When I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in my early 30s, I did what most people probably would do.

I went straight to Google.

What I found scared me.

I had a young daughter, and one of the thoughts running through my head was:

“I might be on a time limit here.”

I eventually learned from my oncologist that some of the survival information I had found online was outdated. But at that moment, I didn’t know that. I was trying to process a cancer diagnosis while thinking about my daughter and what the future might look like.

I recently sat down with Terry and Lisa McCoskey on Living Well Together: Big Life in a Small Town to talk about that period of my life and everything that came with it.

Watch Living Well Together with Brice Davis | Ep 136:

Cancer Was Only Part of the Story

My multiple myeloma diagnosis came during an already difficult period of my life.

I was navigating a custody battle involving my daughter while also dealing with anxiety and depression that had been part of my story for years.

Then came months of chemotherapy.

Eventually, I underwent a stem cell transplant at Ohio State.

There were hospital stays, medications, side effects and plenty of uncertainty. There were also days when I had to deal with cancer treatment and then turn around and deal with court and the responsibilities of being a father.

At the time, I didn’t necessarily look at any of that and think, “I’m resilient.”

I was just trying to get through it.

Looking back, I see it differently.

There’s Always a Bounce-Back Period

One of the biggest lessons I took from everything I went through is something I talked about during the interview:

There’s always a bounce-back period.

When you’re going through a difficult season, it can feel permanent.

A bad day can convince you tomorrow will be bad too. A difficult month can make you believe your entire life has changed for the worse.

But life has valleys and peaks.

There are good days you haven’t experienced yet, memories you haven’t made yet and versions of yourself you haven’t become yet.

That became one of the central ideas behind my memoir, Rise Anyway: A Memoir of Survival, Fatherhood, and Becoming.

I wouldn’t choose cancer.

I wouldn’t choose the fear, anxiety or uncertainty that came with it.

But I can also recognize that some good things grew out of those experiences.

I became a better father. I learned that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for. I wrote a book when becoming an author was never part of my original plan. And I found a greater purpose in sharing my experience with people who might be facing something similar.

Why I Keep Telling This Story

When I was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I wanted to find somebody whose experience I could relate to.

I had a hard time finding that person.

That stuck with me.

Talking publicly about cancer can sometimes mean revisiting things I would rather leave in the past. But if sharing those experiences helps someone else feel less alone after a diagnosis, I think that discomfort is worth it.

That is one reason I wrote Rise Anyway, and it is one reason I continue having conversations like this one.

As a Xenia native, it was also meaningful to have this conversation on Living Well Together, a podcast built around people and stories from communities throughout the Miami Valley.

We talked about multiple myeloma, chemotherapy, my stem cell transplant, fatherhood, mental health, custody, family, asking for help, writing Rise Anyway and finding purpose through adversity.

And because the conversation wasn’t serious the entire time, we also somehow got into strawberry-banana smoothies, chicken wings and the high school rap career I have no plans of resurrecting anytime soon.

If there’s one thing I hope people take from the conversation, it’s this:

Don’t let the season you’re in convince you that it gets to decide how the rest of your story ends.

You can be scared and still move forward.

You can live with uncertainty and still live fully.

You can go through something that changes you and build something meaningful afterward.

You can rise anyway.

Watch the full episode of Living Well Together with Brice Davis above, and if something in the conversation resonates with you, I’d love to hear what stood out most.