Sep 20, 2021
On this inspiring episode, Dr. Jennifer Young Pierce talks with Dr. Phillip Fields, professor of anatomy at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. In 2007, Dr. Fields was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and told to give up his passion - running. Refusing to let leukemia dictate his life, he has run more than 100 marathons, including one in every state and Canadian Province, since 2009. Hear how Dr. Fields' love of running keeps him ahead of cancer. Plus, he shares his cancer and running journey in his book "The Long Road Back To Boston: Marathon Running with Leukemia."
Get Dr. Fields' Book >>>
“The Long Road Back to Boston” is available here.
All royalties from the sale of this book go to pediatric
oncology.
Key Takeaways
- Keep or find a passion that help you through your
treatment and the hard times.
- Consult with your physician and cancer treatment team to see what
exercise, hobbies and passions are OK with your cancer care and
treatment plan.
- A cancer diagnosis is not the end of life, it's a beginning.
- Don't attempt the cancer journey by yourself.
- Be knowledgeable about your cancer.
Dr. Fields Said:
We’re all going to die, so we may as well die doing what we
love.
As long as you have a goal, you’ve got something to look forward
to. Once you reach that goal, you want to establish another
goal.
Mentorship has been a chance to share my story and get the word out
to cancer patients that diagnosis is not the end of life; it’s the
beginning.
Don’t attempt the cancer journey by yourself. Always have somebody
you can turn to that will share experiences with you.
Be knowledgeable about the cancer.
You constantly feel the fatigue associated with the leukemia.
Because of the effects of chemotherapy, my marathon times got
slower and slower. But I can’t imagine not being able to run.
I’m about six states shy of running marathons in all the states a
second time.
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