I am living with stage four brain cancer which, as you might guess, means I have limited time left. This particularly relentless disease has taken many things from me — and will ultimately take my life — but has also given me time and perspective to contemplate what really matters.

I spent my working life in academia, nonprofits, foundations, for-profit companies and other organizations. Often in my work, I was called upon to lead or take part in workshops and exercises to identify core values. These values included responsible stewardship of public money, excellence in execution and other important symbols of the quality of an organization.

Now that I am not able to work, I thought I’d turn the lens on myself to identify what core values are most important to me. Probably like you, I value many things, among them honesty, hard work, education and compassion for others. But after some thought I settled on three core values that are my driving force: family, friends and gratitude.

I value my family more than anything else. My wife and I have two sons and a daughter; all of whom have given me strength and purpose during the most challenging times.

Each has made tremendous sacrifices for me. The last few years have been incredibly difficult, but what’s kept me going has been the overwhelming desire to keep the family together, united and strong.

One thing I know is this: Without my family by my side, I feel diminished, lost. And that is why I do all that I can to keep us together. We love spending time together and especially love our Friday night Shabbat dinner. After I am gone, I want the value of family to remain a guiding light for those I’ve left behind.

My friends are my backbone. When you are far away from your homeland (Israel) and in need of a support group, these are the people you can trust. Good friends help with every aspect of our lives; they are like family protecting us and guiding us in the right direction. They help us with life decisions, career options and so much more. I cherish my friends and love and appreciate them.

Closely related to family and friends is gratitude, a core value that has become more and more meaningful.

The magic of gratitude, I’ve come to see, is that even when life is hard, there is an opportunity to experience joy, connection and even humor. I would not wish this disease on anyone, but living with it has made me appreciate everyone who has come to help or shared an encouraging word. For that I am grateful.

I am grateful for everything I have, everything I achieved and everything given to me by my family, friends, colleagues and others. Life is short and I have tried — most of the time — to live it to the fullest. Nothing should be assumed, and I am thankful for the opportunities I was given.

So there you have it. Family, friends and gratitude are my individual core values. I believe these values define a life well-lived. What are yours?

Dan Gincel is an executive board member of ScienceAbroad, a former Johns Hopkins University post-doctoral fellow, executive director of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund and a member of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.