Regardless of how or when you choose to share your experience, remember that your voice could make a difference in someone’s life. All I can hope is that my words might reach another survivor and remind them that they are not alone.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I left work to go to my doctor’s appointment and planned on being back to the office in time for a meeting. Little did I know my entire life would flip upside down that afternoon.

Are you the research partner a Roswell Park scientist is looking for? You might be — even if you don’t have a degree in biochemistry or cellular biology.

Studies show those who are overweight or obese are at greater risk for many diseases. While studies can’t conclusively prove that obesity causes cancer, there is growing evidence that higher amounts of body fat are consistently associated with increased risks for developing certain types of cancers.

Thyroid nodules are common and found in 10 percent of the adult population. Luckily, 95 percent of them are benign. When a thyroid nodule is suspicious - meaning that it has characteristics that suggest thyroid cancer - the next step is usually a fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB).

I hope you will take a moment to write down what you want your 2017 to be. And whether you are in the middle of treatment, completing treatment, or newly diagnosed, trust that you will get to a place where you can say, “I'm happy, and I am alive.”

With only a few days until Christmas, I’m doing everything I can to channel that strength and use it to begin 2017 on a grateful and optimistic note.