How do you keep trusting God when someone you love is dying? Catholic author and mother Kendra Tierney Norton joined The Mark Swartzberg Show to share with Mark how faith carried her family through her first husband’s 16-year battle with cancer.
When Jim was diagnosed with melanoma in 2006, Kendra adopted a simple philosophy: “Wait to worry.” Rather than becoming consumed by an uncertain future, she focused on the blessings and challenges of each day.
Even as Jim’s condition worsened, she found strength through prayer, especially the intercessions of countless people supporting their family.
When Jim approached death in July 2022, their home became a place of prayer. Friends and family gathered to pray the Rosary, while priests administered the sacraments.
Jim received his final confession and last rites. The following day, he received the Eucharist as Viaticum. His final spoken word was “Yes,” accepting Jesus in Holy Communion.
For Kendra, these moments offered profound consolation and hope for Jim’s eternal salvation.
After his death, she began embracing God’s providence more deeply, recognizing that even painful circumstances could become opportunities for holiness. She eventually discerned a new vocation to marriage and remarried in 2024.
Her story reminds us that surrendering to God’s will doesn’t mean understanding every hardship. It means trusting that He remains loving and present, even when life unfolds differently than we imagined.
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