Nick Nance endured repeated head injuries as a college football player, eventually causing a brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). However, at the 2023 SWBC, he received the revelation that healing was his as a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.
His journey had been grueling.
The anxiety and panic attacks had escalated so much that his wife, Aubrey, feared she would become a widow. They had tried everything they could think of in hopes of relief: physicians, counselors, psychiatrists, and even neurofeedback therapy that involved brain mapping and iridology.
They spent thousands of dollars searching for help. Eventually, Nick and his wife sold their house and moved into his parents’ house with their young children.
Living the Dream as a College Football Player
Nance had lived the kind of life many young men only dreamed of, playing collegiate football on a scholarship. However, it was a life that came with a price.
Several years after his college career ended, he developed symptoms of mental illness that grew worse as the years went by. The torment was so intense at times that he would try to knock himself out.
For 12 years, this was his “normal.” They endured a silent battle together, all the while hoping for relief, deliverance, and healing.
“We lived every day in uncertainty of what the day would hold,” said Aubrey. “I thank God for protecting our children from witnessing the things Nick and I dealt with in those late-night hours.”
They experienced hundreds of sleepless nights, hours of crying, praying, reading about diet and what doctor to try next, but nothing seemed to work. “The torment that took place in his mind was straight from the devil,” said Aubrey.
Diagnosed with CTE
They had done everything they could. He’d seen the doctors, he’d asked for help from the church, he’d taken the pills, he’d read the books, he’d done the research.
Their last resort was to visit Amen Clinics to have a scan of his brain. The scan came back showing signs that were consistent with trauma in his brain from repeated concussions sustained during his collegiate playing career.
According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no cure for CTE. However, as a born-again believer with a covenant right to healing, Nance’s story wasn’t one without hope when he heard his CTE diagnosis.
A benefit to moving into his parents’ house was that they had VICTORY Channel playing, practically 24/7. While lying on the couch one day, Nance heard a commercial for the 2023 SWBC.
He knew he had to go.
Healed at the Southwest Believers’ Convention
“In my life, I’ve always lived off of my emotions and the feelings of my body,” Nance said. “The Southwest Believers’ Convention is where I found my deliverance.”
At SWBC, he received revelation from God while listening to each speaker. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing…the Good News about Christ.”
Aubrey said, “We went from begging God to heal him, to knowing that Jesus already did it at the cross.”
They went from not knowing what to do, to doing what the Word of God told them to do. Nick and Aubrey learned to stop guessing whether it’s God’s will and to believe it is God’s will for them to experience physical healing.
Miraculously, at the 2023 SWBC, Nick was delivered from the torment caused by CTE and healed!
The same month he was delivered from CTE, Nance applied for Kenneth Copeland Bible College. He graduated with honors from KCBC in 2025.
John 8:32, 36 says, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” Understanding his freedom, Nance only had one thing to say, “It was like a veil just lifted off my face.”
Nance attended KCBC to discover his calling and find his purpose. Watch him tell his story!
Are you in need of healing in your mind or body? Join us this year at the Southwest Believers’ Convention Healing School in Fort Worth, Texas! Registration is FREE. Immerse yourself in the Word of God alongside believers from around the world and learn how to apply it to your daily life.
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