A LIVING TESTIMONY  

 “We think that if we live a healthy life, we can avoid trouble. But sometimes, life still knocks us down,” Dr. Darlene Blaney reflects. “That’s why we must learn to trust God completely.”

Ron and Dr. Darlene Blaney have spent nearly three decades helping people regain their health. Together, they own and operate a nutrition practice and health food store in Eckville, Alberta. With degrees in business, fitness, and nutrition, and a deep love for God, they dedicated their lives to blessing others. But in 2017, everything changed.

For about four years, Darlene struggled with a chronic cough and unexplained breathing issues. Test after test came back normal, leaving her confused and exhausted. Then, after a particularly difficult health seminar, she lost her voice and found a lump in her throat. A biopsy revealed the shocking news: thyroid cancer.

“I thought, ‘How can I tell my family? I’m the health director. I teach nutrition. How do I explain this?’” Darlene remembers. The shock was overwhelming. Yet in her moment of despair, she knelt and prayed, claiming Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid… for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” She promised God: “LORD, I will be a living testimony for You.”

Surgery was difficult. What should have been a two-hour operation turned into four hours, with over one hundred staples used to control bleeding. Yet, against all odds, Darlene survived, her voice intact, and the cancer contained. “The surgeon said to me, ‘Your thyroid was so swollen; it was like something was holding it tightly together. It was like it was ready to explode.’ And I said, ‘That was God.’ I know God Himself had held my thyroid together,” Darlene says with gratitude.

But trials were not over. Four years later, Ron suddenly faced his own health crisis. His heart began racing at a dangerous 204 beats per minute. In the emergency room, doctors fought to save his life as he went into cardiac arrest. “I remember surrendering to God in that moment,” Ron says. “If this was my time, I was ready. But I asked for more time to serve Him better.”

Later, doctors discovered Ron had cardiac sarcoidosis—an inflammatory disease so rare it is often only diagnosed after death. His heart survived two life-threatening episodes, and despite ongoing challenges, Ron lives today with a pacemaker keeping his heart in rhythm.

Through it all, Ron and Darlene’s faith only grew stronger. “You don’t always understand what’s happening,” Ron explains, “but you learn to trust God’s hand even when you can’t see His plan. It’s that relationship with Him that gets you through.”

Their story is a living reminder: doing all the right things does not exempt us from suffering. But God’s promises are sure. He walks with us every step of the way. “He never said life would be easy,” Darlene shares. “But He did promise never to leave us.”

To hear the full inspiring story of Ron and Darlene Blaney, watch It Is Written Canada this month on CTV or the dozens of networks where It Is Written Canada is aired across Canada and around the world. Or visit iiw.ca or the It Is Written Canada YouTube channel and click on the program entitled “A Living Testimony.”