Paul Kraus had already proven himself to be a survivor by the time he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 1997. Born in a Nazi labor camp in 1944, Paul survived a cross-country escape to Poland with his mother and older brother when he was just a few months old. Four years later, he survived the ocean voyage aboard a refugee ship to Australia where the family started a new life and where he has lived ever since. Unfortunately, that emigration to one of world’s top producers of asbestos during the height of the mineral’s worldwide popularity probably also led to his unexpected diagnosis of mesothelioma almost 50 years later.

In 2013, Beau Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma. Beau was the attorney general of Delaware and served his country overseas in Iraq. As Joe put it, “Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.” In May 2015, Beau passed away at the age of 46. Since then, Joe Biden has dedicated his life to making strides in cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and care.