This Father’s Day, I’m reflecting on the years cancer almost stole

When the doctors told me I had stage IV cancer, they did not expect me to live.

My daughter Carol had just turned two years old, and in those first days after the diagnosis, my mind kept going back to her.

I thought about how much life was still ahead of her and how badly I wanted to be here for it — to watch her grow up, to see the woman she would become, to walk her down the aisle one day, and, God willing, to live long enough to meet her children. 

I thought about the quieter moments too, the ones you do not always recognize as precious while you are living them: sitting together at the table, hearing about her day, watching your children grow and change over time. When you are faced with the possibility of losing those ordinary moments, you begin to understand just how much they mean.

That is what kept me searching when it would have been easier to accept what I had been told.

I immersed myself in nutrition, natural healing, and anything I could find that might help my body heal. What I learned changed the course of my life, and in many ways, the course of my family’s life too.

UNI KEY Health was born from that journey.

I knew what it felt like to be desperate for answers and uncertain where to turn, because I had lived it. When I found my way through, I knew I could not keep what I had learned to myself. I wanted to help other people find answers, support, and a sense of hope without having to search as hard as I did.

That is the promise UNI KEY was built on.

What I could not have imagined in those darkest days was that Carol would one day stand beside me in this work.

That little girl grew up. She did walk down the aisle, and her father was there. Her children came, and I have had the joy of knowing them, loving them, and watching our family grow in ways I once feared I might never see.

​

For almost 17 years now, Carol has been my truest partner in the work that grew out of that fight. We have talked through formulas on early morning walks, made decisions around the kitchen table, and heard from people whose lives have been changed by what we built together.

Watching the care she brings to this work has been one of the great privileges of my life. She carries this mission with a steadiness and heart that moves me more than she probably knows.

There are quiet moments when I look across the room and think about how close it all came to not happening — not only the milestones, as meaningful as those have been, but the everyday moments too. The laughter. The shared purpose. The privilege of knowing my daughter not only as my child, but as my partner in something we both believe in.

We do not take a single day of it for granted.

To every father, grandfather, and mentor in this community, I hope you remember that your health matters to more people than just you. It matters to the people who love you, the people who still need you here, and the people who are counting on you to be part of the chapters still ahead.

Our family walked through one of the hardest things a person can face, found a way to the other side, and has spent every year since helping others do the same. Wherever you are in your own health, please know this: you are not alone, and we are in your corner.

That has always been the heart of UNI KEY Health, and it always will be.

From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy Father’s Day.

Warmly,

James & Carol Templeton

Father & Daughter | UNI KEY Health