There’s a very old joke about a man who asks his brother to watch his cat while he’s on vacation.
The man comes back and asks, “How’s the cat?” The brother tells him, “Sorry, the cat’s dead.” The man is shocked and appalled that his brother is so blunt.
“Tell me something like — ‘The cat was on the roof, I really tried to get it down but it ran from me, slipped, and, well, I’m sorry but — it didn’t make it.’ That’s how you break bad news!”
The brother apologizes and says he understands. Then the man asks, “How are Mom and Dad?” The brother says — “Well, Mom and Dad were on the roof …”
This was the tale going through my mind in March 2012 when I was sitting in a doctor’s office after having undergone a series of routine medical tests.
While the doctor was talking to me, it struck me like a lightning bolt — he’s giving me “the cat is on the roof” speech! I stopped him and said, “You’re telling me that I have cancer, aren’t you?” To which the doctor said, “Yes, I’m sorry, you have cancer.”
I wondered how I was going to deal with treatment when also having a global business to run. Then I remembered Charles Swindoll’s quote: “Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react to it.”
Choose a positive approach
I decided that the first thing I should do was write a list entitled, “Positive Side Effects of My Health Challenge.”
A focus on the positive side effects became the first of four key themes that I followed on my road to health. It was in many ways the hardest to adhere to. As time went on, however, I did my best to stay focused on the positive. I watched as each and every one of the items on this list became my reality.
Talk to many people
The first and most important person on this journey was my wife. I decided to try a holistic health approach first and she was incredibly knowledgeable in this area, sending me to a holistic health clinic in San Diego.
Research alternatives
My wife and I did a massive amount of research reading books, watching videos and reading many, many articles. We attended the Prostate Cancer Research Institute’s annual conference in LA where we learned about the emerging trends in prostate cancer. We became lay experts on prostate cancer.
Be the captain
The choices ahead of me were difficult, the information was, in many cases, contradictory, and the possible impact was long lasting. I realized that I’m not my diagnosis. I am the captain of the ship navigating the confusing waters towards health.
Today, I’m pleased to say that I am fully in remission, 45 pounds lighter and closer than ever to my bride of 25 years. Oh, and the company is doing just fine, thank you very much. I would have never thought it at the time, but the “C” word in the “C” suite can actually lead to positive results. ●
