This year alone, an estimated 2 million people will hear the words “you have cancer”—and more than 600,000 will lose their battle. But for Richard Reyes, a stage four colorectal cancer survivor, hope didn’t just help him survive. It gave him a new purpose—and a new voice.

In this undated photo courtesy of the Heath family, Matthew Heath is seen at his mother's home in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Heath family via AP)MEDELLIN – “Don’t WORRY!,” reads the cryptic note scribbled on a scrap of perforated paper smuggled out of a dank, basement cellblock. Now, for the first time, Heath’s family in Knoxville, Tennessee is breaking its silence. Like Heath's family, he believes the American innocently entered Venezuela in the hopes of catching up with his boat. Heath’s family doesn’t know what led him to cross into Venezuela.