“I’m sorry, there’s no easy way to tell you this.”

Jack Whelan’s doctor followed up those words with a diagnosis of a rare, incurable blood cancer and a five-year prognosis. That was eight years ago. As he says in his blog, “Friends and family and many audiences have heard my “success story” beating that poor outlook because I bet on forward-looking science and chose to participate in clinical trials which played out relatively nicely, until now.” Jack now has a new cancer, and it’s a stinker. “This time, it’s aggressive, metastatic, spread out from the prostate to bones and lymph nodes and with plenty of pain but the worst is the pain of uncertainty.”

Anyone who’s had the pleasure of meeting Jack – or even seeing his posts on Facebook, knows about his globe-trotting in support of clinical trials, his beautiful family, his jokingly replacing his chemo infusion drip with an upended bottle of Guinness, and always with a smile big as the sun. Well, he’s not sitting down for this one, either…digging into global research, balancing his treatments, knowing whatever he learns will help not just himself but others, too. Take a moment to read Jack’s moving and inspiring post. You’ll be an FOJ (Friend of Jack) too.

AllisonGeri

There’s nothing we can do”. Those were the words Allison heardwhen she was caught in a car fire that burned 50 % of her body. Geri, whose car was hit by a tractor trailer truck, was told she’ll probably never be as active as she was. If you don’t know Allison or Geri, read here to see how they defied predictions and how their experiences transformed their lives.

I’m in awe of the strength some are able to summon when dealt a really bad hand. We both know many others. I’d name some except for fear I’d leave out any of the rockstars I’ve met along the way.

Not every story can have a happy ending. But I think there are two themes here: one, how important it is to find the medical person or team willing to meet a determined patient – not with limitations and fatalism – but with engagement and encouragement. May you have boundless blessings for “seeing” us. Second, we all have choices about how we handle the “rain” in life. Jack, Geri and Allison show us what grace and courage look like.

And Jack, if well wishes and admiration help, I hope you’re feeling the endless infusions coming your way.