Bill Melendy, a New Buffalo Township fire fighter, husband and father, faced stage III colon cancer head-on and emerged victorious. At 45 years of age, his diagnosis was a shock and the impending chemotherapy cycle would be grueling, but his resilience never wavered, motivated by friends, family and the upbeat staff at Marie Yeager Cancer Center. Bill's wife, who stood by him throughout, became his biggest supporter. "My now-wife and I, who I asked to marry me on the last day of treatment, rang the bell together." Post-diagnosis, Bill has become an advocate for cancer screening and offers advice to those newly diagnosed is to “have hope, fight and conquer.” He also encourages other survivors to share their story, “Don't stay silent! Someday your story might just help someone because they listened." This Cancer Survivor Day, Bill plans to celebrate with a family dinner, cherishing the moment with his stepson, who is also a cancer survivor. Surviving cancer has changed Bill's perspective on life, making him value time and what truly matters. "It puts life in perspective. Changes your value on time. What is important in life." (fb)

It took Dr. Kevin Feber, Pediatric Urologist at Corewell Health Children’s in Southeast Michigan, three years to bring his R2-D2 to life, but the smiles and gasps he gets make all the time and effort worthwhile. Dr. Feber says, “Their eyes will light up, then they’ll get this big smile and run full force to give it a hug.” He’s been a Star Wars fan since 1977 - the year the first movie “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” - hit theaters. As a member of the 501st, Rebel Legion and R2 Builders Club, he builds droids, owns costumes and visits patients dressed as characters such as Darth Vader. “Engaging with George Lucas’ characters gives all of us the opportunity to dream and leave our daily reality for a little while,” Dr. Feber explains. “These characters exemplify small parts of all of us.” “It is a story about innocence, overcoming obstacles and growth that we can all identify and relate to some part of our lives,” he adds. (fb)