( CNN ) -- I remember the day I rang the bell . When you finish radiation treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston , there 's a bell in the waiting room that you ring three times , and when you do , the entire room erupts with applause . I remember the immediate rush when it was my turn . I felt the euphoric joy of having survived . It 's an elation that comes along with being alive and knowing that you 've made it past chemotherapy , radiation and surgery , with clean margins . I felt deep gratitude for my medical caregivers , my generous friends and my family , especially my family . That was nine years ago . But still , even now , I have unanswered questions about the disease that almost cut my life short . At age 38 , I was given six months to live . I had sarcoma , a rare cancer that can occur in bone or soft tissue , with no known cause and no cure . My lingering questions about sarcoma fuels my motivation to produce `` Until 20 , '' a documentary that follows James Ragan 's quest to live his few remaining days of life fully . When I met James he was about to turn 20 . We had both won the sarcoma cancer lottery . My 4-inch tumor was found growing along the radial nerve in my right arm . James 's tumor resulted in the removal of about 40 % of his left femur and 20 % of his tibia . The five-year survival rate for this disease is frighteningly low . According to the National Cancer Institute , the five-year survival rate is about 66 % . For me , after getting to know James the mystery of why I survived and many people do not triggered `` survivor 's guilt . '' This is the guilt that can occur when someone survives a traumatic event that others do not , such as accidents , war , natural disasters and even illnesses like cancer . Guilt is a complicated emotion . My cancer fight lasted a year and a half , and now , as far as my doctors know , there no active tumor cells in my body . I survived . James did n't . After repeated recurrences and seven major surgeries since his diagnosis at age 13 , he died in February . We were fortunate enough that James chose to share the final year of his life with us . James said , `` It 's all about perspective . I 'm constantly told that 's what I provide people when they hear my story . I 'm told that I give them new perspective on their life . '' Like James , I prefer to ask `` now that I been marked by this disease , what can I do to make a difference ? '' I had cancer . I was lucky . Now I look ahead . `` Until 20 '' is James ' story . He should be an inspiration , not just for patients facing incurable diseases , and be seen as someone who encouraged adults and young people to make meaningful , values-based choices with their time and their lives . This documentary chronicles James ' life after diagnosis , as he grows from a young athlete blindsided by disease into a passionate and caring young man . James shows us that you do n't have to live a long life to make a difference . Sarcoma tumors develop in healthy people with no apparent risk factors . There 's little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to find a cure for sarcoma . One percent of all adult cancers in America are sarcoma , and 15 % of all childhood cancers are sarcoma . With so few cases , there 's little money to be made from research . I have no patience with `` my cancer is worse than your cancer '' conversations . Cancer is not a competition . Cancer causes us all pain , and having a rare cancer is exponentially devastating , because there is so little research being done . The only remedy is banding together to create awareness and pushing for research funding . According to Dr. Ara Vaporciyan at MD Anderson , `` one option would be to put in place some rules or some laws that protect drug companies to allow them to invest research dollars . And in some sort of tax reform or some way to encourage them to invest here , to make it worth their while to invest here . '' Why do we wait for a disease to teach us about living well and having compassion for others ? James changed my life . In his deliberate quest to live a life worth living , he reminded me to live as though my days are numbered and to make every day count . You just need grit , passion and focused purpose . Humor helps , too . I have to believe that one of the most effective ways to move beyond survivor 's guilt is to find purpose in my experience . I 've learned lessons I could n't have learned any other way . What seemed to be my premature death sentence has also become my good fortune . James gave me renewed perspective . `` Am I sad about everything I am going to miss out on in life ? Absolutely , '' said James . `` But I am at peace . I 've lived a pretty incredible 20 years . '' Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion .
James Ragan was diagnosed with a rare cancer at age of a year and a half . Her film will tell the story of James , a patient who also had the disease . Geraldine Moriba was able to appreciate his short life while enduring three major surgeries . Moriba : Why do we wait for a disease to teach us about living well and having compassion ?