Running with Cancer:

I am a victim of cancer.

More than twenty-five years of personal experience have taught me much about this dreaded disease. Forty percent of my life under the burden of cancer has given me insights into the profound effects the disease can have on the individual and the

family. Yes, I am a victim of cancer.

But I am also a survivor of cancer.

After nine major operations, radiation therapy and countless medical procedures, I still maintain a fierce enthusiasm for life, an ardent love for my wife and children, and confidence in the future.

But I am also a realist. I know the battle is not over…that it can never be over. Nevertheless I feel optimistic that my faith and perseverance will see me through whatever lies ahead.

Yes, I am a victim of cancer, a survivor and a realist.

But I am also a runner.

Since 1974 I have chosen running as an essential component of my lifestyle. For the past thirty-one years I have run and competed on a consistent basis. My runs have taken me to different parts of the United States as well as to exotic destinations outside our borders. But they have also taken me to a more important destination, a

place deep within myself, within my spirit. It is from this inner refuge that I have been able to muster the fortitude necessary to fight against the medical misfortunes that have befallen me. In all honesty, I run to survive.

It took me more than a decade to first be able to write these words, to break out of my self-imposed imprisonment in order to express the thoughts that have haunted my conscience for what seems an interminable amount of time. It is these words, these

insights that I wish to share with you, dear reader.

Whether you are a cancer patient yourself or know someone who is suffering from one of the many forms of the disease, this book is my way of helping you understand one individual’s struggle with cancer. It is my personal testimony, not as a physician

or medical practitioner, but as a human being forced to face a challenge to his mortality.

And if you are fortunate enough to be a runner, my testimony will have added value to you. It will unite us in a common bond of understanding. Perhaps from this point forward you will look at your running from a different perspective.