Purposeful Living - Lance Armstrong - Against All Odds
Written by Ingit on May 20th, 2008
No one likes to go through pain and suffering. We are heart-brokened when relationships fail, we mourn for the loss of a loved one, and we suffer when stricken by a disease or illness. Yet it is something that none of us can escape because we live in a fallen world. In it, we are subjected to all its imperfections and shortfalls. While some of us suffer more and some of us suffer less; the important thing is how do you look at suffering in your life.
Lance Armstrong is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. At age 25, he was one of the world’s best cyclist. He seemed invicible and his future was bright. Then in 1996 they told him he had cancer. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer. Going untreated, the cancer had spread to Lance’s abdomen, lungs and brain. His chances dimmed. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy.
Then a combination of physical conditioning, a strong support system and a competitive spirit took over. He declared himself not a cancer victim but a cancer survivor. He took an active role in educating himself about his disease and the treatment. Armed with knowledge and confidence in medicine, he underwent aggressive treatment and beat the disease. He went on to win the prestigious Tour de France 7 consecutive times, from 1999 to 2005.
He said:
“Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more purposefully. It taught me that pain has a reason, and that sometimes the experience of losing things–whether health or a car or an old sense of self–has its own value in the scheme of life. Pain and loss are great enhancers.”
Today Lance Armstrong continues to lead a purposeful life, full of zeal and passion to remain strong and fit. Lance completed the 112th Boston Marathon on 21 April 2008 with an impressive time of 2:50:58 which gave him an overall finish of 496th place. There were a few other fellow Lance Amstrong Foundation staffers that ran with Lance, but couldn’t keep up with his pace. President of the Foundation, Doug Ulman, finished at 3:47:57
Tags: Character, Fitness, Role Model
