The 1991 Brownlow Medallist and four-time club champion launched the club's 'Dare to Dream' campaign at Yarra Park on Monday and compared his struggle with cancer with the Demons' fortunes.
"Now that I've had this [cancer] experience, it's amazing and really it is a privilege to get what I've got and then to deal with it, get on with it, be positive and believe that you can heal," Stynes said.
"It's the same thing with footy. Do you really believe as a football club?
"We've been over 40 years without a premiership and do our supporters really believe that we can win one - I certainly do. It's the same with my healing and I certainly believe that I'm going to get through this and I'll be healed when the time's right."
The 'Dare to Dream' campaign ties in with Melbourne's youth-themed round-one clash against Hawthorn at the MCG. Stynes said the movie Field of Dreams made a huge impression on him and taught him how to commit to his dreams.
"While we're not asking our young people who are going to come along this week to build a baseball pitch, what we're going to ask them to do is to write down their dream and to write it on something," he said.
"This week there will be a page in the footy record (AFL Record) and kids will write it down and hang it up on their wall at home, in their bedroom or wherever and it will keep on reminding them of what they want to achieve.
"The aim of doing that is so they take the first step and they make the commitment to what they really want to do. By doing that, they've already started on their journey."
Stynes said one of his dreams was is to see his children turn 21, and more immediately, he hoped to see "two or three kids" debut this week. Top-two draft picks Tom Scully and Jack Trengove look certain to debut, with James Strauss is the other most likely.
Stynes was not perturbed by Melbourne's well-document injury woes.
"You just never know what's going to happen in round one. Who would've thought North Melbourne would've won in their first game of the pre-season," Stynes said.
"Once you're out there, you're always a chance for a win.
"What will be delivered, will be delivered. Our boys will get in there and give it everything they've got. They did the same last year, but we're just expecting a bit of improvement from everyone and to be a lot more competitive. The win/loss ratio will look after itself."
