Its How You Get Up Again

After cancer hits you, you cope and move on. But I think the most important part is how you cope. Many people are familiar with Scott Hamilton, the Olympic medal winning figure skater. But I am not sure that everyone knows about his cancer diagnoses. In addition to testicular cancer in 1989, he has also been diagnoses with brain tumors, several times. And he has also developed that awesome resource ChemoCare which provides a huge amount of information on chemotherapy regimens, including the all time favorite, side effects. His last diagnosis was last spring.

He spoke about this recently with People Magazine, that ever popular medical reference. I found the video very interesting and provided some thought provoking insights. Watch it all the way to the end (its less than 3 minutes), and then think for a bit.

A cancer diagnosis is a big fall in your life. Actually its not a fall, its more like it threw you down three flights of stairs. But you have to regroup and go on with your life.  You still need to go to the grocery store, have surgery, drive your children to school, do the laundry, deal with surgical drains, mop the kitchen floor, dust the living room, make the beds, hang out with friends, and go to more damn doctor appointments that you ever thought possible. And deal with this huge emotional wave of medical crap.

Scott Hamilton has had to deal with this four times now and he came up with this advice.

Its not what happens when you fall its how you handle it. The remember to smile like Kristi Yamaguchi as you do it.