Bishop Hezekiah Walker: 2 Years Cancer-Free & the Favor That Carried Him

September 5, 2026 5

Darlene McCoy didn’t waste a second reminding us just how special the moment was. “Y’all know this is my brother for real,” she told the audience, “because every time I play his music, I tell y’all, it’s my brother, Bishop Hezekiah Walker, with your bad self.”

The gospel icon returned the love without missing a beat. “Darlene, it is so good to hear your voice. It is so good to be with you.” What followed was more than a radio segment. It was a testimony, a word of encouragement, and a reunion between two friends who have walked through their own storms and come out on the other side.

A Testimony Wrapped in a Song

Bishop Walker’s new single, “Favor,” has taken off, and he’s quick to explain that nothing about it was rushed. “When I put music out, I take my time,” he shared. “There’s always a theme behind every song that I put out.” That theme, he says, was born out of a season most people never saw coming.

During a routine checkup, his doctor delivered life-altering news. “He looked at me and said, ‘Mr. Walker, I think you have prostate cancer,’” Bishop Walker recalled. The biopsy confirmed it. But the story didn’t end there. “Here it is, two years later, I am free from cancer. Hallelujah.”

Rather than hide the experience, Bishop Walker leaned into it. He believes the delay in a New York building project and even the illness itself served a bigger purpose. “The Lord allowed me to go through that sickness just so that I can be a testimony, a witness to somebody.” When he asked God to explain why blessings kept following his life and his music, he says the answer was simple: “He said, it’s favor. And I was like, that’s what it is.”

A Word for the Community and the Church

Bishop Walker didn’t shy away from the weight many are carrying right now. “We’re in a climate where everyone is under this cloud of despair,” he said. But his message pushed straight through that cloud. “Although this cloud of despair is over us, we have favor on our life.”

He tied it to a song from his childhood, We’ve Come This Far by Faith, reframing it for the moment. “We’ve come this far as a culture, as a people, and as a kingdom, as a church. We come this far by faith and by favor.” His charge to the African American community was clear and firm: “We’ve come a long way, and we cannot stop now.”

Reaching for scripture, Bishop Walker pointed to the woman at the well. “She left that well and ran into the city and told everybody, ‘Come see a man that told me everything about myself.’” His point landed with Darlene, who added, “She had no clue that her whole life would change that day.”

As the segment wound down, the affection between the two was unmistakable. “I love you so much, Bishop,” Darlene said. “We got work to do, sir.” His answer? “One hundred.”

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Written by: realurbanradio1

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