Laura Black is living an extraordinary life. The 36-year-old mother of three is fighting metastatic cancer and inspiring hundreds of thousands through her blog about her journey through pain and hope.
“I know the limitations of medicine—there are many,” she says. “And I know the limitations of God—there are none.”
Black, a member of Briarwood PCA in Birmingham, Ala., who practiced law before she had children, learned of her breast cancer diagnosis four years ago when she was 16 weeks pregnant with her third child, who is now thriving. She describes the early devastation of her diagnosis, throwing a “pity party” for herself, and eventually being challenged to wrestle with her fears and doubts through writing.
Her CaringBridge.org blog—which has received more than 330,000 visits—is her chief form of therapy, Black says. “It’s very real, very transparent. I fight with God like Jacob did; I’m secure enough in my relationship with Him to do that.”
She describes a relationship with Christ that is steadfast, yet not without its mysteries. “I’m learning that Jesus likes me, He loves me. We’re on the same page. We’re together in this. … Somehow, [my cancer] is glorifying Him.”
Paying Generosity Forward
While cancer takes a toll physically, emotionally, and spiritually, it also creates an enormous financial burden. Black describes receiving gifts from unexpected sources during particular times of need in recent years: “We had no idea at times how we would pay a bill, and a check would arrive in the mail.”
She and her husband are currently launching a new business venture, and they hope to use it as a vehicle for paying forward the generosity of others. In 2009, after watching with concern as kids in the church nursery mixed up their sippy cups (and germs), Black envisioned a product that would allow them to identify their own cups. “Baby Face Band,” launched in 2011, is a slip-on product with a picture of the child that allows the pre-readers to identify themselves.
Black links her hopes for this business back to her faith. “So many people have supported us financially through my cancer journey—we have wanted for nothing. We just want to get to a place where we can give back in the same way others have given to us.”
To read more about Laura Black’s journey through cancer, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/lblack. To learn more about Baby Face Band, visit babyfaceband.com.
