"You Have Cancer There' - October 2024

You Have Cancer There — Four Words You Never Want to Hear

SUMMARY

Being told you have cancer changes everything—instantly. This article shares my personal story of how I heard those words, what led up to them, what followed, and why fitness, mindset, and personal responsibility matter more than ever when facing a cancer diagnosis.

Internal Links (insert live URLs on website):
• Fitness Saved My Life
• Common Sense Nutrition
• How to Exercise With Heart Disease
• My Stroke: August 2024
•My Experience with Open Heart Surgery

There are four words you never want to hear.

You have cancer there.

I’ve heard them. And I can tell you this—nothing prepares you for the moment they are spoken. Time slows down. The room feels smaller. Your mind jumps ahead while your body stays frozen in place.

Cancer is not just a diagnosis. It’s an interruption.

How I Got There

In late 2023, I first noticed a small amount of blood in my urine. It wasn’t constant, and it wasn’t painful, so I didn’t think it was serious. Like many people, I told myself it was probably nothing.

In early 2024, I mentioned it to my doctor, who referred me to a urologist. The appointment was scheduled for October.

By then, life had already taken a sharp turn.

In August, I had a stroke. I was still shaken by that experience and didn’t expect much from the urology appointment. I remember sitting in the waiting room, noticing how packed it was—a detail that only made sense later.

The Moment Everything Changed

The urologist inserted a catheter with a small camera into my bladder. Less than a minute later, he said, “You have cancer there.”

That was it. Clear. Simple. What else was there to say?

What followed was a blur of activity. And then suddenly, I was outside the hospital, getting into my car.

The only thought in my head was:
“How the hell do I tell my wife this?”

A Year That Kept Coming

This had already been a heavy year.

I had a stroke in August.

Earlier in May, my wife’s mother—90 years old—broke both bones in her lower leg. She suffered horribly in a very bad seniors home for four months before passing away in late September.

And now I had to tell my wife I had cancer.

The Weight of Those Words

Cancer doesn’t arrive in isolation. It lands in the middle of real life—family, grief, exhaustion, responsibility.

This is where experience matters.

I had already learned—through heart disease and stroke—that panic is useless. Action is not.

Fitness doesn’t remove fear. But it gives you something solid to hold onto when fear shows up.

Movement Matters—Even Now

One of the first questions people ask after a diagnosis is:
“Should I still exercise?”

In most cases, the answer is yes—but intelligently.

This is not the time for hero workouts. It’s the time for walking, breathing, mobility, posture, and consistency.

You Become Your Own Advocate

Cancer makes one thing very clear: you must be involved in your own care.

Doctors are essential—but they don’t live in your body. You do.

Why Fitness Still Matters

Fitness didn’t cause my cancer.
Fitness didn’t cure my cancer.

But fitness helped me tolerate treatment.
It helped me recover.
It helped me stay mentally strong.

It gave me something familiar to return to when everything else felt uncertain.

A Message for You

If you’re reading this because you’ve heard those words—or fear you might someday—here’s what I want you to know:

You are not powerless.
You are not finished.
You are not alone.

Those three words are terrifying.

But they are not the end of your story.