About the Author

I’m Joey Alarilla and I’m a mutant. I only found out on 17 July 2023 when I was diagnosed with an extremely rare lymphoma called monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T cell lymphoma (MEITL). It’s genetic. It comes with genetic abnormalities from things missing from your chromosomes. Global incidence: 0.05-0.2 per million. No standard treatment. Highly aggressive lymphoma. Poor prognosis. High mortality rate.

I could have fallen into despair over a cancer that randomly struck me. I couldn’t have done anything at all that would have increased or decreased my risk of getting MEITL. Instead of wasting my time and energy, however, on what was beyond my control, I decided to focus on what I could: how I would react to getting cancer.

I chose a positive attitude. I vowed that I wouldn’t just be living with cancer. I would live life to the fullest — joyfully and meaningfully.

The reality is that I don’t know how much time I have. Actually, none of us do, whether we have a critical illness or not. So we might as well be mindful of how we manage our time and energy, be present in each moment, and live one day at a time.

My priority is of course my health. Honestly, though, I’m more focused on the quality, rather than quantity, of my life. Life shouldn’t just be measured in number of years, but in the joy you experience and the meaning you create for yourself and others.

So I will spend my time becoming a better husband and father; doing the things I love using the skills and talents I’ve been given not just to earn a living, but also to benefit others and help build a better world; and supporting companies and causes whose vision I share and whose values resonate with mine.

I’m a champion of technology for good. I have always been a techno-optimist. I’m convinced that powerful digital tools, such as web3 and AI, will help us change the world for the better. That is, if we accept that we should embrace them to empower us and use them for good, instead of succumbing to irrational fear.

Above all, I believe that life’s too short to waste our time worrying about death.

So let’s live.