By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
On November 24, 2018, when my husband first received the call that my mother-in-law was nearing the end of her ten year battle with lung cancer, we were cautiously skeptical. After all, she had beaten the odds before, not just once, but time and time again.
In 2008 during one of one my mother-in-law’s yearly checkups, an x-ray image revealed a small spot on her left lung. Further testing confirmed it was lung cancer; but since it was caught early the only course of treatment was surgery.
Recovery from losing half of her lung was difficult, but God sent ministering angels in the form of compassionate doctors and nurses, making her journey back to health more tolerable. Eventually Beverly was back on the move, living life to the fullest.
A few years later, her cancer returned, only this time, it was much more serious. Because small cell cancer is aggressive, her treatment was equally aggressive—intense chemotherapy and chest cavity radiation followed by cranial radiation (a preventive measure to keep the cancer from spreading to her brain).
My husband and I remember my mother-in-law expressing her fear of the cranial radiation. Her intuition would prove to be correct. Six months after her cranial radiation treatments, my mother-in-law began falling, having gating issues, and suffering memory impairment. Eventually she was bound to a wheel chair with 24/7 care in her home.
I accompanied my mother-in-law to one of her oncology appointments and asked why we had not been told about the devastating side-effects of cranial radiation. I’ll never forget his response. He said there had not been a lot of research conducted on the long-term effects of cranial radiation because most patients die of the small cell cancer before they experience side-effects. According to him, Beverly was only 1 of 8 people who had lived as long as she had after treatment. Knowing Bev’s tenacity, none of us were surprised.
In January of 2018, we were told Bev’s cancer advanced to stage four. Since it was unlikely my mother-in-law would bounce back from her third bout with cancer, we knew her time on earth was fleeting.
Two days after celebrating Thanksgiving together as a family, Beverly’s body began shutting down. She stopped eating, drinking, and was barely conscious. We were told the end was near. Bev’s last audible sentence was heard when Gerry and his sister were at her bedside. Clear as day after not speaking for days she said, “I’m going home.”
In the days that followed, my husband kept saying, “Mom, it’s okay to go home. We love you, and we will miss you, but we will see you again. Go into the arms of Jesus. The angels are here waiting to take you home. Jesus is waiting for you, and when you get to heaven, He’s going to say, “Well done good and faithful daughter.
Psalm 91:11 says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
God gave our family incredible peace as He allowed us a glimpse into the spiritual realm during Bev’s final days on earth. Cameras set up in her home to ensure she was properly cared for picked up globes of light which periodically floated or darted about her room. Here is a short video of what we saw.
We have no doubt that these globes of light were more angels sent by God. This time they were angels of the spiritual kind (celestial beings) sent on a mission to watch over Bev and usher her into heaven when her spirit left her body.
On December 8, 2018, at 7:27 pm, my mother-in-law took her last breath. My husband and I were blessed to be holding her hands as she made her final journey into heaven.
Throughout Bev’s battle with cancer, God provided angels. Some came in the form of doctors, nurses, caregivers, and church pastors. Others appeared as globes of light. All were sent by God.
“Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word” (Psalm 103:20).
Don’t ever doubt. Heaven is for real. Angels are among us. And every once in a while, God peels back the veil and gives us a tiny glimpse of His glory and majesty, still yet to be revealed.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).
