“Things are gettin’ real, Jesus, take the wheel. Only way I’m gettin’ to the other side. Days are gettin’ dark, life’s a little hard. Blinded, but I’m tryin’ not to lose sight. I don’t got this, I know You got this, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I’ll believe it before I see it, yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Bernie Ochoa, 50, a retired Command Sergeant Major at Fort Jackson in Columbia, was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2020 and then again in the spring of 2022. During his second diagnosis and treatment, Christian artist Brandon Heath released, “See Me Through It.” This song became Ochoa’s anthem while he and his wife, Kari, learned to trust the Lord during hardship.
“You just want to crawl in your bed and pull the covers over your head and ignore the rest of the world,” Ochoa’s wife said, regarding his second diagnosis.
But she said she also had to keep living a normal life for the sake of her two young children.
Ochoa’s first diagnosis came in the fall of 2020. He noticed discomfort and did a self-examination at home. The doctor confirmed his condition a few days later and he underwent his first successful cancer removal surgery. After a month of recovery, Kari said life returned to normal.
The doctors told Ochoa to eat foods high in fat before surgery to help identify and locate his lymph nodes.
So when the cancer returned a year and a half later, both Ochoa and his wife said they were devastated. Kari said she thought, “What is going on? We’ve been through this. We were moving forward … .”
This time the cancer spread to his lymph nodes. Ochoa’s second surgery lasted 7-8 hours and left him in the hospital for five days. Ochoa said they removed over 20 lymph nodes, two of which were cancerous.
Ochoa said it was difficult to walk after surgery and he practiced walking laps around the hospital as he recovered.
Meanwhile, amid surgery, two months of recovery, and daily injections, Brandon Heath’s latest song played on the radio.
“I know You’re gonna see me through it. If anybody can, You can do it. God, I know in the trial and the pain, fire and the rain. You’re gonna see me through it.”
Ochoa said he learned through cancer to trust the Lord, and He’ll see you through it. For Ochoa, that meant healing on earth. But for others, it could mean He sees you through it into eternity.
Ochoa said, “Because if you have Him, even if it is going south, He’s going to see you through it to the other side. The flesh wants to stay here, but the spirit wants to go and be with the Father.”
To the believer going through cancer, Ochoa said, “Let go and let Him see you through it.” For the person who isn’t a Christian, Ochoa said the biggest thing would be for that person to trust Christ as their Savior.
Though Ochoa was healed of his cancer, he said there’s always a “cancer cloud” above his head. The doctors said that if it returned a third time, then it would go straight to his lungs. In light of this possibility, Ochoa said he seeks to live every day for the Lord and be vocal about Him to others.
Fast forward to February 2025 and the Ochoas were pleasantly surprised when they got to meet the artist who sang their anthem song, “See Me Through It.” On Valentine’s Day weekend, Ochoa and his wife attended a military couple’s retreat at The Cove in North Carolina. During the first session, Brandon Heath led worship, but they didn’t recognize him. The next morning, out of curiosity, Kari googled the worship leader and realized it was the artist who sang their anthem song.
Kari said, “I looked at Bernie and said, ‘Bernie, you’re not going to believe this. The guy who’s leading worship is the guy who sings our song.’”
First time Ochoa met Brandon Heath at The Cove.
The couple introduced themselves to Heath that morning and shared their testimony. Heath later sang, “See Me Through It” in honor of Ochoa.
After the concert, Kari followed Heath on social media where he advertised “Brandon in the Backyard.” Fans signed up through a google form and offered pay for Heath to perform in their backyard. Kari used the sign-up form to write a thank-you letter to Heath, with no expectation of hosting a private concert. On the form she marked, “Other” for pay and typed in a small sum of money.
Ochoa and his wife, Kari, pose next to Brandon Heath.
A few days later, Heath’s wife emailed Kari, “Does April 7th work?” Kari was dumbfounded, and soon they prepared to host Brandon Heath in their backyard. Ochoa even built a pergola.
One day while Kari was cleaning the kitchen, Heath’s song came on the radio.
“Our God is bigger than all our problems. The only one who knows how to solve ’em. So if you’re sittin’ in the back, rock bottom. Prayers in the air if you got ’em.”
Brandon Heath singing at Spring Valley Baptist Church while Ochoa and his daughter listen.
Kari thought to herself: What was the date of Bernie’s surgery?
When her husband got home, they discussed the date of his surgery. Brandon Heath didn’t know when he scheduled the concert for April 7, that it was the same date that Ochoa’s surgery took place three years prior.
As the concert day approached, rainy weather called for the plans to change and the concert took place at Spring Valley Baptist Church, where they attend church. Family and friends came to eat BBQ and worship the Lord.
Looking back on how all the details of the concert worked out, Ochoa said, “I knew it was all God.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know You’re gonna see me through it.”