Turning Pain Into Purpose and Impact
I never planned to become a cancer advocate.
I certainly never planned to build a platform around prostate cancer, caregiving and hope.
Jonesing for the Journey was supposed to be about a different adventure.
Then life handed us another story.
For a while, that story belonged only to us.
Our diagnosis.
Our surgery.
Our fear.
Our questions.
Our changing plans.
But something began happening when I started talking openly about what we were experiencing.
People responded.
Some were newly diagnosed.
Some were years into treatment.
Some were caregivers.
Some were terrified.
Some simply said:
“Thank you. I thought I was the only one feeling this way.”
That’s when the purpose began to change.
I realized our story didn’t have to end with us.
Maybe the difficult things we were learning could make someone else’s road a little easier.
Maybe another man would ask his doctor one more question.
Maybe another caregiver would feel seen.
Maybe another family would realize they weren’t navigating this alone.
That became the heart of Jonesing for the Journey.
Not pretending everything is okay.
Not promising outcomes we cannot promise.
Not telling someone what treatment they should choose.
Simply saying:
Here is what happened to us. Here is what we learned. Here is what we wish we had known. Maybe something in our journey can help you with yours.
Purpose doesn’t erase pain.
But it can change what pain produces.
A diagnosis that disrupted our plans eventually created conversations we never imagined having.
It connected us with people we never would have met.
It gave us an opportunity to advocate.
To educate.
To encourage.
To share hope.
And perhaps most importantly, to remind people that their voice matters in their own healthcare.
One of the phrases that has stayed with me is:
Sometimes you have to take an active interest in your own rescue.
That’s what this Mile Marker represents.
The moment the journey became about something larger than our own cancer story.
The moment pain began turning into purpose.