Lance's Blog Archive

All future blog posts can be found on the LIVESTRONG Blog. Head over there to stay updated with all the things that are going on at the Foundation.

Greetings to all-

Please allow me to send a different type of blog today. This is not your normal update. No no, this is far more personal.

Back when we started the LAF it was basically just College and me as well as a few committed volunteers, one of which ended up being employee #2 of the LAF. That person was Elizabeth Kreutz. Elizabeth is someone I met when I first came to Austin and has always been a dear friend. Little did we know at the time that she was an amazing photographer. She never told us that! She now takes all of our pics for us at the LAF and shoots various sporting events all over the world. She has gone on to win numerous awards and, oh yeah, takes the Xmas card picture of me and the kids. For those of you who follow LAF closely you will know Elizabeth well.

I'm including an email exchange between Elizabeth and me that occurred a few days ago. In Eliz's original email she included some pictures of her beloved Aunt Phoebe as she battled late stage lung cancer. The pictures hit me like a ton of bricks. How in the hell can something so fierce come along and steal a life like this?? The pictures made it all so vivid and real to me, as you too will see.

I have encouraged Elizabeth to pursue her dream of capturing these images (w/ willing survivors of course) in order to do two things: first, remind us all that we are still dealing with the biggest killer in this country. And second, if the bastard gets us, we can and do pass with dignity, strength, and beauty. Like all coaches say, they never lose a game, time just runs out.

It's our job as a society to make sure that time doesn't run out on a human life.

Livestrong,
L

Message From: Lance Armstrong
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2008 12:42:53 -0600
To: Elizabeth Kreutz
Subject: Re: Photos of Phoebe

Liz,

Wow, to say that I am speechless would be a gross understatement. I am literally in tears. These images are incredibly moving especially when coupled with your beautiful words. Bless you and bless her.

Yes, there are many evils here.... from the malignant cell to big tobacco to a healthcare system that many say is jacked up. This is what we must fix and what I have committed myself to do or try to do.

But even I have days when I say, damn, what am I doing? The weather sure is nice in Mexico right now, why aren't I there? I have these moments often. The trick is that "often" is not a measure of time. "Often" is a number and not time so while they may be often they only last a few seconds then I'm back to, alright, screw this. I'm not losing this war. Those moments last minutes, hours, days, months. That's what keeps me going. Seeing your aunt really stirs many emotions in me. Like you, I get mad, sad, inspired, and most importantly, competitive. I'm in this for the long haul. Trust me.

Thanks for all of your help and friendship. And btw, I do think a series of photos (with willing survivors) as they face their final days would be awfully powerful. We should do that. Think about it, you see it every day on the cover of the NYT yet it's Iraq, Darfur, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. Why not show the true devastation of THIS was?? You can be the woman that does that. You go girl.

All my love forever.
L

Message From: Elizabeth Kreutz
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2008 12:12 PM
To: Lance Armstrong
Subject: Photos of Phoebe

Lance,

Yesterday was exciting and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it.

As you know I lost my Aunt Phoebe to lung cancer in April of 2006. The cancer spread fast and she died at the age of 53. She was beautiful, smart, and successful and was a huge inspiration to me. Cancer didn't care. She had been a longtime smoker and smoked cigarettes until the end. I have mixed emotions about her cancer, brought on by this lifelong habit. It seems like such a waste. She was a concert pianist at Juilliard and then worked her way up to be the first woman partner at Morgan Stanley. She was amazing.

It is so important to fight this disease but to also fight the tobacco industry as well. I was particularly moved to hear that Mayor Bloomberg and Dr. Carmona are joining you to make this fight a priority.

I think the best way I can help join the fight is through my photography and documenting people's journey with cancer. Photos of cancer survivors who have triumphed over cancer are very important, but I believe the photos of the cancer patients who are in the process of fighting cancer and what they have to go through are equally important. The fact is cancer is killing millions of people and that is why we are here today. I am brainstorming with Jen Long on a possible photo documentary on lung cancer patients and their fight with cancer and the involvement with the LAF. You don't see those photos very often and I think that even though they are sometimes hard to look at, they are so important.

When I visited Phoebe in the month before she died, I was initially taken aback by the physical transformation. I wasn't sure how she would feel about having her picture taken but one night when we were massaging her feet and painting her toes, I told her this was a Kodak moment and she smiled and was happy to have me photograph her - exposed, sick and hurting. She knew she was dying and knew that I loved her and wanted to capture her one last time. Looking back I wish I had spent more time with her, documenting her journey with cancer.

When I look at these photos, they stir up many emotions - happiness, love, thankfulness, sadness, regret, anger, confusion. But most of all they inspire me. They inspire me to act, to fight, to do my part to help end the suffering.

I want to share a few photos of my aunt Phoebe with you when she was in hospice care at her home.

Thank you for all you do and will do.

xo.

Hello from Austin! Despite my friends' disbelief I have managed to remain on the homefront since a lot of travel in the month of December. But that in no way means either I or our staff here at the LAF have been taking it easy. I told you in my last update that we'd be heading to New Orleans for my last President's Cancer Panel meeting and then we'll be pitching in for two days with Habitat for Humanity. But today we had yet another major chance to make real change in the world of cancer, and it happened literally on our doorstep.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Surgeon General Richard Carmona were our honored guests today as we made an important announcement about the war on cancer that affects not only our community, Mayor Bloomberg's city and this nation.

I recently had the privilege of visiting our troops overseas and I got to see the men and women serving this great nation in our armed forces and thank them for their efforts. Those soldiers all know that you don't go war without a plan. But in the war on cancer, that's exactly what this nation has been doing for decades.

