I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2023. Cancer is not a gift but what I have learned from it is. One aspect of this is relationships; old and new, close friends and acquaintances and all the others that fall in between. Cancer has an uncanny way of reshaping the landscape of our relationships. In my own journey as a patient, I’ve found that cancer can make friends drift out of reach and unexpected allies emerge. Some people seem unsure of what to say or how to help, and their silent discomfort creates a distance I never thought would appear. Others, though, lean in – reaching out with compassionate words, prayers, shared laughter, and unyielding patience when I’m feeling overwhelmed or just when I need a kind word. I am blessed to have a very strong support system; but sometimes I find this journey can be a delicate, unpredictable balancing act: while I wish to maintain normalcy and talk about anything but my health, there’s no escaping that my cancer diagnosis has planted itself at the center of my life. What once flowed easily – light conversations, spontaneous get-togethers, plans made without a second thought now unfolds through the filter of my treatment schedule and energy levels.