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A Five-Time Cancer Survivor’s Advice for Patients
Bill Potts was one of four individuals recently recognized by CURE during the 2025 Blood Cancer Heroes celebration, an event that was dedicated to honoring those who make a profound impact on people living with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs)/myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
Cancer survivor and author Bill Potts was recently honored as a Blood Cancer Hero.
For patients with blood cancer, it is crucial to own their own cancer journey, as a five-time cancer survivor and author explained in a recent interview with CURE.
Bill Potts was one of four individuals recently recognized by CURE during the 2025 Blood Cancer Heroes celebration, an event that was dedicated to honoring those who make a profound impact on people living with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs)/myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The event was held in partnership with Blood Cancer United during the 2025 American Society of Hematology annual meeting in December.
Potts was nominated for his commitment to helping others navigate the complex emotional and logistical challenges of blood cancer.
“I’m the luckiest guy I know,” Potts told CURE in an interview. “I’ve been fortunate enough to beat cancer five times. The journey started in 2002 — here we are in 2025 and I’m still talking about it, so I’m really fortunate.”
Potts, who has also survived thyroid cancer and prostate cancer, previously shared his story in the 2023 memoir “Up for the Fight.”
Transcript
What part of your work do you help this nomination helps highlight for patients or families who may not know your story yet?
The patient with cancer, when they’re diagnosed, they need to own their journey. It’s not the doctors’ journey, it’s your journey, which means you need to advocate for yourself, which means you really need to do your homework, and you really need to be on top of it, you need to treat it like your job. So the best advice I can give patients with cancer is: Own it. And that means getting second opinions or third opinions or fourth opinions or whatever it is, and that you make the decision. The doctors can advise you but at the end of the day it’s your life, so you need to be on top of it.
Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
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