A Message from Ethan

At TEAM IN TRAINING practices we try to remind our athletes why they are doing what they are doing. Not that they really need to be reminded but it helps to keep them motivated from a physical training and a fundraising perspective to hear first hand examples of just what cancer means. We call them Mission Moments and some of them can really hit home to many people on many levels. They are real life, tangible stories of hope and the power of the mission.

Many of you know that I have become quite friendly with Ethan Zohn this year. This connection was just another living and breathing example of the power of people and the power of networking. Since we both come from soccer backgrounds, (more specifically, goalkeeping backgrounds) a mutual friend of ours thought I might be a good go to person for Ethan during his treatments. Although our friendship began in the shadows of a cancer diagnosis, it has grown into an incredibly upbeat and positive relationship. Even if the subject matter is “dark” at times, the conversation surrounding the subject is  filled with hope, with possibility, and with choice.

I thought Ethan might be the perfect person to provide the Mission Moment for our TEAM IN TRAINING swim practice tomorrow morning. So I reached out and asked him if he could give me a massage that I could deliver to the athletes. And he offered the following:

Team in Training friends,
After I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, there were some very dark days going through chemotherapy and I felt like my whole body had turned against me. Everything was failing. I couldn’t eat. I felt miserable. I had no energy. I panicked. But I got so much comfort knowing I’m not fighting this battle alone. So much strength knowing that there are people out there, like you, doing so much in the fight against cancer. The power of the human spirit, character and values have come into focus and helped mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to get through this race for my life.

Ethan