Okay. Okay. I know Ive been a slacker. Really bad as of late and I'm sorry. There has been so much stuff going on. And Ive had many ideas rolling through my head for blogs ideas and well that's just where they have kind of stayed. I hope everyones Christmas and New Year was pleasant. Mine was the best ever only because she made it that way. I don't remember everything i got and that's okay because it was about spending time with the ones i love the most. I look forward to the new year and all the challenges it will bring. I'm as ready as i can be and i hope this year is the best year yet. On to the blog.
This will be a sensitive subject for some people. And forgive me if my thoughts are all over the place. I found my Fight Club DVD!!!! Ive been going through mad withdrawals. But, no longer the case. Okay so as many of you have probably heard by now Lance Armstrong has become "the most hated man in America". A liar, a disgraced cyclist, So on and so forth. But Lance Armstrong also is a cancer survivor. Given a less than 10% chance of living. In fact it was just a matter of time before he died. I have been down the road of cancer. No i have never had the disease in my body but i saw what it did to my Dad. My Dad didn't battle his cancer for even two years before he succumb to the illness. That summer Lance went on to win the Tour De France. For those of you that don't know the Tour is a two week cycling event that takes place over in France. Its the biggest event in cycling. I knew of Armstrong and the fact that he was a survivor made me proud to see someone honor all the cancer patients all over the world. And personally it was a small somehow gratify feeling to know he kicked cancers ass!!
I wasn't a huge fan of cycling but when the Tour was on id watch ESPN to see how he was doing. Over the course of his domination(or lack there of) He would win seven straight Tour De France titles. I guess i was really naive to think he wasn't doping or cheating. I mean come on this guy defied death and beat the deadliest disease in the world. So if he could beat that why couldn't he win seven straight titles? He later would set up a non profit charity called LIVESTRONG yes i bought two of the yellow brackets and i still them Well one anyways not sure where the other one went.Fast forward to when the acquaintances started accusing of him doping i immediately said " Bullshit! Leave the guy alone he didn't cheat!" I just figured people were trying to make a name for themselves off Armstrong. You know how people are looking for the "Next Big Thing" It really upset me because i saw first hand the struggle cancer was. It was a fight. And this man beat it. Why cant they just accept it as a miracle and let him be? As to be expected he denied denied denied any wrong doing. What would he have to gain? I mean come on he was given a second chance at life why would he cheat? He had already won the biggest "race" of his life.
Little by little though it was starting to appear they had evidence to prove his guilt. In late 2012 or early 2013 he was stripped of his medals. And of course i was outraged. These bastards just aren't gonna give this up. What are they trying to prove??? Shortly after this he stepped down from his role at LIVESTRONG. Then came the report. He was doing an interview with Oprah where it was expected he would confess and talk about his years of doping. I was shock! Speechless! Pissed off and a bunch of other emotions but mostly i think i was hurt. Personally hurt. Like this guy basically was giving my Dad and i the finger. And the interview was so smug. Like he still felt he was the shit for what he pulled off. Arrogant bastard! I just sat there staring blankly at my television still in shock at what i was hearing. Then i though about all the people. I thought about my Dad. I thought about all of us who have been "victims" of this illness. I believed in Lance Armstrong. I believed in his seven titles. I believed he was a hero. I believed he rode for all the people affected by cancer worldwide. When Lance won we all won. We all celebrated a victory over cancer even if our loved ones didn't.
The reality of it all is a lie. Just a big lie he created to gain himself admiration and notoriety. He doesn't care about my Dad or Me or anybody else that fought the same battle he did. He won it. We lost it. He was given a second chance at life and he cheated death and well the rest of us for that matter. I don't hate Lance Armstrong. I don't wish any ill will onto him. All i wish is that i could sit down with him and tell him about the last two years of my Dads life. Tell him the joy and excitement we felt when the cancer was in remission only for it to come back stronger and it ultimately took my hero from me. Id tell Lance Armstrong he was never my hero. I admired him for being a survivor. For beating cancer but he could never fill or walk a mile in my Fathers shoes. Id tell him how i miss my Dad every single day. Id show him the picture of my Dad and i when i was probably 5 years old and we were both laughing. Id show him my Hero. My Dad never won a bike race. Never won any medals. He busted his ass every single day to provide for his family. Yeah, id tell him how my Dad helped everyone before he helped himself. He never wanted money from any help he had provided all he asked for was a simple thank you. What a simple concept. So to you Lance Armstrong i say thank you. Thank you for founding LIVESTRONG which is a free service for those who cant afford treatment.
There may be a part two of this blog I'm not really sure yet. It'd be contradicting myself but maybe ill do it anyway. Just my other side of how i feel about the situation. Thank you for reading this blog brought to you by the one, the only the Bear!!!! Have a good week everybody
