This Mystory begins with a letter to my father’s physician regarding the VA’s decision to deny my father benefits for his service-related cancer. In reflecting on memories about loss, agency, community identity, and the environment, the narrative that follows reaffirms the integrity of place, while also serving as a platform for questioning discourses that emphasize lifestyle variables as the primary source of disease. In challenging the VA’s decision, I allow for what Soyini Madison calls a "politics of possibility."