Tuesday, 9 December 2014

Make every obstacle an opportunity

Diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer at the age of 25, doctors gave Lance Armstrong less than a 40 percent chance of recovery. Tumors were discovered in his lungs and stomach along with multiple lesions on the brain.
His biking career was over or so everyone thought; but no one counted on the indomitable belief Armstrong had in himself and the lessons which his mother, Linda Walling had taught him.

One of the first things that he did was to acknowledge the disease that had captured him in its talons and learn everything he could about it. He devoured books, resources and found help in support groups with people going through similar difficulties.

Lance sought strength in three things his mother had instilled in him

   “Make every obstacle an opportunity”, “Always work hard and good things will happen” and “Don’t believe it when other people say you can’t”.

His first comeback after beating cancer was not a success and he finished fourteenth in the race. He even thought about retirement but constant support from his fiancée, mother and buddy Chris Carmichael soon had him training for his next race in the Appalachians.

He returned from his training a transformed man and never let the constant difficulties plough him down again.

True, the doping scandals have destroyed Lance’s reputation as a professional biker. But one cannot but admire his sheer will power and dedication through which he turned the odds in his favor at a time when everyone thought his life was over.

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