Cancer Diary: If You Don't Die of Something Else...
Someone in authority said this week—though I can’t quite recall who—that “Anyone who does not die of something else will die of cancer.” It stopped me in my tracks.
Is that where we are now?
It might sound like a grim philosophical riddle, but the context was very real. The speaker wasn’t invoking fate; they were pointing to a terrifying truth about how prevalent cancer has become. If heart disease doesn’t get you, if you don’t have a fatal accident, if infection is avoided, if the brain stays strong and the organs keep going… then yes, cancer is waiting in the wings, statistically speaking.
And it’s not an exaggeration. Cancer is already one of the leading causes of death worldwide—and the longer we live, the more chances cells have to misbehave.
But does it have to be this way?
Let’s walk through the logic. Yes, if you subtract all other causes of death, then—by default—cancer becomes the final villain. But that doesn’t mean we are powerless. That doesn’t mean cancer is inevitable. It does mean we have work to do.
What Can We Do?
First, let’s not panic, but let’s not ignore the warning either. Cancer isn’t random. It’s complex, yes—but there are known risk factors and known strategies that help reduce the odds. You can’t prevent all cancer, but you can stack the odds in your favor.
Here are a few of the proactive things we can do:
🥦 Eat Like It Matters
A whole-food, plant-rich diet can reduce inflammation and support healthy cell behavior. Less processed food. Less red meat. More fiber. More color.
🏃♀️ Move Often, Rest Enough
Physical activity helps regulate hormones, supports immunity, and maintains a healthy weight—all of which reduce cancer risk. And yes, sleep counts, too.
🚭 Quit Smoking, Minimize Alcohol
This one’s obvious, but still crucial. Tobacco causes multiple cancers. Alcohol increases the risk of breast, liver, and other cancers—even in small amounts.
🌞 Watch the Sun (and the Tanning Bed)
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S.—and one of the most preventable. Sunscreen, shade, and common sense go a long way.
🧬 Know Your Risk
Family history matters. Some people inherit mutations (like BRCA1 or Lynch syndrome) that drastically increase cancer risk. If cancer is common in your family, genetic counseling and early screening might save your life.
👩⚕️ Get Screened
Early detection isn’t the same as prevention, but it gives you a chance to catch something while it’s still treatable—or before it becomes cancer at all. Colonoscopies. Mammograms. Skin checks. Pap smears. Don’t skip them.
🧠 Stay Curious
We now know that chronic stress can impact immune function and inflammation. Mental health matters—not just for quality of life but possibly for cancer resilience, too. Meditation, therapy, connection—they’re part of the picture.
Is Cancer Preventable?
Some of it, yes. According to the World Health Organization, at least one-third of cancers are preventable. Another large percentage are treatable when caught early.
But there’s also the truth no one wants to admit: sometimes cancer shows up uninvited, unannounced, and unstoppable. That’s the hardest part. And that’s why research, funding, and compassionate care still matter so much.
My Takeaway This Week
I’m not writing this from a place of fear. I’m writing from a place of fierce curiosity and stubborn hope. If it’s true that most of us, left long enough, are vulnerable to cancer—then let’s make those years count. Let’s fight for knowledge, for early detection, for prevention, and for treatment that doesn’t break the body before it beats the tumor.
Yes, cancer is everywhere. But so is human ingenuity. So is love. So is determination.
And maybe—just maybe—not everyone has to die of cancer, after all.
For other Cancer Diary posts, click HERE.
Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl Leaver, MSI Press graphic arts director and designer, who died of Cancer of Unknown Primary August 16, 2021, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page, Carl's Cancer Compendium, as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The web page is in its infancy but expected to expand into robustness. To that end, it is expanded and updated weekly. As part of this effort, each week, on Monday, this blog carries an informative, cancer-related story -- and is open to guest posts: Cancer Diary.
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