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ALTON - On the most recent episode of “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust, Myla Dixon shared how she has relied on God as she has raised 13 children and how her faith has intensified following her son Kirby’s brain cancer diagnosis last month.
Kirby, 25, has undergone two brain surgeries in the past month and will soon start radiation and chemotherapy. When he turns 26 in September, he will no longer be eligible to remain on his parents’ insurance plan. The family is holding a benefit for Kirby on Aug. 24, 2024, to support him through this time. Dixon noted that Kirby’s faith is “unshakeable,” and the family has continued to fully rely on God through everything.
“I can do all things through Jesus and His strength. That is a saying in our house that goes full-force, all the time,” Dixon said. “No matter where we’re at, He’s always going to be there to hold us through everything. No matter how deep the water is, He’s always going to be there to hold you through everything. Everything.”
Following the loss of their first baby, Dixon and her husband Mike were told they would likely be unable to have children. In response, they prayed. Their prayer was answered with 13 kids.
“Watch what you pray for, because He was listening,” Dixon laughed.
But while every baby was a gift, life wasn’t without its hardships. At one point, with 12 kids and number 13 on the way, the family found themselves homeless.
Dixon said that it’s easy to blame God when something goes wrong, but she knew God was looking out for them. The family continued to pray, and eventually, they found a home. Through it all, Dixon relied on her faith.
She encourages people to think about their faith and find ways to strengthen it. If you have to be shown every miracle, Dixon argued, do you truly have faith? She also believes that faith is different from religion, and she said it’s important to never confuse the two.
“You could never be a religious person at all and have the strongest faith ever. A relationship with God does not have to be religious-based,” she explained. “Religion is a manmade way to live your life. I’m not saying it’s a right thing or a wrong thing, I’m just simply saying that’s true. The faith is totally different from the religion. That’s why there’s only one faith and so many religions. And we’re all striving to get where? To the one.”
This faith has become even more important after Kirby’s diagnosis. Dixon remembers sitting in the chapel with her husband during Kirby’s surgery, praying and crying as they waited for an update. She is thankful to God for giving him the right doctors and for a successful procedure; almost five hours into surgery, they received the news that Kirby’s tumor had been successfully removed.
Kirby will still have to undergo cancer treatment, and there are a lot of fears as he is removed from his parents’ insurance. Dixon’s family is trusting God through it all.
“We are seriously just leaving it in God’s hands,” Dixon said. “I mean, that is all we can do as parents right now.”
They ask people to consider coming to the benefit/trivia night on Aug. 24 to support Kirby. You can call 618-593-7929 to reserve your spot or find out more about the event. You can also donate to Kirby’s GoFundMe.
Watch or listen to “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust at 2 p.m. on Thursdays on RiverBender.com/Beautiful.
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