The inspiring Thanksgiving story of a Fresno man and his family’s battle against cancer got exclusive coverage from People on Wednesday.

The coverage focuses on the importance of genetic testing and how the family is celebrating the holiday this week.

Shortly after his father had some of his stomach removed in 2021, Tyler Myers and his sister Kori got tested for the cancerous gene. While Kori’s test turned out negative, doctors found Tyler had developed Stage 1 stomach cancer cells, People reported.

But with the likelihood of developing the disease, Kori, like her brother and father, Greg Myers, would also undergo the surgery.

For Tyler Myers, Air Force veteran and administrative assistant for the U.S. Coast Guard, it was weird having his story told before millions of people, he said. But it also means raising awareness of the disease and the importance early testing played in his and his family’s health.

“A big reason why we did the article was trying to get the word out about genetic testing and genetic counseling and the Inspire Study at City of Hope that my family was a part of,” Tyler Myers told GV Wire. “That was the whole reason they were able to catch our genetic mutation in time.”

Creating Awareness of Genetic Testing Drove Story for Myers Family

People contacted Tyler Myers’ parents after the couple’s outreach before Congress for the cancer treatment center City of Hope in Antelope Valley. Doctors there detected Greg Myers’ hereditary diffuse gastric cancer as part of the hospital’s INSPIRE Study.

INSPIRE — Implementing Next-generation Sequencing for Precision Intervention and Risk Evaluation — makes genetic testing more available for people. Doctors test for a broad range of genetic markers related to cancer risks and other disease-causing variants.

“We believe comprehensive molecular profiling is the future standard of care in oncology,'” Stacy W. Gray, M.D., chief of the Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics and deputy director of the Center for Precision Medicine said on the INSPIRE page. “We want to bring it as quickly as we can to as many patients as possible.”

Myers Family Still Enjoying Food

Tyler Myers said his dad is a major foodie, and he hasn’t let stomach cancer stop his love of food — just how he eats.

According to People, the family is celebrating Thanksgiving all week, still enjoying the same foods, just in smaller portions. Tyler Myers said he spaces out his portions throughout the day.

Read the rest of the story at People.