A Real Cancer Hero

le petit braquet

At a time when so many people have been disappointed by Lance Armstrong, a reminder that there are real heroes.

Jane Tomlinson was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 26 in 1991 and was treated at the time. However the disease returned in 2000 and she was given a year to live. Rather than going "gently into that good night" she set out on a series of athletic challenges to raise funds for cancer charities. While raising almost 2 million pounds she completed

A coast to crossing of America by bike
Land's End To John O'Groats on a tandem
Rome to Leeds on a tandem
Three London marathons
New York Marathon
Full Ironman triathlon

There was no fairytale ending and she finally died in September 2007. For me, her power to inspire will long outlast Armstrong and her story should be far more widely known. As someone with terminal cancer myself, I draw inspiration from her on a daily basis.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Tomlinson and http://www.janetomlinsonappeal.com/about/jane/index.php

Waitsian

Good for you!

Terry Fox springs to mind as well. I remember watching him on TV, as a kid growing up in Canada, and he still inspires me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF8k8hpyp_A

CaoimH_in

This guy made me cry a lot for a while, but it does still continue to inspire me. His name is Derek Madsen. His story is upsetting but forces you to make sure you're on the right track. It makes you want to make right something--anything--in your life. Otherwise, you just feel awful.

Won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography.
http://www.sacbee.com/static/richmedia/swf/journey/part1/

That's a cancer hero. I still think he has had a far more beautiful life than I will ever.

Edit: Well, it still makes me cry.

brayblue24

Lovely post LPB and very true. I remember her achievements well too.

Very sorry to hear of your own condition. We met briefly some time ago and while you did mention you hadn't been well I had no idea it was terminal. Very best wishes to you and nice to see you're inspired by others


Edit: I've just had a look back here lpb and going by the thanks (42 and counting) you've received I think it's fair to say you're well on the road to being an inspiration to others yourself

nomdeboardie

I haven't met you, OP, knowing only of your entertaining booards posts, but am so sorry to hear of this. My very best wishes for you and your family, and hopes that maybe you'll be a statistical outlier.

thebouldwhacker

I remember when she passed away, she was certainly a rare person. You make a good point op, Armstrong's actions will have effects in many places and on many people beyond just the pro sport.

It's funny that modern heroes are often people who act brave on the movie screen or use their public image to promote their own public image. There are true heroes who are amazing role models and only get a brief mention in the media when there is a press release.
I think from time to time we all need a reminder about what is truly important in life, thanks.

ednwireland

couldnt agree more, would have seen a fair bit of news on jane over the years (telly tuned into yorkshire telly being an ex pat yorkshireman) a real inspiration.

anyway good luck with your fight LPB

le petit braquet

Thanks to those who have wished me well and and my life's ambition (literally) is to become as Nomdeboardie put it, a "statistical outlier". Unfortunately based on my last scan that's not looking good, but hope springs eternal.

I have breast cancer which still surprises most people, as it did me, when I was first diagnosed. While this is thankfully rare, the overwhelming concentration in the media on breast cancer in women has given most men the illusion that it is can only occur in women. On the remote chance that someone reading this ever experiences a lump or other breast abnormality, I have taken the liberty of detailing my own experience.

I developed an inverted nipple about seven years but due to the typical male attitude of "ah sure its not hurting me", I did not get it seen to for probably 18 months. I was immediately diagnosed with cancer and within a week I had a mastectomy and my underarm lymph glands removed. A biopsy showed that just 3 of the the glands were affected which seemed good at the time. I then had courses of both chemo and radiotherapy. That was nearly six years ago and I thought I was in the clear, but a May tests showed the return of cancer, this time to my lungs and bones. Unfortunately for me, this time its terminal and as my oncologist put it, the future s about containment and not cure. It's not possible to be 100% conclusive, but my delay which allowed the cancer to spread to the lymph nodes, may ultimately have cost me my life.

If I had known that an inverted nipple was a sign of possible cancer, even my normal male aversion to the medical profession would not not have stopped me from heading straight to the nearest doctor, such is the the fear that the "C" word holds. Its a bit of a burden to think that you may have killed yourself due to a combination of ignorance and stupidity, and I wouldn't like others to suffer the same fate.


I am now on chemo again to try and limit the cancer's progress. Initially this wasn't too bad and I was able to complete the Ring of Kerry in July. However as the cumulative effect has mounted, fatigue and lack of energy have now set in and yesterday was the first time I managed to get out on the bike for more than 3 weeks. I now have to get over the embarrassment of riding a nice bike with my Rapha hat at 20 kmh - a right Fred!. Somehow cancer seems easier to deal with than embarrassment!

Anyway from now on, any day I can spend any time on the bike is a good day and I will savour it.

MichealD

Thanks for the honest & inspiring post. Hope you have many more days in the saddle.