This iReport is part of an assignment:
Lance Armstrong speaks out
About this iReport
- Posted October 17, 2012 by
- lehoffman1 Follow
Location
Stevenson Ranch, California
Stevenson Ranch, California
Assignment
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Devoted to Livestrong
- Echerneff, CNN iReport producer
I've been an avid cyclist for roughly 22 years, about a third of that time dedicated to competitive racing in my early days. It is a sport that I will continue to embrace and intend to share with my four children.
I lost my father to cancer on 10-2-01, a few short weeks after Sept. 11th. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer two months prior in August after experiencing severe pain in his groin.
My father's death afforded me the opportunity to look at life in a very different way. That day that I saw him close his eyes for the last time, I knew that I didn't want anyone else to have to go through the same experience that he did.
I purchased a Livestrong (actually I purchased many of them) as a sign of hope, strength and perseverance against this terrible disease. I also use it as a reminder, when I'm climbing those long lonely steep canyons on the bike, that the pain and suffering that I'm enduring is pittance and short-lived compared to what others are experiencing in their battle against cancer.
I recently met a friend for lunch that I hadn't seen in roughly two years. He looked at the yellow band, still prominently encircling my wrist and asked, "you still wearing that thing?". My emotions turned on a dime and with a laser-focused stare I responded with "It'll come off when there's a cure for cancer".
The answer is YES, I still wear the bracelet and always will until this thing is cured. It helps me to maintain focus on what is important.
I lost my father to cancer on 10-2-01, a few short weeks after Sept. 11th. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer two months prior in August after experiencing severe pain in his groin.
My father's death afforded me the opportunity to look at life in a very different way. That day that I saw him close his eyes for the last time, I knew that I didn't want anyone else to have to go through the same experience that he did.
I purchased a Livestrong (actually I purchased many of them) as a sign of hope, strength and perseverance against this terrible disease. I also use it as a reminder, when I'm climbing those long lonely steep canyons on the bike, that the pain and suffering that I'm enduring is pittance and short-lived compared to what others are experiencing in their battle against cancer.
I recently met a friend for lunch that I hadn't seen in roughly two years. He looked at the yellow band, still prominently encircling my wrist and asked, "you still wearing that thing?". My emotions turned on a dime and with a laser-focused stare I responded with "It'll come off when there's a cure for cancer".
The answer is YES, I still wear the bracelet and always will until this thing is cured. It helps me to maintain focus on what is important.
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