“Sometimes there are more questions than answers as to why things are happening,” she admits. “To push forward, you need to be balanced in your faith. You get different things from different people and resources.” Tamala explains that her devotional is just one avenue of support for someone’s journey. For her, faith has informed what she does professionally – working in health care. Tamala is an advanced practice registered nurse and certified nurse practitioner working at the Essentia Health-Fargo Cancer Center.
“I truly believe that God called me to be a nurse; I’ve believed that since I was little and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” she says. “Health care challenges you from an anatomy, physiology, medication, spiritual, and emotional perspective. It’s a job that drains every part of you some days, but you get so much back and so much in return that it’s all worth it.”
on a journey that forces them to dig deep emotionally, spiritually, and physically. “It is a long journey,” Tamala adds. “But I think if you talk to most cancer survivors, they’ll say that it transforms you, you become somebody different and you grow from it.” Reflecting on her year-and-a-half with the Fargo Cancer Center, Tamala describes it as a truly special place to work.
Over her 30-year career, Tamala has enjoyed getting to know her patients and feels privileged to work in oncology, where she meets people at a very difficult time and when they really need support.
“From the volunteers to the receptionists to the physicians, they know their patients and they know them well,” she says. “There’s a deep concern for them. I’ve never felt like the patients we serve are a number. They’re people to all of us.”
“Cancer is a terrible disease and, in a world filled with discrimination, this disease has absolutely none,” says Tamala. “We all face journeys in life, but nobody ever thinks they’re going to be the one sitting in the infusion chair. For our cancer patients, their lives fall apart with that initial diagnosis and hearing that cancer word for the first time.”
Regardless of your battle, Tamala stresses the importance of finding your source of spiritual renewal, peace and grounding. For women, she encourages them to find support from other women.
From experiencing disfiguring surgeries and treatments to feeling awful, cancer patients are
“As women, we are often left carrying a lot of the burden, a lot of the weight at home,” she explains. “It’s important to surround yourself with the right people, those who are going to lift you up and support you.
“You can have sympathy for a lot of people, but not until you walk through really hard times do you really, truly have empathy for people. I want to help others find joy, peace and the amazing gift that God can be during difficult times.” Tamala grew up on a farm in Hazen, North Dakota, and is the second of four girls. She has three adult children and is now a grandmother. She is in the early stages of starting her own ministry, Pursuing Christ Ministries, and continues her work on two other devotionals and a bible study guide. Her pen name is Tamala May and her website is pursuingchristministries.org. Essentia Health offers comprehensive cancer care services at four cancer centers located in North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Located at the Essentia Health-South University Clinic, the Fargo Cancer Center is accredited for its Breast Program by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program from the Commission on Cancer. [aw] Learn more about the Fargo Cancer Center at EssentiaHealth.org [AW] December 23 / Januar y 24 :: 29