When the doctor said the words brain tumor, Dana’s eyes were filled with tears, trying to take it all in. It might be cancerous, they explained, and surgery was needed. Her husband reached for her hand as they listened, both trying to process what these words could mean.
For years, Dana had asked God to take away her fear of death. She was a Christian – had been for over a decade – but the thought of dying, or worse, leaving her children behind, had always haunted her. Now, here it was. Her worst fear, staring her down. And yet, something strange was happening. As the shock settled in, so did a steady, quiet peace. A peace that could only be a miracle from God. A peace that years ago she wouldn’t have believed.
––––––––––––––––––
Dana Choi moved to the United States from South Korea when she was 15. After her freshman year, she dropped out of high school, unsure of what her direction would be. For years, life became a steady rhythm of waitressing by day and partying by night – drifting without purpose. Then one Sunday morning, after a night out with friends, she felt an odd pull to go to church with her mom. She had gone before when she was little and walked in expecting tradition, maybe guilt. But as she sat in the service and saw people worshiping freely, their hands lifted, their faces full of joy – it hit her in a way it hadn’t before.
“I was just sitting there, watching everyone,” Dana said. “And I remember thinking, what are they doing?” But then something stirred inside of her – in her heart she whispered to God, “If you’re real, and you really know everything about me, maybe I just want to say thank you.” That simple whispered prayer cracked something open.
Her curiosity deepened. Sundays became more than routine – they became a pursuit. She opened her Bible. She began praying. Eventually, she took a leap of faith and signed up for a six-month discipleship program in Canada where she was able to explore her faith without the fear of what people around her would think. It was there, in a new country with nothing familiar to hold onto, Dana finally let go. She surrendered her life to Jesus.
After becoming a believer, life began to change. Dana returned to the U.S. and earned her GED. Then, she went to college in New York to study landscape architecture, where she discovered a passion for drawing and nature. In time, she met her husband, started a family, and moved back to Texas. From the outside, it looked like things had fallen into place. But internally, fear still lingered – especially around health. Dana often found herself gripped by anxiety, overwhelmed by the thought of something happening to her children, or her husband.
The past couple of years she had started to notice a ringing in her ear. Over time, more warning signs came to the surface – dizziness, hearing loss, headaches, and vertigo. With each new symptom, her fear continued to grow. After seeing multiple doctors, with no answers about what the cause could be, Dana finally received an MRI. Two weeks later she got the call. What she had feared most was confirmed – she had a brain tumor. And surgery would be needed. Soon.
She received her diagnosis of Vestibular Schwannoma – a rare type of brain tumor – on February 11, 2021, and her surgery was scheduled exactly three months later on May 11. The coming weeks of uncertainty would have been unbearable in her own strength. And yet – God performed a miracle – those next three months became the most joy-filled season of her life.
“My God is answering my prayer,” Dana said. “I had asked Him for so long, why do I still fear death if I’ve been a Christian for over ten years? During this time, I finally gained my confidence in Jesus, not just with knowledge. I could feel myself in God’s acceptance, the feeling of being a child of God.”
As she waited for her surgery, she experienced a calm she couldn’t explain. She spent time with her kids, laughed more, cried less, and shared her story with everyone who would listen. “I was so anxious before,” she said. “But look at me now. I don’t have any fear. Zero fear.”
Her surgery date arrived, and the procedure was a success – the tumor was removed – but the road to recovery was long and difficult. Dana lost all hearing in one ear, and paralysis on one side of her face made everyday tasks a challenge. She had to relearn to walk, regain her balance, and find the confidence to speak again. While her body healed slowly, the emotional recovery took even longer. And yet, God met her in every step. Her facial weakness was the hardest thing to embrace. “But God was so patient with me,” she said. “You know God never ignores our weaknesses.”
Today, after years of the Lord working in her heart, Dana sees her face not as a source of shame, but as a testimony. “I never pray for God to give me back my old face,” she says. “Because I’m so happy!” The difference has become an open door. Strangers ask questions. Children want to know more. Each time, Dana gets to tell the story – not just of a tumor or surgery, but of a God who stayed close, who changed her from the inside out.
This past year, Dana received an email from The Heights KIDS Team asking if she would consider serving in one of the 1st grade classrooms. Dana was surprised. “Me? Really?” She couldn’t believe that someone saw her and thought she was qualified. Her heart swelled as she typed her response:
“I would love to take this opportunity and join you…I have no previous serving kids experience. And because I have a single-sided hearing loss, sometimes it is difficult to understand when there are too much noises going around…I may not sound qualified, but I am just so thankful for this opportunity and hope God can use my weaknesses through the KIDS Ministry.”
Now, each week, Dana helps lead little ones–singing songs, telling stories, and lifting hands in worship. The same kind of worship she once sat back and stared at in wonder. She used to sit in the pew, frozen by fear and doubt. Now, she stands at the front of the room, helping children raise their hands in surrender – just like she once learned to do.