Beginning a new year is a prime time to revisit stories that display extreme resilience. Maintaining a positive attitude when life throws a curveball can require a person to dig deep to find hope while leaning on faith. Tashell Williams— a licensed hair expert, salon owner, product curator, certified wellness coach, speaker and author— conquered a medical emergency. Exercising faith plays a huge part in her remarkable journey of living with one lung.
“Faith is what pleases God. In order to activate all that He has for me, I have to believe that He will do it,” Williams said.
The Houston, Texas-based owner of Euphoric Essence Hair Salon and Cadence Taylor Organic Beauty Products experienced a brush with death and won. Williams’ challenging period began in September of 2000 at the age of 22, when she experienced minor shortness of breath a few times. After going to an emergency room to seek medical answers about what was causing it, Williams was told that the upper part of her right lung collapsed due to a tumor blocking her airway.
“The tumor was a benign granular cell tumor which was very rare,” Williams said. “In order to save the remaining part of my right lung, doctors decided that I should have surgery to remove the tumor. They set a date of Dec. 13, 2000, to do my surgery. During the surgery, my doctors found that the tumor grew aggressively and completely cut off all oxygen to my right lung and grew up my main airway. They made a decision to remove my entire lung and a portion of my main airway.”
Williams experienced a host of life-threatening complications. She ended up in a medically induced coma and surviving on a ventilator for one and a half months.
“My doctor said that he had never had a patient get that close to death and not die! I was discharged from the hospital after two months while weighing 65 pounds. I was too weak to walk, talk or do anything for myself, but I was alive,” she added.
Williams added that God gets all of the glory for her healing. She described her current health as “pretty good.” She exercises regularly, eats a plant-based diet, and she implements a wellness routine that assists her to stay balanced and at peace. The granular cell tumor returned in her mouth where they are normally found. Williams explained that it is not a dangerous tumor. She remains thankful for the things that most people take for granted.
In an interview, Williams told Empower Magazine that her “entire life flows through the power and perfect plan of God, which gives me the confidence to do anything.”
The mother and wife decided to begin writing a book about her experience in September of 2021.
“I got COVID in August 2021 and it was a rough road for me. As I laid on my back looking at the ceiling, I began to think about the reasons that I wanted to fight to live once again. Telling the world about how God miraculously healed me was in the top three reasons. The world needs to know about God and His power to inspire them through challenging times,” Williams said.
The fun-loving woman of God self-published “One Lung to Live.” It is a nonfiction story about her life-changing experience.
“Everyone has a story to tell, and it needs to be told. We should tell our story because God tells us to. It brings God glory, it demonstrates God’s power, it promotes strong connections with others, it heals and inspires others. Our story helps us understand and relate to one another,” Williams said.
The author’s journey can serve as a reminder that living with intention has value.
“Everything changed about my perspective of life after I almost didn’t have one. I did not desire to be wasteful with my time because it’s limited. I ran to find my purpose in life so that I could do exactly what God created me to do,” Williams said. “I am now intentional about forgiving myself and others quickly; being present and in the moment; choosing happiness daily; learning how to communicate and resolve conflict; creating health boundaries; finding ways to be of service to God and others; and doing things that bring me joy, self-care and so much more.”
Visit www.tashellwilliams.com to learn more about Williams and her book.