Will, United Kingdom
When I was first diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, I felt like I was living someone else’s life. The news hit me like a freight train, confusion, fear, and a deep sense of isolation. Suddenly, every appointment felt clinical and impersonal. I was one more “stage 4 patient,” another set of lab results to log, another line on a hospital spreadsheet. I longed for someone to see me as Will, not just as a diagnosis.
I’ll never forget the day I arrived for surgery feeling broken. I sat alone in the waiting room, clutching my basketball sneakers the only thing that still felt like me. A nurse, noticing my tremor, sat beside me and asked, “What keeps you going?” It was the first time anyone in that hospital asked about my life beyond medicine. I told her about basketball, about the dream I had of using the sport I love to raise awareness and break down the stigma around cancer. She smiled, squeezed my hand, and said, “Then that’s exactly what you’ll do.” That moment of genuine curiosity and kindness turned my confusion into clarity. I realized I could reclaim my story.
With that spark, I founded CancerBae, a new-age charity focused on changing the stigma associated with Cancer. The biggest way we do this is by blending youth basketball with cancer awareness. Coaching kids. all around the country, I watched kids cheer, sweat, and celebrate life on the court. Their belief in me reminded me that I was so much more than my illness. Every cheer felt like an affirmation: I was seen, I was heard, and I was powerful.
When I feel misunderstood now when someone reduces me to my cancer, or assumes my dreams must be “too ambitious” I remember that nurse. I remember those kids. I remember that on the court, we’re all defined by passion, teamwork, and heart. That community gave me purpose, and it taught me that empowerment doesn’t come from denying your struggle, but from using it to light the way for others.
Today, when people scan this code and read my story, I hope they see someone who refused to be invisible, who turned fear into action, and who found strength in being truly seen. Because sometimes, all it takes is one person to ask, “What keeps you going?” and suddenly, everything changes.