As the editor of Cancer Health, I have been asked, often privately and in hushed tones, whether my job can be depressing. It’s a convenient setup for me to extol the inspiring people and scientific advancements we profile in each issue. And yet I do understand where the question comes from. We all face illness, pain and loss. No one lives forever. Some find these truths to be deeply upsetting. Others accept them while focusing on joy, beauty and hope. Some ask, “Why me?” Others, “Why not me?”

 

The features in our fall 2024 issue will motivate you to see life’s proverbial glass as half full. Lawrence Ingrassia lost his mother, two sisters, a brother and a nephew—most at young ages—to various cancers caused by what is now understood to be a rare genetic mutation. He documents both the heartbreaking loss and the lifesaving scientific achievements in A Fatal Inheritance. “Life brings us all sorts of difficult things and happy things,” Ingrassia points out in our latest Can Heal column. “I do try to remind myself how fortunate I and my family have been.”

 

Malkia Mann, who has metastatic breast cancer and is featured on our cover, exudes an infectious life-­affirming attitude. Go here to learn how her family, faith and a sisterhood of young survivors help boost her spirits.

 

Vietnam veteran Bruce Wright, a prostate cancer survivor living with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, uses his experience to advise others. “I love it when I hear back from a veteran who has treatment success,” Wright shares in this issue’s Cancer Diary, adding that he’s helped over 100 veterans so far.

 

In our story about sexual health, Don Dizon, MD, and Annie Sprinkle, PhD, note that many patients and doctors don’t bring up sexual issues for fear of making one another uncomfortable. Thankfully, these advocates are sparking discussions and leading the way to wellness.

 

As these stories prove, it’s better to choose education, empowerment, health and hope.