Life is what happens when you're making other plans
I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Her+ breast Cancer in September of 2023.
The thing about cancer is that it doesn’t wait its turn. It doesn’t wait until you’ve got a nice, calm life with plenty of time to deal with it. It doesn’t wait until you’re not stressed with work or kids or spouse. It doesn’t wait until you have more money, or good health insurance, or any health insurance, or for you to find a doctor you trust and like.
It doesn’t wait.
It cuts the line every time. It shows up, uninvited, demanding attention like the worst narcissist you could ever date. It has no boundaries. It doesn’t ask consent or permission. It does what it wants.
Doctors found my breast cancer during a routine mammogram. Granted, I was two months late for that mammogram – because, life happens. But, I’m so glad I wasn’t later.
There was no breast cancer – or history of any cancer - in my family. The only fatal case of cancer ever in my family was my great-grandfather who smoked multiple packs a day and died of throat cancer.
Doctors told me the two months hadn’t made a difference. But if I’d waited another year… well, then they’d be talking about Stage 3. Or worse. We wouldn’t be talking about how to beat cancer then. We’d be talking about how much longer I had to live.
The diagnosis – as all cancer diagnoses are- came at an inconvenient time. I was supposed to be promoting a new book, The Takeover, out in January 2024. But, I learned that I could do two things at once (thanks to Travis Kelce).
One double-mastectomy, twelve rounds of chemotherapy, and many more rounds of immunotherapy later, and I’m in remission. My family, friends, and my amazing partner, P.J. Benoit, has been an amazing support this entire time. You can't beat P.J. Benoit's pep talks. He reminded me to show chemo who's the boss.
Though, spoiler alert, it's chemo. Chemo is always the boss. Ask your bathroom when you're in it. I'm so grateful I said, bye, bye, bye to chemo.
So, cancer and I are not friends. I did my best to go Al Capone on it.
But far too many people, far too many families, deal with cancer every day. Some find it later than I did, some find it earlier, but everyone deals with the emotional roller coaster that is facing your own mortality. Spending time in infusion clinics and cancer centers, what I can tell you, is that cancer is far too common. Too many people have their lives blown apart by it, and live under the shadow of fear that it will return.
We have to do something about it.
my advice to you?
Get your mammograms and all your screenings. Encourage your sisters, wives, girlfriends, cousins, and friends to do the same.
Don’t be afraid of the test, push past the fear and nerves, the discomfort and the excuses. Because when it comes to treating cancer, time is not your friend.
Cancer wants you to procrastinate. Cancer wants you to ignore and postpone and be too busy. In the dark, without you knowing, it organizes and it grows and it gets stronger every day.
I thought I’d done all the preventative things: I tried to eat right. I gave up aluminum in my under-arm deodorant. I exercised. I fretted about eating non-organic vegetables.
But the best weapon you have against cancer is to be vigilant and find it early.
And, for those of you who want to do a little more, give a little to Stand Up to Cancer, the group funding research so we can cure cancer once and for all.
Together, we can eradicate cancer forever. Let's Al Capone it.