Olympic Spirit when the Foe is Cancer

I must admit I am totally distracted by the Olympics these days. Michael Phelps! Holy cow! I just can't get enough.

Of course, the one race I missed the other day featured one of the most determined and high-spirited athletes: Eric Shanteau. Eric competed in the 200m breast stroke semifinal and set a personal best time. But he came in 10th overall, with his time .013 seconds short of assuring him a spot in the final.

Now that Eric's participation in the Olympics is over, he has another foe to face: testicular cancer.

Holy crap. Are you kidding me? This 24-year-old swimmer, the 10th best in the world in breaststroke, has cancer?! And he competed with cancer?! As if competing against the greatest athletes in the world wasn't enough, to have to compete against cancer at the same time is just awful. Not to mention that his father was diagnosed with lung cancer last summer, so his family has been coping with one traumatic diagnosis already. But Eric says that his father wanted to see him compete. And so he did. Eric's determination to realize his lifelong Olympic dream in the face of his cancer, I think, captures the Olympic spirit like few other athletes can.

But of course there is a debate. Should he have delayed treatment to go to the Olympics? Surely this time has compromised his health, when he could have been operated on immediately and been recovering by now. What is any dream worth if the price is your health, and possibly your life?

Fortunately, Eric's doctors monitored him and did not see the need for immediate care, which Eric says he would have done if it was necessary. Now that the Olympics are over for him, he will be able to focus on his health and hopefully kick his cancer. I support him - with a little relief that he didn't make that final - and I plan to follow his progress throughout his treatment and recovery.

Check out Eric on the CBS Evening News:


"The road to my Olympic dream has, you know, gone over many mountains." An understatement if there ever was one. Sending good karma your way, Eric.