I am fortunate that I get to meet a lot of different people.
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As a reporter, I am honoured that people trust me to tell their stories and gain great satisfaction from that.
However, even as a journalist, there are some experiences and some people who stay with you even long after you have written their stories and long after they have moved on. For me, Samuel Johnson was one of those people.
I admit, despite being in the right age bracket, I had never really jumped on the Secret Life Us bandwagon (am I giving too much away?) so I had heard of Samuel Johnson only on the periphery when I learned about his quest to roam the countryside on a unicycle to raise money for cancer.
To Johnson, I was probably just another one of an endless line of media reporters who wanted his attention and to delve into the details of his relationship with his sister, Connie, for whom he was raising the funds.
But he answered my questions thoughtfully and honestly, often taking a few seconds to think about how he might respond. His authenticity spoke volumes.
We have all been touched by the dark hand that is cancer - no one is immune and Johnson exuded that sentiment in every word and every gesture.
He took the time to speak with everyone who wanted to meet him and because of his authenticity he has created around himself an army of cancer vanquishing warriors.
Like Voldemort (or the devil) cancer is a word that people fear if spoken aloud, will make it appear.
The frank and honest way Johnson spoke about cancer was refreshing, as was the way he spoke about prevention measures.
On Sunday, it will be two years since Connie died, after an impressive and brave fight.
Johnson has chosen to spend that anniversary in Launceston as he continues his mission to raise awareness and funds for cancer-fighting research.
His mission has ignited a passion in many people to help and support each other, as well as raise much-needed funds for life-saving research.
But it's always been about something much more simpler than that - the love that a brother has for his sister.
- Caitlin Jarvis is a senior journalist (and education reporter) at The Examiner.