| Fight or Quit By Mark Porch As the 2006 Tour de | | | | at the end of the tunnel. As a means of fulfilling my |
| France begins and we wait to see who will replace | | | | obligation of the cured that I believe all survivors have |
| perhaps the race's most dominate rider ever, seven | | | | to those who come after them, I began to raise funds |
| time champion Lance Armstrong, I have a different | | | | for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and was |
| question to be answered. Where will I find my annual | | | | anticipating Lance's attempt to win his seventh straight |
| inspiration that has given me and thousands of other | | | | Tour de France. As the 2005 Tour de France unfolded |
| cancer survivors and patients continued strength to | | | | it was very different for Lance Armstrong and his |
| fight on and accept the challenge that cancer | | | | team. While they initially seemed dominant again, as the |
| presents? In early 2004 at the age of 43 I was | | | | 21-day race rolled on it became apparent his |
| diagnosed with a Stage III Colorectal Cancer. Like | | | | supporting cast of Discovery Team members might |
| many, I had no idea I was even sick, much less facing | | | | not quite be the unbeatable force as in previous years. |
| a deadly serious fight for my life. The diagnosis was | | | | Team members ride to protect their leader, to allow |
| such a shock and initially I was lost and confused | | | | him to draft much like stock car racing, to provide |
| about how to deal with it. While my family was no | | | | support and to chase down other riders or teams that |
| stranger to cancer, my parents and sister are all | | | | may try to break away and gain an advantage. The |
| cancer survivors, I was not prepared for the impact | | | | team's possible weakness began to show itself on the |
| my own diagnosis would have on me. One of the | | | | fourteenth day of the race during a very difficult and |
| most important factors in preparing me for what I | | | | demanding mountain stage. As the stage climbed |
| would face came in the form of a gift from a close | | | | upward, Lance found himself abandoned by his team |
| personal friend of mine by the name of Chris Anthony. | | | | members who were unable to keep up with the |
| When he heard of my cancer diagnosis he gave me | | | | demanding pace of the stage. The pace of the |
| Lance Armstrong's book "It's not about the bike". It | | | | previous day's stages had worn them down. Worse |
| contained Lance's story of his own cancer fight and | | | | yet, his main rivals were in front and had their support |
| survivorship and introduced me to the Lance | | | | riders still with them. It could have been the turning point |
| Armstrong Foundation. Chris nor I could have realized | | | | of the whole race had those riders gotten away from |
| at the time what an impact the book would have in the | | | | Lance. It was a defining moment for the 2005 race. |
| formulation of my own plan to fight my cancer. With | | | | Here we would find out if the great champion had |
| the book as a source of inspiration, guidance and | | | | enough left in his post cancer 37 year old legs to once |
| perspective I made it through the initial stages of | | | | again do the unthinkable, win the world's most difficult |
| treatment in pretty good shape. At every turn no | | | | bike race for the seventh straight time. Somewhere |
| matter what I faced there was always a mention in | | | | within the psyche that had helped him survive all that |
| the story of something that seemed far worse than | | | | had come before, he did not let those rivals and their |
| anything I was dealing with. I find it difficult to articulate | | | | teams get away from him. He may have been left |
| how the story of Lance Armstrong's personal fight | | | | alone to face them without his team and their support, |
| with cancer, near death and subsequent rise to | | | | but it did not matter. He was a fighter and summoned |
| dominate what is maybe the world's toughest individual | | | | that special reserve from within that had helped him |
| sporting event inspired me. His words pulled me along | | | | stare down cancer and focused it on all those |
| through each day of what was becoming the toughest | | | | challenging him now. Not only did they not get away, |
| year of my life. The 2004 Tour de France came along | | | | he nearly won the stage outright and helped preserve |
| at a time when I was ending my second bout with | | | | the defining accomplishment of his biking career, a 7th |
| chemotherapy, feeling physically run down and | | | | straight Tour de France victory. It was his statement in |
| mentally exhausted but encouraged by continuing good | | | | a post race interview after the difficult day his |
| medical reports. I watched that year's race with great | | | | Discovery Team had, leaving him unprotected and |
| respect for the performance that was unfolding in | | | | alone while other riders were aggressively attacking |
| front of me. Lance Armstrong and his Discovery | | | | his lead that summed up for me personally what the |
| Team were completely dominant. He seemed to be | | | | Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) means to millions |
| able to call upon some unseen reserve of strength | | | | living with cancer. His words that he was left with only |
| from within that no one else had. His team seemed to | | | | two options; to "Fight or Quit" say it all. It turns out the |
| feed off of his strength. I felt like I knew where that | | | | 2005 race was every bit as inspiring as the previous |
| strength came from. It was the same strength he used | | | | years to me and cancer survivor's everywhere in the |
| to fight cancer with complete and unwavering | | | | way Lance chose to fight in the face of great odds. It |
| determination to win at whatever cost. Lance's victory | | | | is that spirit and determination that was on display |
| that year was validation again for all cancer survivors | | | | every year during the Tour de France as Lance |
| and patients that you can came back from the brink | | | | Armstrong competed that provided those affected by |
| and win despite all the odds against you. If showed | | | | cancer a shining beacon of hope. An example of what |
| that statistics are just someone else's number, you can | | | | could be done, the possibilities that exist despite what |
| choose to fight on your own terms and be successful. | | | | the odds may say. Although his competition days are |
| Fighting cancer is about attitude and Lance was | | | | over, that same spirit is alive and well in the foundation |
| displaying it for the whole world to see. As the 2005 | | | | he formed to fight cancer and to help those affected |
| Tour de France approached I was in the beginning | | | | by it. While I receive great inspiration from those I have |
| stages of being able to call myself a cancer survivor. | | | | met raising funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, |
| My cancer had miracously responded to the | | | | I am still hopeful that there will be a storyline from |
| pre-surgical treatment and up to that point cancer was | | | | which I can gain new inspiration in this year's Tour de |
| no longer detectable in my body. Colorectal cancer | | | | France. Unfortunately it will not be authored by one of |
| has an extremely high rate of recurrence and I had to | | | | the most influential voices and inspirational leaders for |
| stay on top of it but I was beginning to see some light | | | | those affected by cancer, Lance Armstrong. |