RackOfftober

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

This one's for you, Steve.

Three years ago one of my best mates, Steve, a supremely fit cyclist who is the same age as I, went through the hell of bowel cancer. Coming out the other side, and just two short years later, he suffered secondary liver cancer. Surviving that nightmare as well, he then rode his bicycle 900 kilometres from Melbourne to Sydney raising funds for kids with cancer. And did I mention he is also a diabetic? An astonishing effort from a brave man I am proud to call my mate.

But it doesn't end there.

Only a couple of weeks ago he had a routine scan and the cruel results that were returned showed another, rather advanced secondary liver cancer. Having already suffered life-changing consequences from his earlier treatment, and being (as he put it) in the strongest, fittest form of his life, he in one more brutal stroke had his strength and confidence cut from under him, and even for a while considered forgoing the surgery to enjoy life to the full for a few months before the inevitable end.

Yesterday however, to the relief of his loved ones he had major surgery to remove the growth. The surgery went as well as could be expected, but he faces yet more challenges as the changes to his liver also affect his pancreas, which of course has a huge impact on his diabetes, his strength and energy and so on, and which stands to dramatically impact his life in numerous ways I can't bear to contemplate. It's a cruel, cruel thing to happen, and all we can do to make sense of it is to focus on the positive fact that early intervention has undoubtedly saved his life. Less than a generation ago I strongly suspect  it would have been a death sentence.

As insignificant as my own efforts are by comparison to Steve's struggles, I dedicated this morning's run to him. Every day we are alive and well, I think it's fair to say we've dodged the random bullets of illness, accident and circumstance that unfairly impact so many people for so many unfathomable, apparently random reasons, such as bad genetics,  an unhealthy environment or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As I've said before many times, and will keep saying until I die; every day that we get to live and breathe, and every day in which we enjoy good health (even if only in a relative sense) we owe it to those who have suffered and are suffering to make the most of what we have. And of course we also owe it to ourselves, as no-one goes through life completely unscathed, and once through our struggles, and even during our difficult times, we need to make the most of what remains, good health particularly so.

And so I'll keep running for a while yet.

So here's to Steve. Cheers, mate.