This nation is facing an enemy that harms every single one of us but our approach to this opponent has been weak. As a nation, we have not mounted a comprehensive defense of our people. We know what works against this opponent but too often, we don't do it. We don't supply the resources essential to fight this war and we don't support the survivors the way they deserve.

From everything I've seen and learned in the last 11 years, I know that what this nation needs now is a war plan. This is a war we can win. What we need is a strategy that will help us beat this foe.

That's why I have asked Dr. Carmona and the Surgeons General of this nation to work together to craft a strategic plan to win the war against cancer. Dr. Carmona has gathered all the former Surgeons General to form a Collective that will make a National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship their first priority as a group.

I am hopeful that this plan will be embraced by our national leaders and that the federal government under the next President will move swiftly to implement it. And I am optimistic that it will provide a roadmap for our state and local governments on policies and legislation that will strengthen our resistance to cancer.

You may be wondering why the Mayor of New York City wants to visit a cancer survivor here in Austin. We've met frequently to discuss our shared passion - health care and cancer - and I think of him as a warrior in this fight. Of course, one of the last times he saw me I'd just finished the New York marathon and was red-faced, gasping and not as composed as I am now but who's counting? Under his leadership, New York City has gone smoke-free and he has devoted so much of his time and resources to philanthropy, including establishing his own foundation.

I'm glad he'll be here because as mayor of one of the largest cities in the world, he has the tremendous potential to directly affect millions of lives and I hope that the plan Dr. Carmona and the Surgeons General will develop help you and the city of New York fight cancer.

Like I said, it's a big day here at the LAF – and thanks for all you do in the fight as well - LIVESTRONG! – Lance

It's time to hit the road once again… you'll recall the last time it was to visit our great troops serving overseas as I accompanied Miss USA, Kid Rock, Lewis Black and Robin Williams on an amazing pre-Christmas tour. This time I'm heading out with a few more close friends, namely the entire staff of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, to New Orleans for a couple of very worthy causes.

First off it's a bitter-sweet trip for me as, after two tours on the President's Cancer Panel, I'll be attending my last meeting on January 28th in New Orleans. I've been honored to have accompanied Drs. LaSalle Leffall, Margaret Kripke, and Abby Sandler on many trips across our great country, and I'd like to thank President Bush for giving us this very important opportunity. Hearing the stories of dozens of cancer survivors has truly galvanized all of us on the panel to press on even harder in the fight against this terrible disease. If you'd like to come to this final event it's open to the public and starts at 8am at the Chateau Sonesta Hotel in the French Quarter.

It's fitting, in a way, that New Orleans is where I end my tenure on the PCP. I am very proud of the fact that our Foundation has a strong record of contributing to cancer survivorship in the Gulf Coast area following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Four days following the landfall of the first hurricane, the LAF announced its commitment of $500,000 to help cancer survivors affected by Katrina get immediate assistance with their basic needs and healthcare. We received 32 proposals for assistance and over the next six weeks the LAF awarded almost $600,000 to 17 different organizations in 9 states. As a result of the LAF's contributions, more than 1,100 cancer survivors found the funds for food, temporary housing, transportation, utilities and the general necessities of life.

And now we're going to take it up a notch as I join 60+ members of our staff and Board to work on several Habitat for Humanity projects to provide hands-on assistance to cancer survivors in New Orleans. We'll be working for two days to help relocate New Orleans–area families who have faced the twin challenges of fighting cancer and displacement by Hurricane Katrina, a very worthy cause indeed.

And finally we'll get a chance to thank some local New Orleans residents who are directly helping us in our fight against cancer. The "Tour de Lis" bike ride, an LAF grassroots event consisting of a 4-hour 9-mile loop along the southern edge of Lake Pontchartrain, will be held the morning of Saturday, April 12th. In particular I want to thank superdome manager Doug Thornton as well as Carol and Harold Asher for all they've done for us, and especially send my best wishes to the Asher's cousin Josh Lipshultz – their inspiration for this event - who is battling brain cancer. If you'd like to find out more about this event, check out www.tourdelis.com. At its core the Lance Armstrong Foundation is a grassroots organization and it's folks like these who get it done.

That's all for now, talk to you soon – Lance.

I, for one, am so excited about 2008. It's going to be an amazing year for all of us at the LAF, as well as for our country. Americans have the opportunity - and the obligation - to be involved in what will probably be the most important presidential election of our lifetimes ... no pressure though!

I finally made it back from the Middle East and Europe and have now just returned from an amazing adventure in Mexico with my kids. We spent the past week in Cabo San Lucas soaking up the sun - with sunscreen! - fishing, relaxing, playing and seeing friends.

We all love Mexico. The people are some of the warmest, most hospitable folks on the planet. "Gracias para todos, amigos!"

Luke caught a marlin fish one day, which was amazing. He was struggling with it and said, "I can't do it, it's too hard." We all jumped up and kept encouraging him and he finally reeled in the striped beauty. I was very proud of him since he didn't give up, even when he was getting tired. He's only 8, after all!

His sisters were right there encouraging him as well. Very cool.

We are now back home and I am kicking off a self imposed travel ban. I'm staying home for three weeks! No one in my world believes I can do it. Ha! We shall see...

My next trip is to New Orleans for a meeting of the President's Cancer Panel - the last meeting for me and the end of my two consecutive appointments. I'm very proud to have served and very excited to go to New Orleans.

My heart goes out to that community. Sometimes it feels as if our country has forgotten the devastation of Hurricane Katrina ... such a shame. I'm looking forward to being there, meeting with the folks of 'Nola, and, of course, hitting the French Quarter a bit.

Until next time,
LA