CHICAGO (WLS) — Floats covered in flowers hit the streets for the annual Rose Parade Wednesday. It’s a New Year’s Day tradition.

A cancer survivor from the Chicago area was on one of the floats.

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“You’ve got to be as positive as you can even when things aren’t going so well,” colorectal cancer survivor Jose Santos said. “Just think things are going to get better.”

There was a message of optimism and hope, heading into the new year from someone who knows firsthand what it means to never give up.

Santos is a Chicagoan who was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2022 after 16 years of dealing with ulcerative colitis, which causes severe inflammation of the colon. He sought treatment at City of Hope Cancer Center Chicago.

“Of course you hear the C word and you think, ‘Am I going to die? Am I going to make it through it?'” Santos said.

Santos was treated by City of Hope Chicago medical oncologist Dr. Laura Farrington, a woman he describes as his angel.

“Hope is what keeps us going, It’s what helps us get through,” Dr. Farrington said. “Cancer by definition grows and spreads and Stage 3 meant it was very close to spreading elsewhere in the body. His treatment included chemotherapy, chemo with radiation, surgery. He got all of the things.”

But through it all, Dr. Farrington says Santos never gave up and is now cancer-free.

The two of them got to share an uplifting message of perseverance with millions of people Wednesday, riding on the City of Hope’s float during the Rose Parade ahead of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, a surreal moment for Jose.

“I never would have imagined being in the spotlight,” Santos said. “When you’re living with cancer, you’re just thinking, ‘How am I going to survive and move forward with the next day?'”

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“You can get through this and it can be better at the end,” Dr. Farrington said.

At the start of the new year, Santos has a message for those preparing for their own battles ahead, whatever the struggle or challenge may be.

“When you have hope, there’s always a prospect of good things happening,” Santos said. “There’s always light on the other side of the tunnel. I think for every bad, there is always a good.”