God’s call: A school shooting, then cancer, brought me to Jesus and his path for me

After a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Sandra Allison felt God’s call, a nudge she’d been ignoring to return to the classroom. But first she had to decide whether she’d respond to God’s purpose, despite an unexpected cancer. Her answer came in a vision of Jesus.

Sandra Allison was rocked by the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in 2018. No longer working as a teacher, she felt God’s nudge to return to the classroom.

By Sandra Allison

Everything changed when a former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring many others. It was Feb. 14, 2018, and it seemed like the world stopped.

My two nieces were at the middle school next door. I lived just 30 minutes north, in Wellington, and felt completely helpless. I stayed on the phone with my sister as she walked a mile to school.

Our conversation was laced with desperate prayers and raw, helpless pleas to God. Please, let my sister’s two daughters — my nieces — be safe.

They spent six terrifying hours hiding in a small bathroom. They were safe. Not every child or parent was so lucky. I still remember the overwhelming, guilty relief that my nieces were safe, even as others were facing unimaginable loss.

In those desperate hours and the days that followed the school shooting, something deep within me cracked open. God’s persistent whisper turned into a shout:

It’s time to go back.

To the classroom.

I could not ignore it anymore. I felt it, gentle, firm, undeniable. The nudge of God’s call. His unmistakable encouragement to return to teaching.

Despite teachers leaving my profession, God’s call was clear

Sandra’s kindergarten classroom.

I spent years away from the classroom. Life had taken me on a different path, and while the desire to return to the classroom flickered from time to time, I always pushed it aside.

This was different. I could no longer ignore the pull. It wasn’t just a career change. It was God’s purpose for me.

I applied for an interim kindergarten at a public school on Palm Beach Island. I had spent a decade teaching before having my children.

I crossed the Flagler Bridge on my way to the job interview. The sun glinted off the water. The skyline of Palm Beach shimmered ahead. Banyan trees lined the roads, and the elementary school that once felt like home came into view.

The interview was warm and welcoming. I was hired on the spot, and the interim kindergarten position was mine. I hesitated to accept. I thought about the long commute and the changes it would bring.

But then, somewhere between the worry, on the winding road home, a sense of peace settled over me, steady and quiet, like a whisper from God.

That night, my husband and I talked. We didn’t need the income, and the logistics would be challenging. But we both knew this was about God’s purpose for me, not practicality.

I accepted the job.

An unexpected cancer diagnosis and a vision of Jesus

Sandra’s cancer diagnosis shocked her and her family. A vision of Jesus brought her peace and confidence in the future.

A week before my return to the classroom, I started feeling off. Fatigue. Discomfort. I scheduled an appointment with my gynecologist.

The doctor’s office was calm and softly lit, with muted walls and the faint scent of antiseptic and lavender. During the exam, I caught a look in her eyes, a flicker of concern she could not conceal. Though she remained calm and professional, I sensed something was off. Again, I felt a heaviness; I couldn’t explain it.

That night, my doctor called. Her tone confirmed my fears. Thank God my husband was next to me because I could barely comprehend her words: lesion, cancer, chemo, hysterectomy. 

My ears went deaf, not from volume but from shock. I could see my husband’s mouth moving, but everything around me grew muffled, distant, as though I were underwater. 

A cold wave surged through me. My skin prickled, the tiny hairs on my arms standing on end. It wasn’t a confirmed diagnosis. I would have to wait a week for the biopsy results.

I didn’t sleep that night. After tucking my kids into bed, I lay next to my husband, who had already drifted off, unaware of the storm inside me. Our two Shih Tzus were curled peacefully at our feet. The house was silent, save for the low hum of the ceiling fan circling above, and yet my thoughts were deafening.

I shifted constantly, yet every move brought more frustration, not relief. I felt trapped in my own skin, in my own thoughts.

And then I cried. I wept from the depth of my soul. I cried as a mother, a wife, a woman who feared everything she loved might slip through her fingers.

Through my blurry, tear-filled eyes, I noticed a soft light, radiant and steady, glowing beneath my closed eyelids. I knew it wasn’t imagined nor a trick of exhaustion. The light shone directly over my heart, warm and unwavering.

Curious and unsure of what was happening, I opened my eyes, expecting the moment to vanish.

But it didn’t.

The light was still there, glorious and pure. The light seemed to wrap me in peace. I stared straight into it, and for the first time in hours, my breathing slowed. I felt held, loved, and safe. 

I watched as the light took a form. That’s when I saw Him. Jesus.

His presence filled the bedroom. His love was unlike anything I had experienced. It was deeper than my love, as a mother for my child, more intimate than my love for my husband, a love that was limitless, unshakable, all-encompassing.

It was pure. Eternal. The kind of love that exists beyond time and form.

“Shh… no more tears. I am here.”

Jesus whispered without words as if speaking to my soul.

“Am I dying?” I asked.

Without fear, without urgency, I was gently given a choice.

I understood I could come home now and be welcomed with love. Or I could choose to stay. I understood that if I chose to stay, I would be granted the miracles I needed to heal.

There was no pressure. No judgment. Just love.

I chose to stay.

God’s purpose for me reaffirmed his promises and grace are true

Sandra enjoys the Florida sun, grateful for Jesus and his promise to restore her to health.

The drive to my first day of teaching was effortless as if heaven had cleared a path just for me. At a time when teachers were leaving the profession when parents kept their children home for fear of a school shooting, I followed God’s purpose for me back to my students.

As I drove over the Flagler Bridge, with its sweeping views of the Florida coast, it seemed like holy ground.

I felt him again. Jesus.

He whispered to my spirit, and just like that, my anxiety softened.

It was as though I wasn’t just feeling love anymore. I was love. Walking in it. Breathing in it. Radiating it. 

When I entered the kindergarten classroom, it felt like a page from a children’s book. Cheerful colors splashed across the walls. Tiny chairs circled pint-sized tables.

Children streamed into the classroom, wide-eyed and wiggly. Some shy, some bold, all of them adorable. They looked at me with curiosity and unquestioning trust.

I knew that I was exactly where God meant me to be.

A few days later, I was diagnosed with cancer. I taught for 11 days — a little more than two weeks — before undergoing a radical hysterectomy to remove the tumor.

And just as God promised, I recovered. It wasn’t easy; I had to lean on others: my husband, my family, and my friends. Asking for help isn’t easy. But grace showed up again and again.

Everything Jesus promised came to pass. God was true to his word.

A few months later, I returned to the classroom. Once more, I drove over the Flagler Bridge to my school, thankful I had chosen to stay.

Enjoy this story? Sign up for the Faith Storytellers email to receive true, first-person stories sent directly to your inbox.

Scroll down to read more stories like this one.

Sandra Allison is a cancer survivor, wife, mother of three, and a devoted ESE teacher who lives near Palm Beach, Florida. Her heart is rooted in service and a spirit-led by God. Her journey through illness, healing, and spiritual awakening has shaped how she shows up with fierce compassion, deep discernment, and unwavering faith. In and out of the classroom, she advocates for the voiceless, uplifts the vulnerable, and walks boldly in the light of God’s love. Her life is a testimony to God’s purpose, grace, and resilience, a reminder that we are held, guided, and called to shine even through trials.

---

More stories: God’s calling and purpose

Read more stories about God’s love and presence through health challenges