I’ve got some news to share with you today, and I’ve struggled with how to write these words. It’s made me stop and really take some deep breaths.
Three years. 36 months of clean scans.
I’ve been officially cancer-free since beating Melanoma that had spread to dozens of lymph nodes and multiple areas of my body.
It was a jungle, and let me tell you, there were days when I wasn’t sure I’d find my way out. So today, I’m celebrating. I’m celebrating big time.
But I also want to be real with you. I want to invite you a little deeper into my family story, because there’s another side to this coin that’s been hitting me hard this week.
The Bad News
Exactly one year after my first clean scan, my brother Grant was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
If you’ve followed his journey at all… holy smokes. What. A. CHAMPION. He battled with everything he had, not just to live, but to live fully every single day.
He outlived his diagnosis by two years, but he passed away last week. He was only 47.
With some of his last words, lying in that hospital bed, he looked at us and said, “We got this.”
I’m still wrapping my head around how much that meant.
He didn’t say “I got this.” He said “We.” That was Grant. Always thinking about the people around him. He had this deep faith that life was happening FOR him and not TO him.
Lessons from my childhood Ride-or-Die
Grant was my ride-or-die growing up. We wore the carpet thin playing with cars and rode bikes down every hill we could find.
We were the neighborhood motorcycle cops, he was Jon, I was Ponch. We were different, but we always clicked.
He was the master of “Skuck”, a perfect blend of skill and luck. And for 45 years, he was one of the few I turned to for everything I didn’t know.
Today, as I celebrate my own health, I’m mourning the loss of my big brother.
It’s a strange place to be, but it’s making me reflect on leadership and life in a way I never have before.
Your Response is Your Power
Life is fragile. It’s also fiercely beautiful.
In my work, I talk a lot about Amor Fati, the love of one’s fate. It doesn’t mean you have to love the trial itself, but learning to love what life throws at you and embracing the person you become because of it.
We don’t always get to choose the cards we’re dealt, but we 100% choose our response to those circumstances.
Grant made his days count. He lived with a “heart at peace” even when his body was at war.
The Challenge: Live Bold Anyway
So here’s my challenge to you. (I’m striving to live this myself as well)
Whatever you’re pushing through, live bold anyway.
Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Don’t put off the “good stuff” because you’re stressed about a sales target or a recruiting goal.
- Make the call.
- Have the hard conversation.
- Say “I love you.”
- Forgive that person.
- Start that business.
None of us is promised a certain number of days. But we are promised that what we do with the days we do have matters.
Grant made his count. I’m more committed than ever to making mine count. I hope you’ll join me in that.
Make it a great day.
