All week long The Environment Report has been airing stories exploring the link between cancer and the environment we live in.
The series, Cancer and Environment: Searching for Answers, will run through this Friday.
We felt the series would not be complete without hearing from the people who are affected by it.
So through the Public Insight Network, we asked you to share your experiences.
So far, we've received dozens of entries from all over Michigan. Some tragic, some hopeful - each one represents a different, and personal perspective on the experience of having or knowing someone with cancer.
Here are some exerts from the blog:
"I have lost my partner. I am heartbroken that our young daughter has lost her dad and will miss out on all that his amazing heart and mind offered to her." - Amy Lobsiger "My husband Joe died of cancer on his favorite holiday, July 4, in 2010. He was 39, I was 33. We had the gift of cancer. Cancer isn’t something that most people would consider a gift, but really, we did." -Amy Scott "It has made me a different person because I don’t wait to enjoy things until I retire. I live now. I save for retirement just in case, but I don’t want to have any regrets no matter how long I live!" -Jill Schultz
You can see photos and read those stories on our Michigan Cancer Stories Tumblr page.
And we'll continue to collect these stories.
How has cancer impacted your life? Tell us here.