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