
My care team was stunned.
They warned me:
“You’ll regret this. The cancer will worsen.”
But I looked at them and said:
“My body is not a dumping ground for disease.
I do not house what heaven did not plant.
Cancer will never visit me again.”
Three months later, scans confirmed:
I was cancer free.
And I have remained cancer free ever since.
The Physical Battles Behind the Curtain
This wasn’t my only war.
I’ve lived through:
High blood pressure
HPV
A C-section
Lower lumbar surgery (L4 cracked, fluid leaking into my nerve canal, impairing my mobility for 6 months)
Gall bladder removal
Uterine embolization
Every scar tells a story.
Every wound bore witness to the One who heals.
And in every recovery, I’ve learned this:
It’s the little things—like walking, breathing, speaking—that are the most sacred.
Only when they’re disrupted do we realize how holy they truly are.
My Voice Is My Weapon, My Offering, My Glory
Cancer tried to silence my voice.
Radiation tried to destroy it.
But the very breath of God restored it.
My voice is not just sound.
It is sacred.
It is my assignment.
It is a carrier of healing, of revelation, of breakthrough for others.
Some trust in medicine.
I trust in the voice of God.
And when God speaks, everything else must submit.
I Choose to Live—Cell by Cell, Revelation by Revelation
I’m healing—Cell by cell.
Tissue by tissue.
Ligament by ligament.
And in every in-between place.
I’m not perfect.
But I’m better than I was.
Stronger than I was.
Clearer than I’ve ever been.
I live in and out of the Power of God.
This Is My Testimony
I don’t tell you what to do.
But I testify of what God has done.
And I say to you—Your pain is not a death sentence.
Your illness is not your identity. Your trial is a womb for someone else’s healing.
There are sisters waiting on your testimony.
There are souls who need your survival.
There is power in your vulnerability.
There is resurrection in your honesty.
So how will you carry this?
Final Word
Your body is a temple.
Your voice is a sanctuary.
Your story is holy.
Guard it.
Honor it.
Speak it.
Share it.
Because there is glory in your survival, and ministry in your scars.
Honor the Miracle—You.
Dr. Verlyn
#SacredVoice #DivineExpression #WhoIsSheMovement
@DrVerlynWaterman