"I want to build God's Kingdom some more before I go."
That's Christin Umsted — 45 years old, from Howe, Texas, and in the fight of her life against stage 4 cervical cancer.
If you know Christin, you know her by two things: a servant's heart and a deep, unshakable faith. She's a self-employed RV transporter who lives alone on a small ranch with Red, the stallion she's raised for 25 years. Her greatest joy is Shabbat — Friday evenings and Saturdays of rest, worship, and Hebrew study. She spent five years at Gateway Church in Southlake, volunteering to clean the sanctuary after services, and now worships at Messiah's Hope in Trophy Club and Victory Life in Sherman, where she's been part of a care group for 15 years.
In March 2026, Christin was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer. She kept working for months, researching and fighting. But this summer the tumor grew — striking a nerve, then obstructing her kidneys. She spent a week in the hospital having life-saving tubes placed. Her kidneys recovered fully — a mercy she doesn't take for granted. But the fight has reached a new level.
After months of research, Christin and her team of specialists have set their hope on whole-body hyperthermia treatment (Verthermia), a heat-based therapy studied for decades. The cost is $175,000, and insurance won't cover it. Funds raised will cover her treatment, follow-up care, and living expenses while she cannot work.
Even from her hospital bed, in tremendous pain, Christin was encouraging her nurses, befriending other patients, and sharing God's love. Her mom, Bonnie, puts it simply: "She has spent so much of her life encouraging and helping others. Now it is our turn."
Christin has been open about the hardest part of this journey — wrestling with the promises of Scripture while the pain persists. And yet her faith hasn't wavered: she wants to care for her mom as she ages, to see people she loves come into the Kingdom, and to use this testimony to help other cancer patients find hope.
Here's how you can stand with her:
GIVE — every gift, large or small, brings her closer to treatment. Christin's own words: "I will never forget the kindness, the prayer, and the support that has come from people I don't even know. A gift to save my life will continue to give as I help others."
SHARE — Christin isn't on social media. Her army is you. Share this with your church, your family, your care group.
PRAY — for complete healing, for relief from pain, for strength, and for the hands of everyone treating her. Christin will tell you herself: the prayers of strangers have been tangible in her hours of unbearable pain.
"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." — Philippians 4:13
