Steve Garraty’s Grapefruit Miracle: Resilience, Reflection, and Giving Back After Cancer

On this episode of Cancer and Comedy, host Dr. Brad Miller and co-host Deb Krier talk with Steve Garrity, author of Great Fruit: How Cancer Led to Living a More Fruitful Life. At just 18 years old, Steve was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma after discovering a lump in his neck that had quietly grown into a grapefruit-sized tumor. What followed was nearly a year of chemotherapy, the loss of his social circle, a breakup with his girlfriend, and a total disruption of the life he thought he wanted.

Steve openly shares how, at that time, he wasn’t a “good teenager.” His life revolved around partying, bad decisions, and a crowd that quickly vanished once cancer entered the picture. Amid that isolation, his parents—especially his mother—encouraged him to journal. That journal became his lifeline during treatment and, decades later, the foundation of his book.

Over 37 years, Steve’s raw cancer journal grew into a two-part book:

1. Part One covers his life leading up to cancer and his treatment journey.
2. Part Two explores how cancer shaped his life afterward as a husband, father, business leader, and man of faith, and how it led him to focus on empathy, gratitude, and giving back.

A key turning point for Steve came when he watched It’s a Wonderful Life for the first time shortly after being declared cancer-free. He deeply resonated with George Bailey’s realization that his life had meaning, even in suffering. Steve came to view his cancer as his own version of “Clarence”—an angel-like intervention that stopped him from “running full speed over a cliff” and gave him a second chance at life with a new perspective.

The conversation also dives into humor in the midst of hardship, including Steve’s unforgettable and very awkward sperm bank story, sparked by an oncologist’s warning that chemotherapy might leave him infertile. That experience, which he later turned into a funny chapter in his book, highlights how even the most uncomfortable moments can become part of our healing through humor.

Dr. Brad and Deb connect Steve’s story to the show's larger themes: coping with hope and humor, choosing a “glass half full” mindset, and moving from “Why me?” to “What am I going to do with this?” They also reflect on how Steve’s experience led him to lead with empathy in business and life, recognizing that we often have no idea what others are quietly going through.

In the Faith It or Break It segment, Dr. Brad reflects on how God can use valley moments—like cancer—to reset our lives, drawing on the promise that all things can work together for good and for purpose.

If you or someone you love is navigating cancer or any intense adversity, this episode offers a powerful mix of story, perspective, faith, and laughter to help you turn the grim into a grin and, ultimately, into a more fruitful life.