I beat cancer for the first time in 2008, when I was 33 years old and was juggling chemotherapy appointments with parenting a rambunctious one-year-old boy. My second encounter with the disease occurred many years later, just after I dropped that boy off at college for the first time. During the intervening years, I watched and offered support as my mother, my aunt, my father-in-law, and many of my friends dealt with cancer diagnoses of their own. It's hard enough to look on as a loved one receives a cancer diagnosis and faces all of the practical, emotional, and financial hardships that ensue. But many of us have the extra challenge of living far away from our loved ones, and so are unable to offer support and comfort in person.