Say YES to HOPE

05/30/2026

Hand in Hand

Walking the halls of ASCO this year will feel different.

There is the excitement of new discoveries, promising research, innovative treatments, and the relentless pursuit of better outcomes for patients. Science continues to move forward, and for that I am deeply grateful.

But alongside that gratitude walks grief.
This conference was supposed to include celebrating Billy's birthday, just as we have done with Billy and Evie for years. Instead, we carry his memory with us. Suzanne was supposed to be here sharing her story but she is home caring for Mac and we are praying hard for his recovery. We feel the empty chairs, the conversations left unfinished, and the ache that comes when someone you love is no longer beside you.

Yet life continues to unfold and I'm not sure how.

Patients are receiving good scan results. Others are facing difficult decisions. New friendships are forming. New hopes are emerging. Families are gathering. Children are growing. Research is advancing.

And somehow, grace makes room for all of it.
The joy and the sorrow. The gratitude and the grief. The hope and the heartbreak.

As I think of these halls, I am reminded that every statistic represents a person. Every study represents a family. Every breakthrough represents another chance, another birthday, another memory waiting to be made.

Today I am grateful for science. I am grateful for the brilliant minds who refuse to stop searching for answers. I am grateful for every patient who participates in research so others may benefit. And I am grateful for the grace that carries us through the moments when our hearts are both full and broken.

Life rarely asks us to choose between gratitude and grief.

More often, it asks us to walk forward holding both.

Hand in hand.

05/29/2026

This week, the global oncology community gathers in Chicago to share groundbreaking research, explore new innovations, and collaborate on improving outcomes for people impacted by cancer.
At Say Yes to Hope, we believe that progress happens when passionate people come together with a shared purpose. ASCO is more than a conference—it's an opportunity to build partnerships, spark new ideas, and accelerate hope for patients and families facing metastatic cancer.

🤝 Will you be attending ASCO 2026?

Suzanne Lindley, Founder and Survivor Advocate of SayYesToHope.org, would love to connect with fellow advocates, researchers, healthcare professionals, industry partners, and friends throughout the meeting.

Let's start conversations, build relationships, and work together to create a brighter future for those living with cancer.

📧 Reach out to Suzanne at: slindley@sayyestohope.org
See you in Chicago!

05/28/2026

Good news! Blood testing is now included in screening recommendations for colon and re**al cancer.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/27/health/blood-test-colore**al-cancer-screening-wellness

The American Cancer Society is adding some new testing options to its screening guideline for colore**al cancers – and for the first time, that includes a blood test.

05/27/2026

In the News:

The emerging cancer treatment that’s exciting scientists: ‘We’ve just scratched the surface on what’s possible’



https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/10/cancer-treatment-car-t-cell-therapy-sam-neill

05/26/2026

In the News:
New treatment offers hope for cancer patients https://nypost.com/2026/05/20/health/new-treatment-offers-hope-for-endometrial-cancer-patients

The TroFuse-005 trial involved 776 patients with endometrial cancer whose disease worsened after receiving both platinum chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor and remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Their courage, sacrifice, and legacy will never be forgotten. 🇺🇸

At Say YES to Hope, we are grateful for the freedoms they protected and the families who continue to carry their memory forward with strength and pride.

05/21/2026

An informative event you don’t want to miss! Thanks to CancerCare and Triage Cancer

Register here: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AkpWsTnbE_oTBajJS_pw0uJ5XG55vpyLWBb28-dUNRp9nhfm4iQ0~Ai36wRCpENRs3SSPSKoM7SVtpV-ZOztL_rud-Ym7Eq73PAwb1kT_oMkYeA

05/21/2026

Today we’re throwing it back to the moments that remind us why we keep saying YES to hope.

Every survivor story.
Every caregiver hug.
Every milestone reached.
Every hand held through the hard days.

At Say YES to Hope, we know hope is not just a feeling, it’s action, community, support, and showing up for one another even in the middle of uncertainty.

We’ve walked beside so many incredible patients and families facing metastatic cancer, and every journey has strengthened our mission to keep bringing resources, encouragement, and hope where it’s needed most.

This , we celebrate how far we’ve come together — and all the lives still waiting to be reached. 💛🐝

Comment below with your favorite moment or photo from the past week !

05/20/2026

05/19/2026

Some battles are fought in crowded hospital rooms.

Others are fought in quiet houses where no one hears the tears, the fear, or the silence between appointments.

Living with stage IV cancer while living alone carries a weight that many people never fully see.

I have watched this with my friend, Joanna, and have witnessed strength, courage, and determination.

The fear is not always fear of dying.

Sometimes it is fear of facing another scan alone.

Fear of driving to treatment exhausted because there is no one else to take the wheel.

Fear of falling in the shower.

Fear of hearing bad news with no hand to hold afterward.

Fear of becoming invisible while the rest of the world continues moving forward.

There is isolation in the ordinary moments.

The empty chair at dinner.

The silence after appointments.

The stack of paperwork.

The medication bottles lined up beside a bed with no one asking, “Did you take them today?”

People often say, “Call if you need anything,” but metastatic cancer can make even asking feel impossible.

After a while, many warriors stop explaining how hard it really is because they are tired of feeling like a burden.

And yet what someone like Joanna often needs most is not pity.

It is presence.

Someone to check in without being asked.

Someone to sit beside her during treatment.

Someone to help carry groceries, organize medications, or simply make the house feel less quiet.

Someone willing to stay when conversations become uncomfortable and uncertain.

Because metastatic cancer does not only attack the body.

It can slowly erode independence, confidence, finances, plans, and connection.

No one should have to navigate that alone.

For Joanna, support should look like:

consistent phone calls and visits

transportation to appointments

meal support and household help

help understanding medical information

financial and resource navigation

companionship during scans and treatments

encouragement without toxic positivity

reminders that she still matters, still belongs, and is still seen

Most of all, people living alone with stage IV cancer need to know this:

Their life is still worthy of conversation, laughter, planning, friendship, and love.

They are more than appointments and scan results.

They are still human beings carrying extraordinary weight with remarkable courage.

And sometimes the greatest act of hope is simply refusing to let someone feel forgotten.

Why is it that so many patients are fighting alone when support is so simple?

Help us help Joanna and other patients on a similar path find hope.