Three years into this journey—diagnosis, treatment, remission… and now recurrence—people ask what keeps me going.
The honest answer is four things. I call them the 4Gs.
God. Or whatever you call something bigger than yourself. I’m not here to preach—I just know that without something to anchor me, the rest doesn’t hold. For me, it’s God.
Gratitude. Not the polished version. The kind you find at 3am when the pain is real and you’re still here. Family. Friends. The people who showed up. Even this illness—because it’s clarified what actually matters.
Growth. Cancer doesn’t ask permission. But it doesn’t get to decide who you become either. I’ve tried to keep becoming—mentoring, writing, finding ways to contribute. None of it perfect. All of it intentional.
Giving. When you’ve been carried by others, you feel it. The responsibility to carry someone else.
I don’t live this perfectly. But I know what I’m trying to live toward.
What’s keeping you going right now?