Any day, life could change with a shocking medical diagnosis. For one Central New York man, he’s had two. In his fight for remission, Roger Williams is working to make every day count.

“I try to enjoy every day like it's gonna be my last,” said Williams.

One of his passions is gardening.

“What I don’t eat and make cider out of, the deer and the birds, there's plenty for all of us,” said Williams.

He seems to love the apple trees the most.

“I like picking it when they’re this plentiful. You can pick a lot in no time,” said Williams while filling a bucket with the fresh fruit.

Every year, his family gets together to make apple cider out of the apples grown on his property to share with family and friends.

“This is my happy place up here,” said Williams of his green backyard.

In 2015, Roger got a life changing diagnosis.

“I couldn’t even wear a t-shirt, my nipple had inverted. And it was like raw, and even just a t-shirt rubbing on it would hurt like crazy,” said Williams.

After the breast cancer, came another diagnosis in 2018.

“I was doing so good with the breast cancer, I didn't even, you know think of prostate cancer or anything, but that's what I'm dealt,” said Williams, “Prostate cancer’s into the bone, and they didn't catch it very early, so it's like a stage four.”

Still, Roger maintains a positive outlook.

“I'm happy every day I get up, put my feet on the ground,” said Williams.

His true passion has been fixing up an old truck that he finished, about 10 years ago.

“It brings a lot of joy to me I take it out and go for a ride. That’s what I like doing,” said Williams. “I don't have any energy lots of days, I’ll walk up to the garage and work probably half an hour, 45 minutes and I'm ready to go sit down.”

According to a 2021 study by the American Cancer Society, the pandemic could actually cause more deaths from cancer down the road, due to delayed treatment, later stage diagnosis and a delay in preventative checkups.

“The best thing that they can do is actually continue to try and make those appointments. Don't be afraid. The hospital and most of the doctor's office are probably the safest places because it is constantly being cleaned,” said Tara Cottrell, a nurse with the Renzi Cancer Center at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center.

Cottrell stresses the importance of getting anything checked out, that seems out of the ordinary.

“Anything that you notice different of your body. You really need to get it looked at as soon as possible, be proactive. You're your own advocate,” said Cottrell.

“My grand daughters are 11 and nine. I hope to see them get married at the very least,” said Williams.