A Father's Fight—Taffin Strong's Journey of Hope and Resilience | My Member Story

They say a man's character is measured by the way he handles adversity. By that measure, Taffin Strong stands as a testament to the extraordinary strength of the human spirit.

When everything changed
After serving six years in the military and seven years in law enforcement, Taffin had earned a bit of peace. However, peace wasn't what fate had in store. At just 35 years old, he received the kind of news that stops time—stage four pancreatic cancer with a dire prognosis.

The diagnosis made no sense. Taffin had no family history of pancreatic cancer, and his doctors confirmed that men his age aren't typically at risk. What started as unexplained back pain quickly escalated into something far more serious. "I told my wife, we have to go to the ER," he recalled of that pivotal night when the pain became unbearable. "This is new. This doesn't feel the same."

Within 24 hours of that emergency room visit, Taffin and his wife, Clarissa, received devastating news—the cancer had spread to his liver. There was no cure.

A cruel twist of timing
The diagnosis on its own was crushing, but the timing made it feel almost cruel. After years of trying to conceive, Clarissa was six months pregnant with their first child together. While Taffin had four children from a previous marriage, this baby represented a new chapter for him and Clarissa—one that cancer was now threatening to cut short.

Understandably, Taffin's first reaction was anger. How could this happen just as they were finally expecting the child they'd longed for? How could life be so unfair when they seemed so close to the happiness they'd been working toward?

Finding purpose in the fight
Taffin refused to let anger consume him. After the initial shock settled and he'd consulted with his medical team, he made a new plan—one with a singular, powerful focus. He had to live long enough to see his baby born.

"It's been a really great tool for me to fight with," he explains. "Definitely a good way to keep me focused on sticking around as long as I can."

This shift in perspective helped Taffin find his North Star. Rather than surrendering to despair, he chose to view his diagnosis as a challenge that demanded he make every day count. He believes we all face a choice when confronted with life's hardest moments—we can either drift through whatever time remains, or we can figure out how to make a meaningful difference each day. Taffin chose the latter.

The power of connection
Throughout his health journey, connecting with others has graduated from important to essential. Taffin discovered that doing or saying something meaningful for someone else doesn't just bring them joy—it fuels his own spirit and gives him strength to continue fighting. "I even like to do it for people I don't know." He says with his characteristic humor, "Their reaction is even better!"

This philosophy of service and connection has become both his medicine and his mission, reminding him daily that his life still has profound purpose.

When crisis meets compassion
Cancer doesn't just attack the body—it assaults family finances too. Once Taffin and Clarissa had begun navigating the maze of medical bills and treatments, the reality of their other financial obligations came crashing down around them.

Fortunately, Taffin's sister Ciera, a branch manager at Mountain America Credit Union, stepped in to help. With her financial expertise, she helped them organize their bills and payments, bringing order to the chaos.

Then Ciera remembered something crucial—the signature loan Taffin and Clarissa had taken out from Mountain America a couple of years earlier included loan protection products. With one phone call to Mountain America to explain the situation, the process to activate protection benefits under his Loan Relief Plan was set in motion. Taffin was amazed at how straightforward the process was and the speed with which it was processed—a rare moment of simplicity during an incredibly complex time.

Taffin is using the Disability benefit right now. This cancels the monthly loan payments, up to the contract maximum, during his illness. Then, if needed, the Life benefit kicks in, up to the contract maximum. Choosing to include a Loan Relief Plan when he got the loan has proved to be a smart decision that continues to give Taffin great peace of mind.

Making new time
Despite everything, Taffin still greets each day with anticipation. His positive attitude remains unshaken, and he continues to find joy in helping others whenever possible. On good days, he still hops on his dirt bike and heads to his favorite mountain trails. He's spending more intentional time with friends and family, but not with the frantic urgency of someone trying to make up for something he failed to do in the past. "I don't look at it as making up for lost time," he says. "It's just making new time."

A perfect gift
As if the universe decided to offer Taffin the ultimate blessing, his daughter—beautifully perfect baby girl Shynoa Jurnni Strong—was born in early September. The goal that had driven his fight became reality, bringing immeasurable joy to a journey marked by so much uncertainty.

In Taffin Strong, we see proof that character isn't just revealed by adversity—it's forged by it. Through his unwavering determination to be present for his family, his commitment to serving others and his choice to create meaning in the face of the unthinkable, he shows us what it truly means to live with purpose, one precious day at a time.

We wish Taffin the gentlest of journeys, the deepest of joys with his growing family and countless more moments of making new time filled with love, laughter and plenty of dirt biking on those mountain trails.