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Sometimes the world hands you a reminder of exactly what this community is about. This month, it came from the last place I expected: the World Cup.

First, a story of survival. When she was just 15 years old, Colombian soccer prodigy Linda Caicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Surgery. Months of chemotherapy. Bedridden. And then, cancer-free. She returned to the pitch days after her final round of chemo. Today she's one of the brightest young stars in the world's game, a Real Madrid forward with a contract that runs for years to come. A girl who heard the word "cancer" at fifteen, and kept going. That is what our Crew looks like.

Then, a story of love. This week, Ronald Koeman, head coach of the Netherlands men's national team, stepped down right after his squad was knocked out. Not because of the loss. Because his wife, Bartina, is fighting recurrent breast cancer, as she has, on and off, for fifteen years. Every week she undergoes a treatment that costs her days of suffering. And Ronald said the thing so many of you have lived: "There are more important things than football."

I read that and just sat with it. Because that is the caregiver's heart, the one holding the machete, clearing the path so the person they love can walk through. We talk about it in this community all the time. It's rare to see the whole world stop and honor it.

A teenager who refused to quit. A husband who put everything down for his wife. On the surface, two very different stories. Underneath, the same thread:

When cancer shows up, the bravest thing you can do is take an active role. For Linda, that meant fighting her way back. For Ronald, it meant showing up for Bartina. For you, it might mean advocating for yourself at your next appointment, or asking the questions no one handed you the answers to.

None of these stories is about a product, and I won't pretend otherwise. They're about agency, the refusal to be a passenger in your own life. That's the whole reason The Cancer Crew exists.

A lot of you have written asking what taking an active role can actually look like beyond the standard of care. I won't overwhelm you today. Just two doors, and you can walk through whichever fits.

If you want to talk it through: you can book a free consultation with a licensed Fierce Health provider. No pressure, no script, just an honest conversation about your situation and what your options are.

If you've been following the research: this spring, the largest real-world human study to date of the Ivermectin + Mebendazole protocol was peer-reviewed and published in Anticancer Research: 197 cancer patients, with a meaningful share self-reporting clinical benefit. I want to be straight with you: it was an observational study based on self-reported outcomes, which means it points to questions worth asking, not proven answers. The researchers themselves are calling for rigorous randomized trials. But if it's something you're curious about, bring it to your oncologist and to our team. That's what we're here for.

Wherever you are this week, in treatment, in remission, or in the passenger seat of someone else's fight, I hope Linda's comeback gives you a little hope, and I hope Ronald and Bartina remind you that love is a form of medicine too.

You are brave. You are strong. And you are not alone in this.

With heart, The Cancer Crew

This is education, not medical advice. The Ivermectin + Mebendazole research described above is early and observational; it is not a proven treatment. Always talk to your oncologist before changing your treatment plan.