Everybody thinks about the actual cancer patient. They don’t always think about the number of people who are behind the scenes.
No one faces cancer alone.
Behind every patient is a village — family and friends, doctors and nurses, caregivers and community members, and sometimes even strangers. Each plays a part in the cancer journey, offering support in ways both big and small.
This World Cancer Support Month, we’re celebrating those villages — and the people who show up for patients when they need them most. From organizing meal trains and seeking second opinions — to offering a ride, a listening ear, or simply being there, every act of support can make a difference.
In the stories that follow, patients share the people who became part of their village—and the ways they showed up throughout their cancer journeys.
Dana Deighton, Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer Survivor
When Dana Deighton was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, she was determined to keep searching for options — even when she was told there were few left. But she didn’t search alone.
Through an unexpected series of hoops to jump through for insurance, Dana met a nurse coordinator who became one of her biggest supporters throughout her journey.
She stayed with me for the rest of my treatment, and to this day, I still send her a Christmas card because she really moved mountains and made things happen.
Dana’s village continued to grow along the way. A friend connected Dana with a specialist who offered something she desperately needed: hope. That connection eventually helped lead her to an aggressive course of treatment and a 15-hour surgery that left her disease-free. When her cancer returned a year later, her medical team was there with another option: immunotherapy. Dana’s tumor proved to be a strong candidate for the treatment, and after receiving immunotherapy through a compassionate use program, her remaining cancer disappeared.
Today, Dana remains disease-free — and her village has come full circle. She now mentors others with cancer, becoming for other patients the kind of support that helped carry her through her own journey.
Oswald Peterson, Stage 4 Lung Cancer Survivor
Oswald Peterson was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer after being hospitalized with severe pain and difficulty breathing. His diagnosis came during an already devastating period in his life, following the deaths of both his mother and his longtime partner. But while Oswald initially felt alone, his cancer journey revealed an extraordinary network of people ready to stand beside him. His oncologist, Catherine Shu, MD, introduced him to immunotherapy — a treatment that saved his life, ultimately giving him the chance to return to the things he loves, including dancing in Trinidad’s Carnival.
As an only child, Oswald says he learned to build his own family through friendship. Some friends had been in his life for more than 45 years, while others he had known for far less time, but they all showed up when he needed them most. During his hospitalization, friends organized shifts so someone was always by his side, encouraging the person who had so often encouraged them. Their care continued after he returned home, with friends cleaning, preparing his home, arranging healthy meals, and helping him manage everyday life.
It was really, really special to know that there are people in your life who appreciate you that way, that they step up when you truly need them.
For Oswald, their support transformed a time of profound isolation into a reminder of how deeply he was loved. His experience shows that lifesaving treatment is only one part of a cancer journey: the people who show up, stay present, and help carry the everyday burdens can be powerful sources of healing, strength, and hope.
Jeff Atkinson, Stage 4 Mucosal Melanoma Survivor
In October 2016, Jeff Atkinson was diagnosed with stage 4 mucosal melanoma, a rare form of melanoma that develops inside the body. Hearing that there was no cure was devastating for Jeff and his family. But in the same conversation, his oncologist, Justin Favero, MD, PhD, gave them something to hold onto: there were treatments showing promise, including immunotherapy.
Until his diagnosis, Jeff knew little about immunotherapy. With the support of his wife and medical team, he began treatment with the checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab and ipilimumab, which help the immune system recognize and attack cancer. Treatment wasn’t without challenges — at one point, Jeff had to temporarily stop immunotherapy after developing a significant rash — but his care team was able to manage the side effects and eventually resume treatment.
One year after his diagnosis, in November 2017, Jeff received the news he and his family had hoped for: he was cancer-free.
Without a shadow of a doubt, immunotherapy saved my life.
This October, Jeff will mark 10 years since his diagnosis. He uses his experience to help others understand the potential of cancer immunotherapy, adding his own voice to the community of patients and survivors helping those who come after them.
Jenney Bitner, Stage 4 Melanoma Survivor
At 22 weeks pregnant, Jenney Bitner began experiencing severe headaches, vomiting, and falls that were initially attributed to pregnancy. A scan ultimately revealed a large brain tumor, leading to two brain surgeries, the premature birth of her son, and a diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic melanoma that had spread throughout her body. Jenney began immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab, and after just four infusions, scans showed no evidence of disease. She was declared in remission in January 2021 and remains so today.
Throughout her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, Jenney was surrounded by an extraordinary support system. Her husband accompanied her to appointments, helping her navigate conversations and remember critical information when the effects of brain surgery made that difficult. Nurses cared not only for Jenney but also took time to educate and reassure her family. Neighbors, church members, friends, and even people she had never met rallied around them, providing meals for nearly a year, helping care for her children, and gathering supplies for her newborn son.
If someone needs help, just do something. Don’t even ask what they need, because they need everything. Just find something and do it. You’ll make a world of difference.
For Jenney, those acts of kindness were an essential part of getting through cancer. Her experience taught her that supporting someone facing cancer doesn’t always require knowing exactly what to say or asking what they need — sometimes, it simply means finding a way to help and doing it. Today, she shares her story with gratitude for the family, community, care teams, and cancer researchers who helped make her recovery possible.
Gordon Levine, Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer Survivor
Gordon Levine was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2014. Despite surgery and chemotherapy, his cancer repeatedly returned, eventually progressing to stage 4 and spreading to his abdomen, liver, lungs, and bones. After an immunotherapy clinical trial ended because of severe side effects and continued progression, Gordon was running out of options. A second opinion with Aaron Miller, MD, at UC San Diego changed the course of his treatment. Rather than viewing Gordon’s previous experience as a failure, Dr. Miller saw his adverse reaction as evidence of an immune response and believed immunotherapy was worth another try.
Gordon began treatment with ipilimumab and nivolumab. By his fourth treatment, his tumor markers had plummeted, and scans soon revealed extraordinary news: his tumors were “melting away.” In 2021, surgery removed the last remaining trace of disease, and Gordon celebrated 5 years of being cancer-free in 2026.
As Gordon’s focus shifted from staying alive to living as a long-term survivor, community and advocacy became important parts of his journey. Through a CRI patient conference, he met other patients, survivors, families, and physicians and began sharing his experience.
I sat on the patient panel, and it was an amazing day just to meet the other survivors and patients and their families and the doctors, and to start to tell my story.
Today, Gordon sees giving back as part of survivorship itself — a way for patients to find purpose, make their voices heard, and support others navigating cancer. He also advocates for greater attention to caregivers and the unique challenges facing a growing community of long-term survivors.
Cancer may be deeply personal, but no one should have to face it alone. These stories remind us that a patient’s village can take many forms — the loved one who never misses an appointment, the neighbor who brings dinner, the doctor who keeps searching for another option, the researcher whose discovery changes what’s possible, or the survivor who reaches back to help someone following in their footsteps.
This World Cancer Support Month, we celebrate everyone who shows up — and every act, big or small, that helps carry someone through. Because when we support people with cancer, we become part of their story, too.
