Jonah’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah”

In early October, Joy99 received a message through Facebook from a listener named Betsi and her husband, Mike.

The message detailed out the experience she and her husband shared alongside their son, Jonah during his cancer journey.

Here’s a small excerpt:

In January of 2024 my youngest son (then almost 20) was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma. He fought incredibly hard through several inpatient rounds of chemo, then Car-T cell therapy, and a stem cell transplant at Mott’s children’s hospital in Ann Arbor. While he was in Ann Arbor, they had a “talent” show for the kids and Jonah decided to sing Brandon Lake’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah”. This was a huge witness to other parents and kids going through cancer as well as the nurses and doctors there. It has been 6 months since Jonah entered glory at age 21. We miss him like crazy but are grateful for his life and the gift of eternal life and promise of seeing him soon.

Betsi and Mike also passed along a video of that moment:

The team at Joy99 was moved and we were able to connect with Betsi and Mike to learn more about Jonah’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah” story.

During our time together, we chatted about Jonah’s journey, the role music played, the difficulties they faced along the way, and ways we can encourage each other through other “Hard Fought Hallelujah” stories.

Here’s our full conversation:

Thank you for listening and we hope that Betsi & Mike’s story brought you some encouragement, hope, and JOY today. Perhaps there is someone in your life that could benefit from hearing it as well and we encourage you to share it with them.

Finally, thank you for being a part of a family that takes care of each other through prayer, meal trains, financial support, and more…we are a blessed community.

~Jeremy & Amanda