Cancer is the worst. But it brings out our best.

Cancer has a way of making everything else feel trivial. And it insinuates itself into your life more and more as you get older. 

I’ve learned this the hard way. My wife has battled cancer (twice). Two of my close friends are battling cancer right now, and are in my thoughts as this issue comes out. My in-laws have battled cancer. I’ve lost people I care about to cancer. The older you get, the more people you know who are affected. 

But it’s not just old people who get cancer, because that would be…what? Fair? Understandable? No, unfortunately, cancer does not discriminate. Perhaps it would be easier to fight, and live with, if it did. But instead, it feels sometimes like it hovers over us, ready to drop down and strike without warning, regardless of age or health or anything tangible. 

So where do we find hope? How do you talk about the future when you’re talking about a disease that robs people of their future? 

I’ve realized recently that the stories that inspire us come from the battle itself against the disease. It’s in the adversity and the fear and the pain that we find hope, because while it’s true that people are lost to cancer each day, people also beat it each day. 

And they don’t do it alone. The phrase “it takes a village” is overused, but sometimes it’s true. We all face a battle against cancer. Whether that’s fighting the disease ourselves, supporting a loved one who is fighting it, supporting the many charities and causes that help cancer victims, or even working in the medical field to find cures and treatments and medicines. We all play a role. Every one of us. 

And that’s how the battle will be won. It’s difficult to imagine anything that we all agree on, all commit to, all support without reservation or hesitation. Yet we all have this common enemy that touches the lives of all of us on a seemingly regular basis, and when it’s our turn, we all do everything we can to be part of the fight. 

Our community is at the center of this battle. The Valley boasts some of the finest medical facilities in the world, with medical professionals and researchers who are on the cutting edge of cancer care. Barrow. Mayo. Cancer Treatment Centers. Banner. HonorHealth. Phoenix Children’s Hospital. TGen. We’re fortunate to have some of the best resources available to not only treat those battling cancer now, but to make advances that will change the future. 

Their proficiency is matched by the dedication of the countless nonprofits and charities that support cancer victims. Dozens of organizations contribute time and treasure to the fight, support those battling cancer and their families in every imaginable way, and give them a better chance at beating the disease. 

All of these efforts are growing, and rapid, substantial progress is being made, and people are living better, longer lives. 

Tragically, not every person’s battle against cancer results in becoming cancer-free. I don’t need to tell you that. It might even be unrealistic from a scientific standpoint to think we’ll ever have a world without cancer. 

But we have hope. And the reason we have hope is that we’re committed to the fight. Every story can’t have a happy ending, but there are enough that do to make the battle worthwhile.