I wish I was like you, easily amused

Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. November, Hockey Fights Cancer. If you watch ESPN at all, you’ll know that this week is Jimmy V Week. For those that don’t know who Jim Valvano is, he was a college basketball coach, most notably at North Carolina State. His life was also taken by cancer in April 1993 at the age of 47. Earlier that year at the ESPY Awards (the sports world’s equivalent to, say, the Oscars), Valvano was given the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award. On receiving the award, he gave one of the most inspiring speeches I have ever heard. It’s 10 minutes long, but sit through the whole thing. You won’t regret it.

Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.

What gets me the most about him, and most cancer patients, is that despite such a wretched disease taking over his body, he is so hopeful. So hopeful and courageous in the face of almost certain death. Makes all of our little worries seem so petty.

It’s organizations like the Jimmy V Foundation and Race for the Cure that are part of reason many types of cancer have gone from a virtual death sentence to very treatable. It’s part of the reason one of Valvano’s daughters is alive today. It’s part of the reason my mom is alive today. Below are a couple links to cancer research foundations:

Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research
Race for the Cure
American Cancer Society
Lance Armstrong Foundation

My intention is not to guilt trip anyone into donating money. As a recent college grad, I know as well as anyone how little extra money we all have to scrape by on. But, next time something like Race for the Cure rolls around, take a day off and participate in it.

Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.