Epiphany: Musings of the Happiest Cancer Fighter by Kristin Bong

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BOOK review

Started on: 18 July 2022
Finished on: 19 July 2022

 

Epiphany: Musings of the Happiest Cancer Fighter by Kristin Bong

 

Title: Epiphany: Musings of the Happiest Cancer Fighter

Author: Kristin Bong
Publisher: Insight Unlimited

Pages: 224 pages
Year of Publication: 2022
Price: Rp 135,000 (https://insight-unlimited.com/)

Rating: 5/5

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"Her "death sentence" marked the start of her journey to living her best life. She started to live without holding back, in her finite tomorrows." 

Most doctors thought Kristin Bong had only 6 more months to live. Diagnosed with stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer, Kristin lived through her last years as the final years of her life. During those time, she started writing down her thoughts, her insights and epiphanies, as she choose to see something special in the good and bad days. This book journals her moments of anger and hope, frustrations and joy, unanswered questions yet her tireless faith. Kristin was drenched in a bad storm but chose to dance in the rain instead.

"This is my journal. This is me. Strong some of the time, weak a lot. Wise, yet wishing at times to be 'foolish'."

"In preparing for my 'death', I have learnt how to live. How to live each day to the fullest. How to say and do the things I desire. There is no more holding back. There is that urgency that says 'If not now, when?'"

I first heard about Kristin Bong's story a few years ago through my pastor's wife, Carmen Bong, who's also Kristin's sister. At the time, I was really inspired by her story and how she continued to live well until the end. That's why when I found out that her encouraging Instagram posts is published in book form, I didn't think twice to place an order for it. Moreover, I also wanted to support a good cause because 10% of the proceeds of the book's sales will be donated to Yayasan Kanker Anak Indonesia (Indonesian Child Cancer Foundation). As I started reading this book, I felt a little bittersweet knowing that Kristin is no longer with us but at the same time she's with the Lord whom she loves so much. Her writing in this book is truly raw, showing all the ups and downs that she went through during the final 5 years of her life.

"So, trust me when I say, it is really never the healing that I seek. Seeking the healer has been my greatest reward!"

"When time was ticking fast and death was knocking at her door, it wasn't just the end that filled her mind. It was the people that she would leave behind.

So when time was ticking fast and death was knocking at her door, she continued on to spread her joy and shared wisdom to those around her."

In this review, I will be sharing some parts of this book that made me stop and ponder for a while. The first one is an entry titled Sharing Christ. Kristin shared her personal opinion that when visiting someone who's really sick, maybe it is wise not to mention God too much. For those who are unbelievers, they will question why our God allows them go through such suffering. As for the believers, they might question why God abandoned them. She concluded that our good intentions might end up becoming their seeds of resentment. Kristin encouraged us to show empathy towards the sick instead of telling them what to do and what to feel. I think this is especially important to take note of so we can give the support that other people actually need.

The next one is titled What If, which talks about one of the most dreadful questions: 'what if God's answer is no?'. Every single sentence that Kristin wrote here was really thought-provoking for me personally. She invited us to think about our prayers, our hopes and dreams—are we ready for God's answer, even if the answer is a 'no'? This is a topic that's rarely talked about at church but I think it's equally important for us to understand that sometimes God's way is not always how we wanted or expected it to be. I absolutely love how Kristin asked us to open our hearts and minds to the possibility of a 'no' answer and trust God's purpose of a 'no'; because sometimes tragedies happen to help us grow. This was a difficult one to read but I'm grateful for the reminder to keep thanking God for whatever His answer to our requests will be.

"I wonder why some people give up on life so easily while so many fight so hard to hold on to it."

"But I know my pain is for a reason. It is crazy whatever pain I am going through, He can always use it to help others. Even the timing of it. Nothing we ever go through will ever be put to waste."

I've heard a lot of testimonies about Kristin saying that her life was such a blessing to everyone around her and I'm glad more people will get to experience that through this book. Her epiphanies were uplifting, thought-provoking, and full of hope in the midst of adversities. Reading this book felt like reading her diary entries and getting to know her deepest thoughts and feelings. It was a quick read but I feel so blessed by what she's written. Grateful everyone who made this book possible because I believe more people need to read this book and be blessed by Kristin's life journey. Going forward, I'll try my best to live my life to the fullest and live without holding back until the day God says my time is up 😊❤️.

"We don't get to decide when our time is up or when our work is finally finished. We don't get to say it is finished until He says so, and that is actually a good thing! When my time is in His hands, I don't get to give up yet."

by.stefaniesugia♥ .