What We Pass On: the Cast of Sync for Survivors 2026
Cancer comes with questions. Questions about treatment. Questions about what comes next. Questions about why this is happening at all.
And while no two people will answer those questions in quite the same way, there is wisdom to be found in those who have walked alongside cancer before us.
For this month’s Survivor Series, we turned to members of our 2026 Sync for Survivors cast and asked one question:
What is the most important piece of advice, wisdom, or insight you have or may have received from another person about dealing with cancer that you would like to pass on to others?
Their answers were different, deeply personal and rooted in experiences as survivors, caregivers, friends and advocates. But one message came through again and again: your cancer journey is your own, but you don’t have to walk it alone.
Find your own way.
“This is YOUR journey,” shared Tricia Craddock. “Surround yourself with people who respect and support the decisions you make about your care.”
For Tricia, there is freedom in recognizing that there is no single path everyone must follow. Caring for your whole self, reducing stress and continuing to seek out joy can all be important parts of feeling stronger and supported along the way.
Michael McCullough echoed that individuality from the perspective of someone offering support. Cancer may bring fear, anger, uncertainty and hope – sometimes all at once – and support shouldn’t follow a script either.
“Listening gives people the space to express what they need in that moment, or whether they want to talk about their cancer at all,” Michael shared. “It allows us to meet them where they are and support them in the way that is most meaningful to them, moment by moment.”
Let people show up for you.
For Emily Wilson, one of the hardest things can also be one of the most important: accepting help.
“Let people love you through it,” she shared. “You don’t have to carry everything alone or figure it all out at once.”
Sometimes strength looks less like carrying the weight yourself and more like allowing someone else to pick up part of it.
Carrie McClenaghan found a similar lesson through witnessing her friend Elizabeth Nickles’ journey alongside her father, Charles Nickles, during his cancer diagnosis. Watching the people around Elizabeth and her family show up reinforced for Carrie that while every cancer journey is deeply personal, there can be an unexpected comfort in realizing how many lives cancer has touched and how wide your own circle of support can become because of it.
“Allow people to help carry your heartache,” Carrie shared, “and find quickly a support system of friends that can be your middle-of-the-night emergency calls, and those who can call and say, ‘I’m coming over in pajamas, I haven’t even showered.’ Those are the friends to take survey of and hold closely.”
And sometimes, finding that support means looking beyond the people you already know.
“There is support right here in Greenville for all levels of a person’s cancer journey,” Kevin Barger shared. “You don’t have to walk it alone.”
Keep hope for what may be around the corner.
When Mary Caravalho was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2009, she found herself asking a question familiar to many people facing cancer: Why me?
Today, as a survivor whose work allows her to make a positive impact on others facing a diagnosis, Mary has found purpose in an experience she once struggled to understand.
But the piece of wisdom she carries with her came from her father, Joe, who battled Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia for fourteen years. He understood how quickly cancer treatments can change and lived by a simple motto:
“You just gotta have hope because you never know what’s right around the corner.”
Maybe that is the wisdom worth passing on.
There is no perfect way to navigate cancer. There is no script for being a survivor, caregiver, family member or friend. Find the people who will listen. Let them show up. Seek out the resources around you. Make the decisions that are right for you. And when the road ahead feels uncertain, leave a little room for hope.
This August, these members of our Sync for Survivors cast are doing something else with their experiences: taking the stage in support of others impacted by cancer.
Join us August 22 for Sync for Survivors 2026 and help our performers turn their stories, their joy and maybe a few questionable dance moves into support for Cancer Survivors Park Alliance. Vote for your favorite performer, purchase your tickets and help us keep showing up for the cancer community – together.
Photo by Sliced Tomato Productions