Diane Anderson

Diane is a daughter, wife, mother, sister, friend, teacher, crafter, and stubborn warrior of Christ. When pregnant with her first child in 1999, she became very ill with Crohn’s Disease which almost cost her and her daughter’s lives. Following medication and surgery, the Crohn’s remained in remission for 7 years, during which time she gave birth to a son and both kids were able to start school. At that point, Diane was going to return to teaching but the Crohn’s came back.

Since then, she has fought this vicious immune system disorder with varying amounts of success and failure; including several months dealing with fistulas in 2010. Her body finally defeated the medication and she ended up spending 6 months in and out of the hospital in 2013, losing almost all of her intestines in one 13+ hour surgery. A couple weeks later, she had a respiratory arrest that required a medical coma and intubation. She experienced a very scary 2 weeks long bout of ICU psychosis as her body cleared out all the sedation meds. In 2016 a new medication was found to control the Chron’s and put her back into remission. She gradually regained her strength and adjusted to yet another new normal.

In July of 2017 she was diagnosed with hormone positive, stage 2 breast cancer. She will tell you that as the staff was trying to be commiserate with her, she was physically shaking and violently furious. Still, people prayed, peace returned, and she finished her therapy in March of 2019 and is currently cancer free. Added to her continued struggle with malnutrition, dehydration, Crohn’s Disease, and all of the attendant issues from those, she has developed lymphedema in the chest and arm near her cancer surgery.

Through all of this, Diane has known that God would “make all things good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” She gave her little girl heart to Jesus at age 5 and has always known God’s presence and love. She is grateful for all she has endured because God has proven His faithful care and that He gives us the strength we need to endure trials of many kinds. He gifts us the guardianship of our hearts and minds with the peace that surpasses all understanding. She uses her story and the lessons the Holy Spirit inspires through it to speak hope, courage, and truth to others in their difficulties.

Her illness, medications, and multiple doctor appointments make it difficult to be consistent in a job schedule; so she supports her husband, Wade, and their 2 adult children: one in college and one finishing high school despite dealing with several neuro-processing disorders. She opens her home weekly to several women to chat, crochet or knit, and support each other in their various journeys. She also volunteers at church and in the community as she is able. Writing has always come naturally to Diane. However, writing for a wider community is a new venture. She believes, though, that it is important to be honest and transparent in our successes, struggles and failures living as Christ followers. That gives our testimonies authenticity and power to share God’s love.