If you heard those words, your world likely would stop, but the one you live in wouldn’t even pause.
Each year, more than 1 million people are diagnosed with cancer, and in a moment these mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons and friends are forced to make a choice. They can choose to give up and let the world continue to spin around them or they can choose to keep living.

If I were diagnosed, I’d like to think I’d have Luke’s attitude, Annabelle’s resilience or Kelly’s courage, but I just don’t know. Despite the physical and emotional toll of cancer on the lives of these three cancer warriors and millions of others like them, they don’t let cancer define their lives. They get up every morning, they smile, they laugh, they learn and they make an effort to help others in the fight against cancer.

I met Luke, Annabelle and Kelly through involvement with the American Cancer Society’s annual cancer benefit Relay for Life. Each of them has a story and a struggle, but, more importantly, each of them has a future. And every time I talk with one of them or any cancer survivor, I am in awe of their ability to simply focus on the future. They know cancer is not their future, and they maintain their dreams, plans, goals and optimism. They don’t sit and wait to get better. They live their lives as fully as possible.

Luke, now 4, tells the funniest stories. Annabelle, now working towards her second degree at MSU, gives the best hugs. Kelly, a kinesiology senior, has a smile that can light up any room. Their optimism allows them not only to live as normally as possible with cancer but also to encourage other cancer survivors and patients to focus on the future.
It might sound cheesy, but I truly admire every person who has ever heard those three words. I admire those who have lived with cancer, I admire those who have died of cancer and I admire those who have watched their loved ones die of cancer. I admire them because I know it isn’t easy to focus on the future, and sometimes it is impossible.

My mom was diagnosed with cancer, and although she continued to live life as a caring and amazing mother, sister, teacher and friend for as long as she could, her cancer story did not have a happy ending. There are days when I miss her so much I don’t think I can even get out of bed. And on these days I remind myself of Luke’s stories, Annabelle’s hugs and Kelly’s smiles, and then I can’t think of any reason not to get out of bed.

Because too many cancer stories don’t have happy endings, I do my best to remain active in the fight against cancer, and tonight I’ll be at MSU’s annual Relay for Life honoring those touched by cancer and fighting for a cancer-free future. To some, volunteering and collecting money for a cancer benefit might seem like a small effort in a battle against a deadly disease that destroys millions of lives. But for me, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is much more than a financial contribution to the cure. One in every 100 Americans participates in Relay for Life, and I want to thank these people for the millions of dollars they have collected for this cause.

But more than that, I want to thank them for the hope they create. Relay for Life is not just a fundraiser. It is a community of people who believe in a future without cancer and contribute their hope and optimism to convincing others that one day we will live in a world where people don’t have to hear the words, “you have cancer.”

Tonight at Relay for Life, Luke, Annabelle and Kelly — along with hundreds of others who have been touched by cancer — will celebrate life and contribute to an increase of hope for all of those who suffer from the pain of the disease.

The world doesn’t stop every time a person is diagnosed with cancer. By giving those affected by it the support and encouragement to optimistically look toward a cancer-free future, we can guarantee that each person diagnosed doesn’t have to stop either.

Marissa Cumbers is the State News capitol reporter. Reach her at cumbersm@msu.edu.