Mitch Stoller

On behalf of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, I am thrilled about the opportunity  to partner with 

 to develop this special survivors issue. The issue  captures the spirit of the Foundation’s mission to inspire and empower cancer  survivors, and I hope 

 readers find the content interesting and  useful.

At our recent LIVESTRONG Day in Washington, D.C., one of our advocates  mentioned that he had lost a number of family members to cancer. He wondered  aloud whether he himself was a survivor, as he had not personally been  diagnosed. I shared with him that the LAF’s definition includes not only the  person diagnosed, but also caregivers, family and friends.

We believe surviving cancer starts at the moment of diagnosis because we feel  attitude is everything. That is how our namesake and founder confronted his own  experience with cancer, and it has since become part of our motto: Unity is  Strength. Knowledge is Power. Attitude is Everything.

Other organizations define survivorship differently. But ultimately, that  self-definition is a personal decision for each person affected by cancer.  Regardless, the advocate’s question reminded me of the pervasiveness of cancer.  Affecting not just the patient, cancer truly is a family disease. And the LAF is  here from the moment of diagnosis to provide support, information and tools to  help cancer survivors—under our extended definition&mdash;live life on their own  terms.

Living life on one’s own terms means making educated decisions about what  courses of treatment to take, and it’s seeking a second or third opinion when  necessary. It means, if it comes to it, being in control of how your life ends.  And maintaining a high quality of life is critical at every stage of the cancer  experience.

That’s where we come in. The LAF’s resources and services address the  non-medical needs that accompany a cancer diagnosis—the physical, emotional and  practical challenges that people with cancer face every day. Through my work at  the LAF, I am fortunate to be acquainted with cancer survivors who are living  examples of the skills and attitude we need to fight cancer and be victorious:  discipline, determination, courage and a positive attitude. I don’t mean the  kind of victory that comes from winning a race. I mean the victory of the human  spirit in the face of great adversity, the symbolic victory of human  determination in overcoming great odds, of completing a momentous task when all  around, the odds are stacked against you.

When people talk to me about Lance, they usually do not mention that he has  won the Tour de France a record seven times. If they do, they certainly do not  recall the winning time, or who he beat or by how many seconds. What they  remember is that Lance beat cancer to compete in the Tour de France. And they  know that is the real triumph.

Lance turned bad news into good and turned words into action, recognizing  that in the battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power and  attitude is everything. We invite you to share this spirit and to join the LAF  through the LIVESTRONG Challenge series, our advocacy program or the LIVESTRONG  Summit this October.

We are proud to offer opportunities for people affected by cancer to effect  change around the needs of cancer survivors by taking action themselves, and we  encourage 

 readers to join in our efforts. LIVESTRONG.

Articles

Facing cancer's challenges on your own terms.

Mitch Stoller

Message from the LAF's President and CEO

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