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After Chemo, He Measured Recovery in Racquetball Games

Sep 3

1 min read

The story

Cancer treatment shrinks a person in ways scales only partly catch. John Smelcer, writing for CURE, watched weight and hair leave and wondered how long the road back would be.

When chemo ended, repair started sooner than he expected. Weight returned. Hair returned. Friends said his face looked fuller.

What happened next

Three months after the last cycle he was playing racquetball again, several games in a row. He used the court as a report card. Not a trophy. Evidence.

A lesson you can use this week

Pick a pre-illness activity that is measurable and kind to your current body. Let it tell you the truth week by week.

Sources

John Smelcer, CURE, “Quick as a Wink: The Long (or Short) Road to Recovery After Cancer,” May 16, 2023.

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The story

What happened next

A lesson you can use this week

Sources

Comments

Why I Keep a Simple Weekly Review

Why I Still Make Important Calls Instead of Sending Another Email

Why I Still Handwrite the First Draft of Big Ideas

Why I Finish What I Start, Even After the Excitement Fades

What Studio Silence Taught Me About Listening

What Collaboration Taught Me About Trust

Why I Write Everything Down

What Producing Taught Me About Patience

Why I Ask Better Questions Instead of Giving Quick Answers

Why I Protect the First Hour of My Day

How I Say No Without Burning Bridges

The Follow Up Is Where the Real Work Happens

Why I Keep a Running Ideas File (and How It Saves My Best Work)

How I Plan a Week of Content Without Losing My Mind

Why I Start Every Project With a One Page Brief

How I Prepare for a Media Interview

How to Tell a Story People Remember

How to Follow the News Without Burning Out: A Practical Media Diet

Why I Keep a Simple Weekly Review

Why I Still Make Important Calls Instead of Sending Another Email

Why I Still Handwrite the First Draft of Big Ideas

Why I Finish What I Start, Even After the Excitement Fades

What Studio Silence Taught Me About Listening

What Collaboration Taught Me About Trust

Why I Write Everything Down

What Producing Taught Me About Patience

Why I Ask Better Questions Instead of Giving Quick Answers

Why I Protect the First Hour of My Day

How I Say No Without Burning Bridges

The Follow Up Is Where the Real Work Happens

Why I Keep a Running Ideas File (and How It Saves My Best Work)

How I Plan a Week of Content Without Losing My Mind

Why I Start Every Project With a One Page Brief

How I Prepare for a Media Interview

How to Tell a Story People Remember

How to Follow the News Without Burning Out: A Practical Media Diet

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Peru: A Lima Market Porter Carried a Stranger’s Bags to the Combi and Would Not Haggle the Last Coin

Brazil: A São Paulo Motoboy Turned Around for a Dropped Prescription

Chile: A Santiago Metro Car Gave a Pregnant Rider Air Before Anyone Gave Advice

Colombia: Yadira Perdomo Practiced Standing After a Fall Took Her Legs at Sixteen

Thailand: A Bangkok Skytrain Rider Gave Up the Last Seat and Then Gave Directions Sitting on the Floor

Argentina: A Buenos Aires Plaza Group Kept an Extra Chair for the Man Who Always Came Late From Treatment

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