In October 2013, dozens of cancer survivors from Smilow Cancer Hospital, along with family, friends and caregivers, gathered on Water Street in New Haven to share in the spirit of community. The project they participated in was the painting of a mural. They battled some of the most difficult forms of cancer. Yet thanks to the amazing advances we have made in research and treatment, and through their own remarkable determination, they came together to beautify a neighborhood. And they delivered a powerful message: That cancer can be beaten. And that through science, compassion and the sheer belief in what is possible, the world is closer to free.