How Cancer has Affected My Life

May 15, 2026

by Dagan Duncan

Editor’s Note - At the recent Senior Honors night, several students were awarded scholarships from Pass on Joy, in memory of Marc Stringer. The students wrote on how cancer affected their lives. The stories so moved me when I read them that I knew they needed to be shared with the community. I received permission from the students,before printing here.

Cancer has affected my life tremendously. It was first diagnosed to my great-grandmother, (MawMaw) in 2015 through breast cancer. She was a lifelong sports coach and was widely known for being tough and resilient. That's exactly how I visioned her growing up. Seeing her go through this discomfort in chemotherapy was very difficult for me. Traveling two hours to Jonesboro frequently for doctor visits and check ups and seeing the look of uncertainty left me scarred with fear for her dear life. She was my role model, my TV game show buddy, and my San Antonio Spurs lover during games. My family was scared. We anxiously hoped and prayed that my great grandmother would overcome the disease, but ultimately cancer won and she passed away on Mothers Day in 2017.

Not long after, my grandmother (Deede) was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer. The cancer process that scarred me the first time had come back to haunt me. During this time, she was raising me in her own household because my mother was struggling with trying to get her life together. Deede had scary doctor visits just like MawMaw and ended up having to have a big chunk of her leg removed. With MawMaws outcome ending the way it did, I imagined that the same outcome would happen to my Deede. My Deede is my everything. Supporting me in all things throughout life, including: Sporting events/weekends, education, church, and a roof to live under. I constantly thought about how miserable life would be without her. Thankfully, doctors were able to remove the cancer successfully and it did not spread and worsen throughout her body.

The same year, my Dads mom (Granny) was diagnosed with lymphoma. I had to endure the pain of seeing my Granny lose her hair, go through treatment, and fight for her life in the same way that my MawMaw did. Granny is another rock in my life by making me feel secure and loved in this tough life. Cancer changed her. I had to recognize her with no hair and strength,