I am about to celebrate my 6-7.
Yep. Sixty-seven.
And I have to say, this birthday hits a little differently.
I’ve had a lot of birthdays. Some came with cake, some with questionable decisions, and some with some really bad ’80s sweaters. Well, you’ve seen them.
But this one feels like a gift in a way I don’t think I fully understood before. Over the past couple of years, I’ve faced two different types of cancer. Two diagnoses I never expected. Two battles I definitely never asked for. And thankfully, two battles I won.
When you go through something like cancer, your priorities get edited pretty quickly. The things that used to feel urgent don’t seem quite so urgent anymore.
You start paying more attention to your health. To what you put in your body. What you bring into your home. Who you spend your time with. And how you’re spending the time you’ve been given.
You also realize that getting older is actually a pretty great problem to have. That perspective is a big part of why we created AwearMarket. We wanted to make it easier for people to make better everyday choices without making wellness feel overwhelming, preachy, or impossible.
Because nobody needs another person telling them everything they’re doing wrong.
We need better information. Better options. Better brands. More transparency. And a place where asking questions about our health is encouraged.
AwearMarket was created to help people become more aware of the everyday products they use — from what they eat to what they put on their bodies and bring into their homes.
Not because we believe anyone has to live perfectly. Trust me, I’ve eaten enough birthday cake to know better. But I do believe the little things matter.
A better snack. A cleaner personal care product. Reading an ingredient label you used to ignore. Asking one more question. Making one small swap.
Those choices add up.
But there’s something else I’ve learned through all of this:
Health is really hard to fight for alone.
I didn’t beat cancer alone. I had doctors, my wife, nurses, family, friends, and an incredible community standing beside me and rooting for me.
People checked in. People showed up. People made me laugh when I needed it. People shared information. People helped me keep moving forward. And that’s exactly why we’re creating AwearForce.
AwearForce is about taking what AwearMarket started and making it bigger than a marketplace.
It’s about the force of a community.
A group of people choosing to become more aware, ask better questions, share what they’re learning, support one another, and fight for their health — together.
Because the truth is, none of us has all the answers. But collectively? We know a lot.
We can share what’s working. We can learn from each other. We can introduce one another to better products, better habits, better resources, and better questions to ask.
We can make wellness feel less lonely.
And we can remind each other that fighting for your health doesn’t always mean doing something dramatic.
Sometimes it means reading a label.
Sometimes it means going for a walk.
Sometimes it means getting a second opinion.
Sometimes it means changing what you bring into your home.
Sometimes it means simply having people around you who care enough to say, “Hey, I learned something that might help you.”
That is the force.
The force of awareness. The force of community. The force of fighting for our health — together.
This past year taught me that health is something worth paying attention to before you’re forced to pay attention to it.
It also taught me how much people matter. My family. My friends. My doctors and nurses. Your messages on social media. Everyone who checked in, made me laugh, sat with me through the hard days, and reminded me that I wasn’t doing any of this alone.
And especially my wife, Melissa, who somehow managed to be my caregiver, researcher, wellness coach, chef, walking buddy, and occasionally the person telling me, “Dave, you really do need to rest.”
She was usually right.
Usually.
So as I get ready to celebrate 6-7, I’m not spending much time worrying about the number.
I’m thinking about what it represents.
Another year with my family.
Another year to laugh.
Another year to create.
Another year to be outside.
Another year to help build something that might make someone else’s health journey a little easier.
Another year to do some good.
I used to think birthdays were about getting older.
Now I know they’re about getting more.
More time.
More moments.
More people you love.
More chances to get it right.
And after everything this body and I have been through together, I’m pretty damn grateful we’re still here.
So here’s to 6-7.
And here’s to AwearForce.
Let’s keep fighting for our health. Together.
— Dave