• Editor's note: This is the first story in a four-part series which examines the struggles, hopes and daily battles of several individuals in our community who are living with cancer and fighting back.

Cancer is an uphill battle.

Jim Morrison, a lung cancer survivor, knows this all too well.

"Just that fast, it can all change," he said. "I hate cancer."

Morrison is a friend, motivator and supporter of numerous cancer patients in the community, those he calls his "cancer warriors." He talks to them on a daily basis, holds their hands when they need a friend to cry with and presses them to fight back and give their cancers hell.

One of Morrison's warriors is Kim Grassle of Hayden.

Grassle, 43, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with non-small-cell, stage 3a adenocarcinoma of the lung June 29, 2013. It is currently in remission, but losing her hair and going through the devastating process of discovering and acknowledging the disease will stay with her always. Even though it does not presently pose a deadly threat, her fear of its return lingers.

"It's a little black cloud hanging over our shoulders," Grassle said.

The decorations in Grassle's house reflect the love and strength of her family. One sign reads, "Family, forever and for always." Another reads, "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all."

She has been married to her husband, Dwight, 42, for 15 years. Together they have four kids: Daniel, 23; Lauren, 21; Amber, 11, and Kaelyn, 8. She is very close with her family. When she found out she had lung cancer, she was in disbelief.

"I was really upset," she said. "I heard the doctor say it but I couldn't comprehend what he was saying."

She initially went into the doctor for an unrelated health concern and received a letter in the mail telling her she had nodules on her lung. She then went in for a CT-guided biopsy which went horribly wrong.

"A simple procedure ended up giving me an air embolism that traveled around and gave me a heart attack and I actually coded," she said. "Stopped breathing and everything for 20 minutes. They tried to revive me, they couldn't revive me, and 20 minutes later I finally decided it wasn't my time yet. They broke seven of my ribs. I was in a lot of pain but I was alive."

The cancerous nodules in her lung spread into her lymph nodes and she began simultaneous radiation and chemotherapy treatments five days a week. She lost all of her hair. The cancer was stubborn and she went into an emotional tailspin. She had days when she would lock herself in her bedroom.

"It's dark when you have cancer," she said.

But soon she realized she didn't want her kids to see her grieving, so she made a choice to pick herself up and fight back.

"I've always believed that the power of your mind plays a humongous role," she said. "These are the cards I was dealt."

Luckily, Grassle has a gene mutation, the anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase (ALK) gene which a certain medication (Xalkori) can target and help keep the once-obnoxious disease at bay. More than a year after diagnosis, Grassle has her hair again and is doing well. She is staying positive and remaining strong, living each day with the heart of a warrior. She spends time with her kids, her husband, her best friend, Tina, and tries to forget the black cloud hanging in the back of her mind. She refuses to leave her children at such a young age and rejects the thought of giving in to cancer.

"Do not live by those words," she said. "You do not have an expiration date."

Morrison and Grassle will be at the Heart of the City church at 5 p.m. Sunday for the first Evening of Hope, a free support group for cancer patients in the community and their caregivers.