Hi, I’m Samantha, and I’m so glad you’re here!
I created Sweetened With Honey to share tips for healthier living, my favorite recipes, how-tos, my story, and whatever else I can think up!
A bit about me, I grew up on a small farm in Iowa with my 5 sisters. You read that right, five. No, no brothers either! My dad ran his own buisness and farming was his hobby. I loved being on the farm and was Dad’s little helper. From lambing season, baling hay, fixing fence, and scooping poop, I loved it all. I was willing to do just about anything to get out of the house, away from mom and my schoolwork! Homeschooling did give me the opportunity to help my grandpa when he visited, and those are memories I always cherish!
I learned I had Chronic Myeloid leukemia (CML) in January 2019. I struggled for a long time with depression and anxiety, and being angry at God for allowing me to go through this. It was hard. I had to have surgery (Due to rupturing my spleen ice skating), I couldn’t work, I had to move in with my parents again cause I needed care, and just when I was getting back on my feet, COVID hit, and I was locked up again!
I questioned everything, my faith, God’s love, His goodness, and if He truly cares about me. At the time, I was 23, single, working 2 jobs I didn’t like, my friends seemed to avoid me, my family wouldn’t leave me alone, and they treated me like I was going to break (I probably was, mentally). I couldn’t find someone when I wasn’t sick, who’s going to love me now?
My family, a few friends, and some extended family all went on vacation to the Ark and Creation Museum together 3 months after my accident. It was incredible! I had so much fun and learned so many amazing things. But came home still questioning God.
6 months into all this, I broke.
I couldn’t go any lower. Couldn’t keep all the pain inside anymore. I can still feel the cold cement floor of the basement bedroom at my parents’ house, tears streaming down my face, “Why, God? Why me, why this, why now?” And for the first time, I opened my Bible and actually read the words on the pages. I felt, for the first time in my life, as if God could actually see me, as if He were listening to my cries. I started reading through Psalms, and Psalm 56:4 became my mantra. “In God I will praise His word, in God I have put my trust. I will not fear what FLESH can do unto me.” Now, I know that no matter what I go through, God always has a reason.
That was my “Job” moment.
It’s now 2026, and I still have CML, but it’s not a death sentence; it’s an opportunity for me to change lives. I am now on a journey to prove the doctors wrong. They say it can’t be cured; I say that with God, nothing is impossible. I now work as an Admin Assistant for the local Conservation, just replaced my 2000 Buick with a 2014 Mazda, and (I saved the best for last) I’m getting MARRIED!!!! I met the most amazing man online and fell head over heels for him! He loves me despite my flaws. He loves me when I don’t know how to love myself. I cannot wait to say “I do” to this amazing man!
So, follow along on our crazy journey to finding the cure to my cancer and all the fun we have in the meantime!