It applies to everything in life, your job, your
relationships, raising your children and dealing with a major illness.
Through the ordeal
I had constant contact with two old
friends. Lyle Bauer won 3 Grey Cups over a ten
year career in the CFL, all of it with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was a
center, chosen Winnipeg’s Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1988 and inducted into the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame in 1998. He went on to
hold executive positions with the Blue Bombers and the CalgaryStampeders.
Bauer was a warrior on the
football field and he fought throat cancer with the same attitude. He has since formed
the Never Alone Foundation, to raise money for cancer research. The Foundation is based in Winnipeg.
Key traits of a great lacrosse player are toughness, perseverance and a keen sense of the now. The actions and reactions during the heat of battle are the difference between winning and losing. Mac was a great player, inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2006. He also beat throat cancer.
These two survivors mentored me
My questions were answered.
They told me what to expect. They provided encouragement and the kind of
support that only someone who had “been there, done that” could offer. They inspired
me to find a way to do the same thing for others diagnosed with cancer. That’s when I
contacted the Canadian Cancer Society. They have a program called CancerConnection.
To become a volunteer with this program, you have to be at least a year past cancer treatment, be
involved in a series of seminars and role play scenarios, read a small volume of
materials and have a criminal background check. I was approved as a
volunteer mentor in the Fall of 2011 and have been working with clients ever since.
Now the reason for this story
I have
had the honour of speaking with people from Ontario to British Columbia, men
and women, various ages and backgrounds. Their cancers included sinus,
tonsil and tongue. Most had spread to a lymph node and a couple had spread to
the upper lungs. Besides having cancer, they all had one thing in common. They wanted
to talk with a survivor. Some didn’t have anyone else to turn to for support. Of
course they had fears and worry. Stuff was happening to them that they didn’t
understand. They sought suggestions on what to do for pain, nausea, food intake,
hydration, burned skin, inability to sleep, weight loss, what to expect next,
all things covered by a medical team but it's not the same as hearing from someone
who lived it.
That brain of yours
When you are ill, your brain doesn’t function in quite the same way. In
fact, your brain lies to you. “Suck it up, it’ll be OK" or "give it a couple of
days and that will go away.”
No it doesn’t. You
should report any and all changes in your body and how it feels, to your medical
team as soon as possible and be honest. It helps them know what’s happening to
you and what actions they can take to alleviate your problem. Write it down. Take
a list with you to the next appointment. You have to. My friend Mac called it chemo-head. You
are in a fog, unable to remember very much.
The lack of patience is the big one
Fighting cancer is a
process, a carefully designed plan of attack involving all the medical tools
available. The fix doesn’t happen overnight. Cancer is not a condition where
you drink your liquids and take a couple of aspirins. Persistence is critical. That lying brain often tells you to quit because the treatments are too hard. Don't give in!
The need for patience
doesn’t end with the last treatment. Recovery from such a beating can take
months or even years. In my case, it’s been more than 3 years to get my weight
and energy back. I had to learn how to eat again. The radiation can kill your
small saliva glands making it almost impossible to chew and swallow certain
foods. Dry things like chicken, bread or potatoes. As a result, I process food
with skim milk. I go through 4 liters every two days. To enjoy a toasted cheese
bagel with peanut butter means a tall glass of milk. But it works. You learn
tricks as you go or you get practical suggestions from a mentor like me.
Remember, you didn’t have a cold, you had cancer
You can never minimize or trivialize the process. You have to take it one day at a time. You move from one success to another. You don't suddenly get well, just like you didn't suddenly get sick.
"If You Couldn't Play Tomorrow, How Hard Would You Play Today"
#17