Bertrand was raised in Huntington, along with her parents and grandparents. She and her husband, Jeremy, lived in Round Rock for two years for school and then moved back to Lufkin in 2008. In 2014, they purchased a home in Huntington.

“My husband Jeremy and I moved to Lufkin in 2008 when we found out we were expecting our first child,” she said. “We both really wanted our kids to go to school in Huntington, so this was a drastic change for us moving from the Austin area.”

Now, Bertrand is serving her second year on the Huntington City Council and Habitat for Humanity Board. She’s also on the board for the Lufkin Education Broadcasting Foundation LLC, which is the company behind KSWP and KAVX Christian radio stations.

“I started volunteering at KSWP for their Share-A-Thon fundraiser events back in 2016 or so and have been an avid volunteer helping to answer phones since then,” Bertrand said. “Over the years, I have become good friends with Michelle Ross, the president of the company. She has wanted to host a women’s event in Lufkin for some time now, and I never dreamed I would be one of the speakers.”

She said the request from Ross came the same day she had told God she wanted to share what He had done for her. She then prayed that He would show her how to share her story in order to encourage others.

“That very night, Michelle called me and told me she was trying to get the positions filled for the women’s event and asked me if I would be one of the speakers and share my testimony of how the Lord carried me through two rounds of cancer,” Bertrand said. “I was stunned to say the least, and I told Michelle about my prayer and request from the Lord that same day. I then, of course, told Michelle I would be happy to participate.”

Saved as a young girl, Bertrand said she knew God but was not living for God. She said, like many, she had spent her late teenage years and 20s “doing all the things non-Christian people do.”

Once diagnosed with cancer, struggling with her husband in their marriage and making other mistakes along the way, Bertrand said it “completely broke me and forced me to my knees.”

She said after trying everything she knew to do, she was still scared, embarrassed, stressed and angry with everyone, including God.

“I finally hit my rock bottom one night as I was crying out to the Lord while laying on the floor of my closet in desperation,” Bertrand said. “That rock bottom humbled me and sent me straight into the arms of Jesus, who was there all along just waiting for me to stop trying to do things on my own and allow Him to take control of everything.”

During the March 1 event, Bertrand will be sharing more about how her faith helped her through two rounds of kidney cancer in 2016 and 2018. She will also speak about her marriage and her “miracle baby boy,” who came in between her two cancer diagnoses. She said he is “a special gift to us from the Lord.

“We all need to be encouraged and reminded that we are all going through hard stuff. In all the stories in the Bible, the Lord was with His people and provided for them time and time again, despite their sin and shortcomings. True lessons are learned the hard way.”

Bertrand and her family which includes husband, Jeremy; daughter, Cayla; sons, Kieren and Kayson; as well as her mother, Cyndi, and brother, Justin and his family attend Huntington First Baptist Church.

“My husband is a leader on Wednesday nights for the K-5th-grade Missions Studies, and I help lead the Youth 6-12th-graders on Wednesday nights,” Bertrand said. “We both attend church camps and mission trips each year as adult sponsors.”

Bertrand is also a Realtor with Century 21 Cota Realty in Lufkin, where she has been since 2013.

“I get to pray and help my clients through some of the biggest decisions of their life,” she said. “It is a very rewarding experience to see a family’s excitement as they fulfill the American Dream of being a homeowner.”

“A Night of Faith, Hope & Refreshment” will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, March 1, at The Pines Theater, 113 S. First St. Other speakers include Michelle Ross (general manager of KSWP/KAVX and pastor of The River in Lufkin); Trisha Dallmeyer (pastor of The River in Jacksonville); and Lauria Greenwood (Jeepin For Jesus).

It will also feature Christian artist Jeremy Rosado in concert and will be emceed by KSWP/KAVX DJ Tiki Lamar.

Ticket prices range from $25-$75 each and may be purchased at eventbrite.com by searching Revive Women’s Event in Lufkin or on KSWP’s website at kswp.org