The first time my little sister, Erica Nowell, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in 2005, she was still a teenager and I was deployed overseas in Iraq. My family felt it best not to tell me at the time. They wanted me to stay focused on getting home safely.

It took me a while to make peace with that decision, though I knew they were only acting in my best interests. Back then, I wasn’t in a position to help or support my sister...