To Love Is to Act: What My Cancer Journey Taught Me About Stoicism and Adult Social Care

By Pete Jackson, West Midlands ADASS Improvement Director

Over the course of this year’s ADASS Spring Seminar, a theme kept rising to the surface: storytelling. The power of it. The need for it. And the responsibility we hold as leaders to tell stories that inspire action.

So, as the seminar closed on my 63rd birthday, I reflected on the story I’ve lived over the past 12 months — a personal journey through tongue cancer, recovery, and rediscovery.

This time last year, I began treatment for tongue cancer. It was the start of the most difficult and humbling period of my life. A time of pain, silence, healing, and hope. And in the midst of it, I found a simple phrase that kept me steady:

“Keep on keeping on.”

It became a quiet motto — a commitment to show up, even when things were hard. That same spirit led me to explore Stoicism, particularly the writings of Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and philosopher.

He ruled during plague, famine, and war. Yet in the quiet of his own journal — The Meditations — he reminded himself:

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

That quote reframed my experience. It reminded me that adversity doesn’t just test us — it reveals what matters. It becomes the path forward.

And I began to see something else: adult social care is a fundamentally Stoic endeavour.

We lead through uncertainty. We act in service of others. We stay focused on what we can influence, even when national systems falter. And we don’t just survive challenge — we transform it into progress.

This year’s ADASS Spring Seminar has been rich in that spirit:

• Melanie Williams sharing her personal journey and advocacy.
• Jess McGregor reminding us that “to love is to act.”
• Ed Davey speaking not just as a party leader, but as a parent and carer.
• The West Midlands sharing their practice review story — where pain became learning, and learning became hope.

My own recovery journey taught me that telling your story is not weakness — it is leadership. That’s why I’ve shared mine. In art, in walking projects, and in words.

In fact, I’ve journaled almost every day using ChatGPT — a new kind of companion that has helped me reflect, clarify my thoughts, and reconnect with my purpose. It’s an example of what it means to use technology with humanity — not replacing care or connection, but deepening it.

Here’s what I’ve come to believe:

• We can’t control the storm, but we can choose our response.
• We don’t get certainty, but we do get the chance to act with integrity.
• We don’t need to be fearless — just willing.

And above all: to love is to act.

So on my birthday, and at the close of this powerful seminar, I want to thank everyone who continues to lead adult social care with courage, compassion, and clarity.

We are not just running services. We are defending freedom, dignity, and hope.

As Marcus Aurelius wrote:

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

That’s how I feel today. And I am grateful to keep on keeping on — alongside all of you.