Helping Families Fight Cancer: Josh Lambeth, Class of 2007.

When people ask Josh Lambeth, '07, to tell them about High Point University, he always shares the same story.

He was shopping with his wife when he got a phone call from a number he didn't know. But he knew the 336 area code, so he answered.

And he knew the voice on the line--HPU President Nido Qubein.

"Josh," Qubein told him, "I heard about your diagnosis and I want you to know we're praying for you."

Lambeth was diagnosed with rectal cancer that would later spread to his liver. He's fought four diagnoses since 2013.

Lambeth learned from Qubein during his time on campus. He completed the President's Senior Seminar and sought Qubein's advice during impromptu conversations.

But the call blew Lambeth away.

"I had graduated seven years ago at that point in time, and for him to take time to call me, tell me that I was on his mind and remember who I was--I will always remember that," Lambeth says.

That phone call is an example of his alma mater's support. It's a testament to the many ways Lambeth found optimism on a difficult journey, from facing his own treatment to focusing on helping others.

"I clearly remember the day I was diagnosed," he says. "I sat on the couch and began brainstorming ways my experience could be used positively and help others along their journey. I prayed God would use me to make a difference."

BEGINNING A LEGACY

Lambeth studied business and joined Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity while at HPU. He was the fraternity's vice president and philanthropy chair and helped build an annual event that raised $5,000 for the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. Pi Kappa Alpha still hosts the fundraiser and now garners more than $25,000 a year. A

Back then, Lambeth had no idea the fundraising experience would someday help him establish a foundation to support people battling cancer in Wilmington, North Carolina.

And he didn't know he'd someday receive a cancer diagnosis himself.

But in 2013, he did, and his life turned into a roller coaster that required him to make a decision.

Would he let this keep him down? Or use it to lift up others?

After learning the realities of fighting the disease, he began channeling his knowledge through his work in sales at Pruitt Health. He became the community relations representative who serves Hospice patients and families as his clients.

"I work to make their...