Why I Stand Up - By Ethan Zohn
Posted on August 17, 2010 7:00 AM
I'm a Survivor–through and through and in every sense of the word. I was a Survivor when cancer came into my home and took my father. I was a Survivor when I won the TV show in Africa. I'm a Survivor today, after I outwitted a rare form of Hodgkin's lymphoma that invaded my body.
And this most recent experience of being a Survivor reminds me of this one absolute truth–that with all our differences, old or young, man or woman, hero or villain, we all have one thing in common–we're all survivors on this earth for just a short time.
And it's not about how or when you leave this world, it's what you do to make the most of each day and each crisis while you're here and not just survive them but to use them to better yourself and others. What you do after the cameras stop rolling, when no one else is looking, that's what matters. How you take what is given to you and make a difference in the life of another person, that's what matters.
Survivor, the show, did change my life. Living in nature with barely enough food, water and a half-naked Big Tom for 39 days was torture. But the real challenge came when I suddenly had to survive a different type of game–the game of life. The experience I had on the show touched on every part of me as a person–mental, physical, social, spiritual and environmental.
The Survivor experience is similar to the way cancer touches you, but as we all know, cancer is not a game. Don't get me wrong, I'm psyched that I won Survivor and sometimes I can't believe it, but now more than ever, I understand that there are many more important issues and concerns happening in this world than playing this game.
Statistics can numb us to what the real issues are. But these are not just faceless numbers. They are your family, teammates, co-workers and teachers. They are friends like Jenn Lyon.
Here's a reality check: 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Incredibly, nearly 70,000 young adults between 15 and 39 are diagnosed with cancer each year. 10,000 will not survive. No one has immunity because cancer doesn't care.
As a patient, it's hard to articulate how being seriously ill feels. It pays to have a positive outlook but when my team of doctors tried multiple ways to heal me that didn't work, I panicked. All I craved was survival. I just wanted to make it another day. I felt scared, lonely and isolated just like I was playing Survivor Africa all over again. There were times I didn't want to fight anymore. I had enough.
But I had a gut check. I dug deep, really deep, final immunity challenge deep and realized that the power of the human spirit, my family, all my fans from the show and the entire cancer community were on my side and would help me get through this battle.
You know what else was on my side? Science. The hard work that doctors, hospitals and cancer researchers do on a daily basis is working. I'm living proof.
We need to support cancer research because you never know where the next great discovery will be–in a laboratory or in a far off place like the Amazon or Vanuatu or maybe even Exile Island. Chances are, every one of us knows someone who has the potential to benefit from one of these breakthroughs. Winning Survivor and the million dollars was not an end for me, it was a new beginning–make today a new beginning for you.
Join our tribe. Stand Up for our friend Jenn. Help raise money to vote cancer off the planet.
Survivor Stand Up To Cancer is an alliance between Survivor and SU2C, uniting cancer survivors and reality show survivors in a common goal: to outwit cancer. This vibrant tribe of survivors will build cancer awareness, inspire the public to raise funds for a cure, and empower people affected by cancer with the strength and courage to survive another day.
In my eyes, this is my Survivor moment, my legacy, better than winning the million dollars.
