Finding Strength and Purpose After Cancer Through Goals and Faith

Daniel Jernazian knows what it means to face life after cancer. Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a teenager and later with thyroid cancer, he says staying focused on small wins helped him stay positive through even the hardest days. For young people in particular, he stresses the importance of keeping sight of personal goals and finding strength in how far they’ve already come.

Reflecting on his own experience, he encourages others to embrace anything that brings purpose, whether it’s future plans, past accomplishments, or support from loved ones.

He also points to faith and spiritual connection as powerful but often overlooked sources of resilience. “It doesn’t matter what religion; just having that higher connection gives you a quiet strength,” he says. “You’ve got to bring together everything good in your life and let that move you forward.”

Jernazian has appeared on national media including, “The Today Show,” and collaborated with sports icons like Andrew Gaze to raise awareness for children with critical illness. In 2025, he released his memoir, “I Made Cancer Cry Twice.”

Transcript

What advice would you offer about finding strength and purpose after cancer, especially for a younger individual?

You have to find and hold onto everything positive that you can, no matter how small it is. Focus on the wins. Of course, most of the time you’ll have bad days and struggles, whether it’s day-to-day life, work, another diagnosis, or something else, but it’s about focusing on the positive. Think about how far you’ve come, what you’ve achieved, and what you still want to do. Goals are very important.

Hopefully, you have family and peer support — that’s very important. Another thing that often gets overlooked is faith. I think that’s quite important. It doesn’t matter what religion you believe in. Just having that connection to a higher power can give you strength. That spiritual strength is a very silent strength, and a lot of people overlook it. I’m a big advocate for it.

I don’t think there’s one single thing you can point to: it’s really about being dynamic and pulling together everything in your life that’s positive and strong. Use that to motivate yourself and push through anything. I really believe that’s key.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.