On Our Way Home: Finding Hope in the Face of Death | Interview with Colleen Chao

What do you really believe about heaven? When faced with her own terminal diagnosis, author Colleen Chao discovered that heaven wasn't a faraway idea. It was a living hope that changed how she faced each day. In this moving episode, Colleen shares the peace, beauty, and courage that come from fixing our eyes on eternity—even when life on earth is marked by suffering. Her words will stir your heart, strengthen your faith, and remind you: this isn't the end of the story.   RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE On Our Way Home: Reflections on Heaven in the Face of Death Visit Colleen's Website   ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST Colleen Chao is an editor, writer, and former English teacher. During her unexpected chapter of singleness, she traveled and explored new places, mentored young women, sang and acted, and spent unhealthy amounts of time at coffee shops. In 2010, at age 34, she married strong and handsome Eddie Chao, and eleven months later she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Jeremy.    In 2017, after a long journey through chronic pain and illness (both her own and her son's) Colleen was diagnosed with breast cancer. After intensive chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, Colleen enjoyed two years of clear test results—but in Spring 2021 she learned that the cancer was back, and it was terminal this time. Out of this indescribable sorrow has come stunning beauty, and Colleen's desire is to spend the remainder of her days sharing this beauty with others who suffer.   When she's not visiting a doctor or wrangling words, Colleen enjoys the beautiful outdoors, side-splitting laughter, and half-read books piled bedside. She makes her home just outside Boise, Idaho with Eddie and Jeremy, and their dog, Willow.