Most would not count cancer as a blessing, but 61-year-old Mike Paradowski considers his diagnosis of head and neck cancer as one of the best things that has ever happened to him.

It made me cry when Brendan told me why he wanted to go Bald. He knows how important it is. He’s only eight and knows how important it is to find cancer cures.

Twelve-year-old Emmett is big into hockey. He started skating when he was 4 and playing when he was 6. He had hockey hair. He skateboarded. He was outside playing sports every minute he could. Then when he was 10, he started to feel lightheaded and fatigued.

The advice I would give to other people going through cancer at my age is to never give up. Find something that can symbolize your journey and push you to keep fighting.

A cancer survivor reflects on his decades-long experience with cancer and shares his secret to moving forward.

I encourage all patients and survivors to become experts on their cancer and seek out communities that support them. There are plenty of resources out there, and beginning the journey to finding them can be a huge source of relief.