“C” for Community in a Cancer Journey: Mike & Kim's Story

For Kim and Michael O’Farrell, cancer has not been a single chapter. It has been a series of hard turns, unexpected diagnoses and, ultimately, a deeper understanding of what community can mean when life feels most fragile.

Kim’s first experience with cancer began in 1997, when she received a bladder cancer diagnosis. “The first time you hear that word, it’s startling,” she says. “And it makes you think of your own mortality. You got to find that way to get up. Because if you’re not in a positive place, I don’t believe you can handle this journey.”

A Rocky Journey Ensues

While surgery successfully removed the cancer, Kim admits she didn’t keep up with regular follow-ups. “Unfortunately, I did not follow up with my regular checkups like they tell you to,” she cautions. This is an experience that later became one of her biggest takeaways for others.

About seven years later, Kim faced another health crisis. Believing she had a bleeding ulcer, she went to the hospital and learned something far more serious was going on. “I thought I had a bleeding ulcer, because I was vomiting blood and I wasn’t feeling good,” she recalls. She would later undergo more surgeries and a difficult recovery. “They put me in a nursing home for some time. That was a difficult comeback.”

Nearly a decade after that, Kim received another diagnosis—this time with lung cancer. She remembers walking into the clinic and seeing a small sign outside the doctor’s room. “Outside her room is this little C and it says, ‘C is for cure.’ I kind of jokingly said, ‘See, I may not have cancer. You know, C is for cure too.’ But, we found out it was cancer.”

The diagnosis carried another devastating layer. Kim’s sister stayed with her to help for two months, then returned home and learned she had the same type of cancer. “She passed three weeks later,” Kim shares. “It was very difficult to have my sister so close to me, and then have her gone.”

Confidence Instilled By an Expert Care Team

Even in grief and fear, Kim’s resolve came through clearly. “I’m ready for the fight,” she states. “I mean, I’m not giving up, believe me.”

Throughout her journey, Kim says her care team helped her regain confidence. “Dr. [Cassandra] Lacher has this calming way,” she notes. “Even when I felt at my worst, I had a better attitude walking out, like, ‘I can do this. You know, this is doable.’”

The Caregiver Role: Each Supporting One Another

For Michael, being a caregiver has been its own emotional weight—and one he carries with steady determination. “I’m hit hard also, but I always say it’s not that bad and always try to stay positive,” he offers. “If you start getting down on yourself, then it’s just going to make things worse.”

Later, Michael received his own cancer diagnosis as well, and the couple found themselves taking turns being strong for each other. “It seems to go in cycles,” he explains. “She’ll be down and I take care of her. And then, I’ll be feeling pretty crummy and she’ll be up again and she’ll be taking care of me.”

Both emphasize the power of reaching out instead of suffering in silence. “When you keep it quiet and to yourself, it’s not helping you any,” Kim advises. “You need to let people know and grab your strength wherever you can get it.”

Michael agrees—and encourages a simple, urgent reminder: “Once you get diagnosed, you have to stay positive. Right off the bat, stay positive. Go with your treatments, do what the doctors say, and do your follow-up and get your scans.”

Hope Reigns Supreme

For Kim and Michael, the “C” word has come to mean something bigger than cancer. It has become community—built through family, neighbors, care teams and the everyday choice to keep showing up with hope.

Click here for more information on the Riverside Cancer Institute.