Invoice Potts, a five-time most cancers survivor, likes to discuss with himself as “the luckiest man I do know.”
“I’ve been lucky sufficient to beat most cancers 5 occasions,” he informed CURE in an interview. “The journey began in 2002 — right here we’re in 2025 and I’m nonetheless speaking about it, so I’m actually lucky.”
Potts was one in every of 4 people acknowledged by CURE in the course of the
CURE: What was your preliminary response whenever you came upon you have been nominated as a Blood Most cancers Hero?
Potts: At first, shock. I do not take into account myself a hero in any respect. I take into account all of the others which might be serving to me keep alive the heroes nonetheless. To be nominated for it was actually particular.
What a part of your work do you hope this nomination helps spotlight for sufferers or households?
That the affected person, after they’re identified, they should personal their journey. It isn’t the physician’s journey, it is your journey, which implies it is advisable advocate for your self, which implies you really want to do your homework, and you actually must be on high of it. It’s essential to deal with it like your job. So the most effective recommendation that I may give sufferers is personal it. And which means getting second opinions or third opinions or fourth opinions, no matter it’s, and that you just make the choice. The medical doctors can advise you, however on the finish of the day, it is your life, so it is advisable be on high of it.
After going through most cancers 5 occasions, what private perspective do you deliver to somebody who’s newly identified?
It’s infinitely scary. Whenever you’re identified for the primary time, your entire world stops. It begins to spin. It turns into actually laborious to suppose. And my recommendation is that is the purpose, to essentially catch your breath. I like to recommend that you do not speak about it with lots of people, that you do not put it on social media, as a result of you really want to get your coronary heart and your head across the feelings of what you are coping with. However that every one has to occur fairly quickly, as a result of with most cancers, it is advisable transfer fairly shortly. And so, when you get into that mindset of, “OK, that is what I’ve. That is what I have to do,” then you definately dive in, deal with it like your job, and also you begin working the issue. And what actually helps me with a whole lot of the stress, as a result of I have been via this so many occasions, is absolutely to place within the job mindset. I’d stand exterior the most cancers heart and be sick to my abdomen and have a tough time strolling within the door, however as soon as I stroll within the door, it truly is the job mindset that I placed on. It is my job to beat the most cancers, it is my job to get higher, and that basically helps me cut back the stress and keep centered.
You discuss typically about self-advocacy. What’s a very powerful factor a affected person should advocate for early on?
You have to get second opinions, it doesn’t matter what. It is a mistake I made in 2002 I did not get a second opinion, and I received lit up with a lot radiation, most probably that is what’s precipitated my second, third and fourth and fifth cancers. So, if you do not get that second opinion, you make a giant mistake. And likewise, I encourage sufferers to go to the large-volume most cancers facilities, and we’re lucky sufficient within the U.S. to have a whole lot of these. There are over 60 Nationwide Most cancers Institute-accredited most cancers facilities. And the explanation that these high-volume most cancers facilities have higher outcomes is as a result of they focus simply on most cancers. They have the most effective tools, they have the most effective testing protocol. They’re creating scientific trials. So, get a second opinion after which go to a high-volume most cancers heart.
What emotional challenges do survivors typically face that are not talked about sufficient?
It is laborious to be a affected person, and it is also actually laborious to be a survivor, as ironic as that sounds. In my explicit case, I do know my most cancers goes to come back again. So, day-to-day you are coping with at this time, the day. And for me, that is been the case. In the future I used to be fantastic, and the following day, I get up and I can truly see the tumor, and I do know my most cancers is again. And so, your life will get turned the other way up, and you do not know when it comes again, what the result goes to be. And so, that sort of emotional stress is quite a bit, and it may be laborious to cope with.
And so, the best way I cope with it’s I do a whole lot of train, I be sure I eat proper. I be sure I do the socialization. I be sure I dwell within the current, spend time with household and associates. I fear much less about cash. I fear much less about a whole lot of issues, as a result of I’ve this distinctive perspective. I am sort of just like the colorblind person who will get these glasses on for the primary time and hastily you possibly can see all the colours that you just could not see earlier than. Going through demise has actually taught me find out how to dwell, however there’s a whole lot of emotion tied to that.
So, I do not actually even like being referred to as a survivor. I might slightly be referred to as a most cancers veteran. Sure, I’ve survived. I have been actually lucky. I have been surrounded by the most effective workforce that anyone might have, and that is superior. However to be celebrated as a survivor generally bothers me, as a result of there’s folks like me that possibly did not survive, that did all the things proper as effectively, and so that is additionally the problem {that a} five-time survivor offers with, is I’ve had folks on all sides of me all through this journey that did not have the optimistic final result that I did.
I believe, as a most cancers survivor, generally the psychological and emotional half, it is tougher than the bodily half, and it begins piling up. You realize, one time, OK, you have a good time two occasions. You are like, “Whew.” Then three, then 4, then 5, there’s going to be a six, proper? And, yeah, it provides up.
I believe it strengthened my religion. Amazingly, in 2002 first analysis, the religion was fairly good. By the point I received to 2008, 2014, 2019, 2020 that religion was actually sturdy, as a result of what I noticed is that God had put all the correct folks in my life for me to beat it.
Transcript has been edited for readability and conciseness.
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