In the movie The Sea of Trees, Matthew McConaughey’s character Arthur says: “There’s always that moment. The big, life-changing moment that knocks us on the floor and reminds us what really matters.”
When I was diagnosed with cancer at 23, that was “that moment.” I began thinking about death. The doctor gave me a 60-70% chance of being “disease-free” in the next five years, so I took that to meant that there as a 30-40% chance that the cancer would metastasize and I might die in the next five years. The odds were in my favor for living longer but not by a huge margin considering the mortal stakes.
What came out of that experience was a need to prove to myself that although I had cancer, cancer did not have me. What better way to do that than to super fit? So, I became a triathlete, and I excelled. In total I finished more than 100 triathlons including twenty-eight IRONMAN distance races (I won five overall), plus I earned a professional license—my “pro card.” Thankfully, my cancer never recurred.
Even though the triathlon accolades were a nice bonus, what cancer really taught me was the importance of resilience and self-care. As an unknown author once said, “If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?”
Have you had “that moment?”
What did it remind you of that really matters?
Kindly,
David