From http://www.laf.org/rftr.html)
At age 25, Lance Armstrong, one of the
world's most talented cyclist, was diagnosed with an advanced form of testicular cancer.
From then on, his life was changed forever. Given a 50 percent chance of survival, he was
in the toughest race of his life. Miraculously, today Lance is cancer free.
However, Lance knows the fight has just
begun. He learned that testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men aged
15-35, and that patients' odds for survival greatly increase if detected early. Lance
realized that there is work to be done to eliminate this needles suffering.
He then formed the Lance Armstrong
Foundation for Cancer, an organization devoted to fighting cancer through
research, creating awareness of the disease, and promoting self examination.
Here is a letter that Lance wrote to a young
cancer patient:
"I heard that your last doctors
appointment didn't go the way you had planned. I'm sorry to hear that but I want to talk
about the bigger picture with you. Cancer is a funny illness that comes in all shapes and
sizes, sometimes better or worse. Sometimes a short fight, sometimes a long fight. The key
word is fight. When I met you at St. Andrews I felt like I was meeting a fighter and
shaking the hand of a winner. Regardless of a relapse or bad check-up, you must keep the
faith. The faith in your doctors, the faith in the medicine, the faith in your family, and
most importantly the faith in yourself. This, my friend is absolutely the best thing you
can do for yourself. Tell your cancer to go away. Plain and simple. Tell it to "Get
out of my life, I'm a busy guy!" I get asked everyday why I returned to
professional cycling. The answer isn't about money, winning races, or fame. The answer is
because of people like you. Cancer patients that want to live forever and fight like hell.
I will ride my bike tomorrow for five hours and think of you all day, that's right,
thinking of you, the fighter! Hang in there my friend.
Yours truly -- Lance Armstrong"
Lance On-Line! - http://lancearmstrong.com
The Lance Armstrong Foundation - http://www.laf.org
The Testicular Cancer Resource Center - http://www.acor.org/TCRC
