This post is a post celebrating a friend of mine I met at Maple Plain Community Church in 2020: Claire Benway! Claire loves Jesus and is a cancer thriver like me–instead of breast cancer, though, Claire is a non-Hodgkin-lymphoma thriver. Claire was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins-lymphoma in March 2024, finished intensive chemotherapy 6 months ago, and just last week had her 1-year-from-diagnosis scan that will tell her what comes next!
Claire Benway is a zealous, Jesus-loving wife, mama, daughter, sister, and friend who is nominated for the 2025 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Visionary of the Year campaign. She is an inspiration to me and so many others, and I wanted to publish this post to celebrate her amazingness and her campaign to become the 2025 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Visionary of the Year!
Here’s a link to donate to Claire’s Visionary of the Year campaign with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! (If you want to donate to my page on her behalf, you can do that here, it all goes to the same place.)
And, here’s Claire’s story–or at least the part of it I’ve been blessed to experience!
Claire’s Visionary of The Year / Lymphoma Thriver Story
I am a couple of years behind in my own personal breast cancer survivorship updates as I’m now into year 5 of survivorship and my last blog post highlighted my 3-year-survivorship screening. I’m praising the Lord as I’m still in remission / all clear!, but a lot has happened in the past 2 years of my cancer survivorship journey, including Claire’s diagnosis last spring (more detailed about my journey to come–this one’s all about Claire!).
I first met Claire when she was the leader of a Bible study I joined in 2020, in the middle of my family’s journey through breast cancer. She was a bold and beautiful Bible study leader who never shied away from any of the study’s hard questions!
Claire’s cancer journey has inspired me in more ways than one. The first inspirational point came in the miraculous way she was diagnosed. In March 2024, Claire was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins-lymphoma while on spring break with her husband, parents, and two kiddos in Georgia. She’s always living large and moving at breakneck speed for Christ and His Kingdom, but spring break 2024 allowed her to slow down long enough to know she needed to get checked out!
Her lymphoma diagnosis rocked my world in a jarring way with a middle of the night text message in March 2024. She was on spring break when she began to feel super sick and got admitted to the ER in Georgia. She found out there that she had non-Hodgkin-Lymphoma, and immediately activated her prayer warrior network which I was thankful to be part of!
Her chemotherapy started shortly after she returned to Minnesota after spring break. Here is her diagnosis story, originally posted in her “Row the Benway’s Boat” Facebook group:
For the last few months I have been experiencing abdominal bloating and discomfort. Finding slight relief with otc meds but it always came back. I set an appt with my clinic first available was a video visit in August. While on vacation for spring break with my parents and the kids to visit my Uncle Mike in Savannah my symptoms became unbearable. Of course if you know me I have a rule of no one being aloud to be sick. I hold it is still a good rule and I will be reinstating it after I have kicked cancer. My discomfort escalated quickly while on vacation and my mother insisted I call the nurse line and demand to be seen now. Of course I listened to my mother because they are usually right the nurse said to not pass go do not collect $200 and go directly to the ER. I conferred through years of frustration and with my uncle Mike (who solidified his status as my favorite uncle in the last week) and he accompanied Micah and I to the ER Thursday afternoon around 3:30. We waited a few hours in the ER and then were sent for and abdominal CT Scan around 9:30 pm that night and that’s when I got the preliminary news about from the ER doc that it was most likely a lymphoma. I was admitted to the hospital (move to a room not the ER) got a room early morning 3am on Friday. We spent the next day with that preliminary diagnosis and waiting to on oncology. I had a biopsy of a lymph node in my groin as the ones in my abdomen were to “risky” to biopsy. That was sent off and results will be in most likely on Tuesday. The oncologist is very confident it is stage 2 non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. (Yeah?🤷🏻♀️) apparently it’s the best worst case scenario. Originally we had thought we would stay in Savannah as I start treatment directly after the results came back from the biopsy. As the doctors in Savannah were not happy to let us go without a team up north. The thought was that I would start chemo and then after that first dose that would give us time to find an oncologist in Mn. But that changed when they said if we start the first chemotherapy in Georgia I would be staying all the way through the first cycle. So that means almost 40 days. With that information we were much less inclined to be away for that long. Our very good friend Melissa is a Doctor liaison for MN Oncology we called her up and she got us a doctor in 4 mins (more on that amazing story another time.) God is good. So since Savannah Doctor was hesitant to let us leave without a Doctor lined up and now I have a Doctor Lined up. She said great you have until the scan comes back to get back to MN. She was happy we are able to drive rather than fly, and prescribed pain meds for the road.
Air travel to risky with my “way to large spleen” that may not like the extreme pressure changes. Also if I get the Rona or the flu treatment will be pushed back further So We Ride! In the mini van and will be back in Minnesota hopefully late Sunday the 1st. I will kick off April with be a week of appts. Getting a port for chemo PET scan for insurance purposes. (That’s an interesting thing) and then plotting out the rest of my what will most likely be 6 rounds of chemo. Each one about 3-4 weeks apart. Typical lymphomas are very responsive to chemo as it’s basically targeted medicine. I will find physical pain relief after that first course as that will be when everything starts to shrink. And I stop looking like I am 7 months prego. Which apparently my best friend was going to ask me about after this week if I had not “come clean”
Thank for all your thought and prayers. I can only say that the following things are Gods Devine plan and all the glory goes to him.
