I knew I wanted to do a story on my plumber, Frank Marchand, when he first showed up to my house for a job wearing a hospital bracelet.

It turns out he was just back from a chemotherapy appointment for colon cancer. When I apologized for asking him to work in those circumstances, he assured me there was nowhere he’d rather be.

Clearly, Marchand understood instinctually what oncologists often advise their patients: stick to your usual routines when going through cancer treatment, because the familiarity might help you relax and not ruminate on what comes next.

In fact, aside from a few breaks for surgery, Marchand, of Whately, Massachusetts, hasn’t taken time off throughout his ongoing treatment.

So the next time I called him — to figure out why my toilet tank was leaking — I asked if I could bring out my tape recorder.

[A national version of this story also aired on NPR’s Weekend Edition on April 22, 2023 with Scott Simon. Listen to that version here.]