Some women survive storms.
But Kelli Beckman has weathered entire skies.
For much of her life, Kelli coped by imagining herself tethered to a hot-air balloon, floating safely above the clouds. When joy called—marriage, children, a career—she’d lower her lines and touch the ground. When life hurt, she drifted back up.
But over time, her balloon developed a leak. Divorce, the death of a parent, the loss of a job, and the passing of her best friend all struck at once. And then, at just thirty-six, she heard the words no mother of four—one still a baby—ever expects: cancer. She floated through treatments, surgeries, and fear, praying for the clouds to part. They didn’t. Still, she survived.
Years later, she faced her fiercest storm: stage 4 cancer. Her doctors told her to get her affairs in order. Had she accepted that as her ending, she would have missed the life God still intended for her. She lived to see another Christmas—one she wasn’t expected to reach—and realized she hadn’t gone above the storm. She had gone through it.
One of her greatest lessons came from a friend offering to help. Kelli, fiercely independent, resisted. Her friend gently said, “When God places it on someone’s heart to help you—let them. If you don’t, you’re blocking their blessing.” That truth changed her.
More hardships followed, including the heartbreak of her husband leaving. There were more recurrences, more setbacks—but also more miracles. She watched two sons marry. She heard little voices call her “Grandma.” She saw her youngest begin college. All moments she would have missed… if she had listened to the doctors.
Kelli’s journey reminds us that faith doesn’t always lift us out of the storm—sometimes it strengthens our legs to walk through it.
And no matter how many times life tried to pull her down…
Still, she rises.
Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY. To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories. Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story? Write to us at teamyounight@gmail.com
