Coleman Callan made over 500 keychains to raise money for Tamika.

What do you say to a 14-year-old about cancer? How do you tell him that his mother has a disease that takes the lives of many people?

If you are Cliff and Tamika Powell, you “pray hard and speak life.” That became their family motto throughout the summer and fall while Tamika battled cancer.

For their oldest child, Brannon, 14, the news came after he had already had a hint that something was wrong. He’d heard his mom mention that her chest was hurting, but didn’t think it was serious. Two weeks later, his parents explained that his mom had a tumor. “If the test is negative, our lives go on as usual,” his dad prepared him. “But if it is positive, things will change drastically.”

Brannon’s aunt had cancer a few years ago, so he knew all about the hair loss, and remembered that she was tired a lot. He immediately began to feel even more responsible for his younger sisters. Looking back at the events of the past few months, Brannon, says that his faith was his mainstay. “I felt at peace; throughout this whole process I knew that one way or another, God had it worked out, and that everything would be OK.”

When the tumor was diagnosed as a malignant Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Brannon immediately went to his room to research it. He says that what he read made him feel even better about the outcome and helped him realize what his mother was up against. “I’m sure that the medicines helped my mom, but I know miracles do happen all the time,” he said with a calm assurance. “I knew that there were so many people praying for her and for us, it was amazing.”

The Powell children have been brought up in church and have always been a part of blessing others, but to be on the receiving end of that ministry was a humbling experience for the whole family.

“People brought food several times for the whole week ahead,” Brannon said. “They were constantly asking about her, which I really appreciated, although I might not have shown it at the time. I especially appreciate the love and support I received from my fellow athletic trainers at Cullman High School.”  

The Powell’s also have three daughters: Mandolyn, 10, Lillyann, 8, and Melody, 6; all of whom missed their mother while she was away. They missed being at East Elementary with her close by and being tucked in at night. They actually helped to remove Tamika’s hair as it started to come out.

Mandolyn is old enough to realize the seriousness of her mom’s illness, and was sometimes afraid, but like the rest of her family, she prayed hard and spoke life.

Because Tamika’s cancer was aggressive, after the initial diagnosis, things went at warp speed for the Powells. “We were used to being home together all of the time,” Cliff explained. “We went from that to hardly seeing the kids for extended periods while Tamika was in the hospital at Vanderbilt.”

The children stayed with grandparents and friends. People offered to help in every way imaginable.  

Cliff had lost his job just prior to Tamika’s diagnosis. Fortunately, Tamika had insurance through her job at East Elementary, where she teaches third grade.

Still, it gave Cliff the time to be with his wife when she needed him most. So they dealt with this just as they deal with everything in their lives.

“By doing so, we began to find the blessings we had been praying for,” Cliff said.

For the kids, it was a difficult summer. All of a sudden their vibrant, 35-year-old mom was whisked away to hospitals and doctors’ offices, and was taking strange-sounding treatments.

Brannon, a ninth-grader at Cullman High, was able to talk to his parents and grandparents, but says that his real solace came from above. Tamika says that she felt the same way. She had a peace about it from the beginning.

Knowing that his children were in good hands, Cliff devoted his full attention to Tamika’s needs. But since her doctor was in Nashville, the couple was away for long stretches of time.

Cliff and Tamika did their best to keep a positive attitude. They spent one night holding each other, crying, then they put that behind them and focused on the present and what they could do to get their lives back to normal.

Over the course of this unplanned journey into the world of cancer, chemo and chaos, the Powells discovered some encouraging moments along the way. Their church family at Daystar, along with Tamika’s family at East Elementary, have been supportive. Their friends, family and neighbors have gone the extra mile by sending house cleaners, providing meals, and shuffling kids to daily activities. Last weekend, 30 members of Daystar showed up to help them complete a long list of projects around the house.

Before that, Mike Hays, owner of Mad Dog Mike’s BBQ, approached them about doing a fundraiser, which eventually led to “The Story Behind The Music” held at St John’s Evangelical Protestant Church. The event was headlined by Chris Tompkins, a two-time Grammy award winner, Lenny LeBlanc, a Dove award winner, and Tamika’s niece, Hope Stamps.   

Last week, Tamika underwent a PET scan which came back with the results they had been praying for — no sign of cancer. As blessings go, Tamika and her family are finding today is truly a time of Thanksgiving. Cliff also started a new job recently, another prayer answered.

The Powells have a heart for helping others and plan to start a non-profit organization in 2015. The organization will reach out to people who are facing similar situations without the support the Powells are so thankful for. “We just want to pay it forward,” said Cliff. “There are so many who lose hope because they don’t have any support. Our prayer is to make a difference and show them that through Jesus Christ there is hope to be found,” Tamika added.