Lance Armstrong: Journey of an imperfect hero

THIS WEEK’S WINNER

MANILA, Philippines - Noel Navalta Oribio of Calumbaya, Bauang, La Union is a physical therapist and president of the La Union Physical Therapy Society (LUPTS), Inc. He appreciates “the opportunity to help others overcome their movement difficulties as brought about by illnesses and accidents.”

Reading the biography of Lance Armstrong, It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, by Sally Jenkins has inspired me to pursue my passion of living life to the fullest. Lance Armstrong’s courage and determination, despite his challenges and the ravages of illness, made me realize my potential. I cannot afford to just let the current pull me down to the depths or just wash me to shore; I need to plot my path and work towards my destination.

I learned from the very personal story of Armstrong, of his battle against a virulent form of testicular cancer that nearly killed him; how it spread to his lungs and even his brain before it was stopped; how he endured grueling chemotherapy and other treatments. Through it all, his faith and strength of will and character has won him the most coveted prize in international cycling: the Tour de France.

“The one thing the illness has convinced me of beyond all doubt — more than any experience I’ve had as an athlete — is that we are much better than we know,” Armstrong writes. “We have unrealized capacities that sometimes only emerge in crisis. So, if there is a purpose to the suffering that is cancer, I think it must be this: it’s meant to improve us.”

Learning from his mom’s example, Lance is inspired to make every obstacle an opportunity. The cyclist chose to be a survivor instead of a victim, even if he only had a 40 percent chance of survival (although, later on, the doctors admitted they had lied to him about this percentage; his real chance was only three percent). But who has the right to assign a certain percentage? Only the Creator has the power to decide who survives and who doesn’t and our part is to have faith in Him.

My mom had hyperthyroidism and it leaves her blood pressure, heart rate, appetite, gastrointestinal function, sleeping patterns and emotions in a mess. She relied on her medications but after two years, she finally relented to have her thyroid glands surgically removed. We had to study books and research online about the condition, and it helped a lot. I even had an opportunity to watch the actual operation. Now she’s getting a lot better. I know that it is a far cry from cancer but the efforts, emotions and time we put into caring and learning about the disease are the same. And from it, we gained a greater appreciation of life.

“The truth is, if you ask me to choose between winning the Tour de France and cancer, I would choose cancer. Odd as it sounds, I would rather have the title of cancer survivor than winner of the Tour, because of what it has done for me as a human being, a man, a husband, a son, and a father.”

I know how my own perspective changes as I go through various situations in life. When I am at the bottom, I felt like it’s a hard climb to the top. But when I am at the top, I think that it doesn’t seem so high compared to other heights. And it becomes a never-ending search for greater success and achievements. But if our mortality is being checked by illness, our priorities do change and we value family and relationships more than personal accomplishments, riches and fame. Illness and weakness are instruments to make us humble, so that we may allow God to lead us by the hand and give answers to our prayers.

During Lance’s conversation with his neurosurgeon, Dr. Shapiro, the doctor said, “Look, I’ve done a large number of these. I’ve never had anyone die, and I’ve never made anyone worse.”

“Yeah, but why should you be the person who operates on my head?”

“Because as good as you are at cycling,” the doctor said, “I’m a lot better at brain surgery.”

That exchange reminds me again how different health services are in this country. One does not get to question a health professional’s capacity, especially that of a doctor. But there is a new generation of compassionate doctors these days. And I hope to see the day when patients do not need wait, patiently but anxiously, for hours to see a physician; that doctors value peoples’ time and show up at their clinics during consultation hours and at patients’ bedside for much-needed medical services.

Our realities of daily life must include the possibility of grave illness and accident. We may not be prepared enough but we need to hope for the best and expect the unexpected. Armstrong, in his prime years, never thought he’d get cancer, but he did. Although he never had a real father figure, his mother’s love sufficed and prepared him for the worst. Let us dig deep into ourselves as we confront our challenges. And when we feel like giving up, we need to ask our Father in Heaven to help us. His love never fails.

In my favorite comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin was getting disillusioned with the New Year. Calvin vents his sentiment to Hobbes, saying, “Here another year has gone by and everything’s still the same! There’s still pollution and war and stupidity and greed! Things haven’t changed! I say what kind of future is this! I thought things were supposed to improve! I thought the future was supposed to be better!”

And then the wise Hobbes punctuates this diatribe with the statement, “The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present.”

This year, I will be broadening my knowledge and skills and become a registered physical therapist in Texas. There, I hope to learn more about Lance Armstrong, to shake his hand and thank him for being an imperfect hero who got to inspire lives and do extraordinary things.

New Year’s resolutions are goals and strategies that should not be taken for granted. What have we done yesterday that made the world a better place today? The future proves to be bright for me and my family, for now I work and live with zest. This is truly my year.