For Ed Marx, who recently wrapped up his cancer treatments, being a patient only further advanced his “drive to be part of digital transformation and bring hope,” he writes in the final installment of this blog series.

One of the most powerful qualities a leader can have is empathy, says Cleveland Clinic CIO Ed Marx, who talks about how his cancer journey has increased his capacity to feel and understand.

Upon receiving the call that his cancer had been confined, Ed Marx wrestled with a complicated set of emotions, which included expressing gratitude for his health, remembering others who have battled the disease, and finding ways to “create good from this.”

In preparation for his prostatectomy, Ed Marx reflects on his life’s mission to ‘shape, study, share, and serve,’ the people and events that helped create it, and how he hopes to keep living ‘a life of purpose.’

For Ed Marx, getting his affairs in order prior to beginning cancer treatment meant strengthening relationships, delegating work responsibilities, and finding ways to create some good out of a bad situation.