1. We had nothing to do this week but focus on each other allowing for me to realize how bad I felt.
2. We were surrounded by family who were quick to support and hold us in their arms.
3. One of those family members had many medical connections and was able to guide us on this dark and murky path.
4. Placement of loved people in our lives who were able to mobilize and find a doctor so fast.
5. A massive network of prayer warriors who reacted instantly to the call.
Here’s a link to donate to Claire’s Visionary of the Year campaign with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! (If you want to donate to my page on her behalf, you can do that here, it all goes to the same place.)
Claire is a Jesus Loving Prayer Warrior
The second inspirational point about Claire’s journey is her trust in the Lord in and through it all. Claire and her husband Micah launched a Facebook group (“Row the Benway’s Boat”) and organized a Prayer Team immediately after her diagnosis in March 2024. The Prayer Team prayed diligently and daily for months, leading up to and through her chemotherapy treatments, via Zoom call.
Many of our Maple Plain Community Church friends were on the call and beyond, and I was able to join several prayer calls. Every time I joined to pray, I cried. I cried because I was sad about Claire’s diagnosis, but I was also grateful she was diagnosed so she could move forward with a clear treatment plan; I trust the Lord Jesus as our healer, redeemer, and friend, but learned in part from Claire’s diagnosis and those prayer calls that even though Jesus is our healer, redeemer, and friend, those truths don’t mean it will be easy to accept the realities of suffering we experience this side of heaven–especially when suffering happens to those we love.
I have a friend who told me that the Holy Spirit is moving when we let the tears flow–not only that, but when we cry, tears have medicinal healing properties for our skin (!). This helped me to be encouraged rather than discouraged by my tears, and I was reminded also how grateful I was to be part of a priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). I wasn’t the only one crying on those prayer calls, and I was thankful to be able to celebrate God’s faithfulness as he healed Claire in and through chemotherapy and whatever other means He would choose. What a gift to surrender our anxieties to the Lord in prayer, trusting He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)!
Then, last week, after completing 6 months of chemo 6 months ago, Claire had her 1-year-from-diagnosis scan that will tell her what comes next! As Claire posted in her “Row the Benway’s Boat” Facebook group last week:
I will find out the results next week as well as start to make the next plan. Hopefully that plan is “go and get back in shape for more adventures” but if it’s not God I am sure will provide clarity in what is next. For God is the sustainer of life. I will trust in the Lord.
And trust in the Lord is what she does!
Here’s a link to donate to Claire’s Visionary of the Year campaign with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! (If you want to donate to my page on her behalf, you can do that here, it all goes to the same place.)
Claire is a Thespian + Bible Study + Youth Leader Extraordinaire (does she ever stop moving??)
The third inspiring point about Claire’s cancer journey is that, while I know there were difficult moments and will continue to be–cancer survivorship is no walk in the park!–Claire never let her lymphoma diagnosis in March 2024 slow her down.
Like I mentioned earlier in this post, I met Claire in 2020, and she was one of our Bible study leaders as my twin sister and I battled breast cancer.
After Claire’s diagnosis with NHL in 2024, in addition to volunteering at every church event you can think of, Claire endured intensive chemotherapy treatments while leading weekly rehearsals for Maple Plain Community Church’s annual youth play–a dramatic production that involved 100+ actors and volunteers who put in hours and hours of work. Under Claire’s direction, the MPCC theater team pulled together an incredible play with 2 performances for full crowds!!
Claire is also a Youth Leader at Maple Plain Community Church. She went to Belize with the Youth Group during her chemotherapy treatments, too (what?!?!?!!??!!). How many of us would go to Belize as Youth Group leaders in general, let alone shortly following a cancer diagnosis / during treatment?!!? WOW.
Not to mention her hiking trip in the Grand Canyon (which she did an abbreviated version of while on treatment), full-time job at the University of Minnesota, parenting two teenagers, and her frequent appearances on Maple Plain Community Church’s worship team. We got to sing together this weekend and it was SO. MUCH. FUN!!! You can see photos of us in the galleries below and watch the full service at this link and posted below. 🙂
Claire’s Vision for a Lymphoma Cure & Beyond!
Claire is a visionary in more ways than one. She inspires me every day with the way she loves God and loves others, and I can’t wait to see how she continues to change the world!!! Her cancer journey is a chapter in her story God is writing. She is fearfully and wonderfully made and we are all blessed to know her!
Here’s a link to donate to Claire’s Visionary of the Year campaign with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! (If you want to donate to my page on her behalf, you can do that here–all the $$ goes the same place!)
To close, here are some photos we took together at a Maple Plain Community Church worship rehearsal last week. God is good and I’m so thankful the joy of the Lord is Claire’s strength!!! <3 Her zeal is contagious!
