It's ato six at fifty five KRCD Talk station. Hope everyone's having a happy Friday, please to Welcome to the fifty five KRC Morning Show. Bill Potts. His background motivational speaker, business leader, community builder. He's held executive roles at Ironman Group and Clearwater Marine Aquarium, co founder and managing director of marketing agency Remedy three sixty five lecturer at Tulane University.
In addition to being an Ironman triathlete, he is also a five time cancer survivor and author of the book We're talking about today, Up for the Fight. How you to advocate for yourself as you battle cancer from a five time survivor. Bill Potts, Welcome to the fifty five KRC Morning Show. It's a real pleasure to have you on this morning.
Oh Brian, it's a pleasure to be on your show. Thank you.
And according to my producer, you and I have something in common and that's lymphoma.
Yeah we do, we do. Yeah, mine, I had stage three lymphalma in two thousand and eight and then came back in twenty fourteen, twenty nineteen, and twenty and twenty. So we do have that in common and by the way, congrats on your success with that.
Yeah, and I just recently had a CT scan, actually two back to back. There were several months apart. My lymph nodes did start growing back. I had retuction treatment and I was able to keep it at bay for about three three and a half years. But the scan revealed that the nodes were growing a little bit. But I've been given the option of just sort of taking a weight and see approach, and that's currently where I am. So I engaged in some dietary changes. I removed all
the sugar from my diet. I've reduced a lot of the carbs for my diet, lost some weight, So I'm not sure that's going to keep it at bay, but I know there's a correlation between sugar and cancer. Whether it's lymphoma related, don't know, but I was willing to try that out and I feel a lot healthier for it. So next scan taking place in June, and I'm hoping that we don't see any more growth. But I know
there's treatment options out there for me. And you've obviously been through that which particular respective you said stage three.
Yeah, I had stage three non Hodgkin's lymphoma, So that's yeah. I went through retuction as well, and there was recently as four years ago, I went through a more harsh treatment of chemotherapy treatment. So yeah, it's it's been interesting. My wife jokes that it took me getting cancer five times before I finally cleaned up my diet, but that that does make a difference. So I am very very strict on you know, fruits and vegetables. I limit dairy, red meat, alcohols limited, and so I lean into as
healthy a diet as I can, like you do. And also I lean into exercise because for me, I'm trying always to be ready for when it comes back and also do everything I can to lengthen the amount of time before that happens.
Well, you got to be physically fit to do compete in Iron Man.
Come on, Bill, Yeah, that's true. That was trying to prove to my three kids that no matter what happens to you in life, if you get focused and put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. And so yeah, I taught them that lesson. Well, and a couple of my kids followed in my footsteps on the triathlon stuff, which is pretty cool.
Well, what motivated you to be so open and share your cancer journey with and of course write the book. Up for the fight.
Yeah, it wasn't my idea. I actually was going through a chemo er B treatment in September of twenty twenty, and before that treatment, I'd had surgery to remove a tumor below my right hip, and when I woke up from the surgery, Brian, I had an emotional breakdown and told the nurse that I was done. I wasn't up for the fight anymore, that I knew what was coming, and I'd had a great life and a great career and a great family, and I was throwing in the towel.
So she called in the pastor at Mayo and we came and talked about it for a while, about an hour and a half, and she said, hey, Bill, let's reconnect with the reasons why you should fight. And I did fight for my family, fight for my friends, fight for my meeting, for work, and also to fight to make God proud. So I'd reset my mindset and was really up for the fight. At the end of this conversation, Brian, she leans into me and goes nos and noses says, I got one more thing for you, Bill, like what
she goes. I want you to turn your pain into purpose and write a book to help others. So I thought about it for a few seconds and said yes, reached out to a publisher who the CEO called and said, do we want to do this book? I'm like, why she goes. I lost one of my best friends to breast cancer recently, and this is the book I wish
somebody had written for her. So we want to write a book like What to Expect when You're Expecting, but for cancer patients, with some stuff thrown in for the friends and family of cancer patients as well, because it will be meaningful and it will change lives and hopefully save some lives. And so I wrote it while I was going through treatment and was really thankful to get that done and get it out.
Well, you mentioned the loss of hope and thrown in the towel. How does one you know after you get a cancer diagnosis? And of course some cancers are far more aggressive than others. Some are caught far later after metastasization, you know, stage four cancers and things like that, and people only learn late in the process that they have this progressive disease. Obviously there's going to be a problem finding some hope amid all that gloom and doom? How
does one advocate for oneself? And and you know I've always turned I have great family support. You know, I'm I married out. I can't kicked my coverage with marriage, and I get inspiration from my wife and for my family and for my mom, and I try not to even think about it. I just ignore it like it's no big deal. It's like just part of my life. But see, I've got I'm surrounded, and I also have good doctors. So what does one do to advocate for themselves amid all this?
Yeah, I think that's by the way, I ticked my coverage too with my wife, and I've got the same family support. You know. For me, it's about treating it. Advocating for myself is that I have to own my own journey, meaning I have to be involved and my family has to be involved in all these decisions from where to go, to getting second opinions, to doing things like you're doing, managing your diet and exercise all those things. So the way I deal with it is I deal
with it a little bit like it's my job. So it's my job when I'm going through it to get better. Now, my job is to prevent it from coming back and make sure I'm in good shape when it comes back. And so a lot of folks look at the healthcare journey as the doctors own it, and it's really not
the case. It's you own it. It's your life, and so you have to be really involved in all those decisions and understand what's happening and surround yourself with the right team of doctors and the support that you need, and then it's your journey, not somebody else's.
Well, how about practical stuff that folks can take to make their treatment days more comfortable. Now, Fortunately, as you probably know, retuction doesn't really come with a whole lot of side effects, unlike chemotherapy, which has some profoundly negative side effects. So along the lines is something more aggressive in terms of treatment and more profound in terms of side effects, chemo therapy. What what can folks do to make that make it more comfortable or less painful in their life?
Yeah, I think first of all, you've got the emotional and mental piece, which, as you know, even walking into a retucentreatment, the emotional side of it. Oh and so, and I actually actually had an antaplexics reaction to to retucent time. So that, yeah, you know how scary that is. You talking about waking up at what's going on? Until that happened.
Yeah, they had to slow the drip down. They're trying to get me in and out a little bit faster, so they up the drip level. And man, I am telling you that is the weirdest and almost awful sensation ever.
Yeah, it was. Yeah, it's pretty tough. So the way it works for me is, yeah, a couple of days before treatment, I'm kind of a mess and I don't talk to anybody and just people just leave me along. But when I get outside the doors of the cancer center, my mind switches and now it's my job to get this done. This is one step and healing. I also always make sure I have somebody with me. I also, as you know, it gets cold in there, make sure I get a sweatshirt, ski cap, baseball cap, got some
water to drink. I don't The first time I went in, Brian, I was so ignorant. I took my laptop. I was planning to work, and so now I know if I'm going in there, just plan to relax the best I can and get through it, and I count up to the halfway point. I went through generally, I'm somewhere around twelve to fourteen treatments. I'll count up and then when I get to the halfway point, I start counting down and that helps me from mental side, you know how much progress that I'm making.
Oh, that's an interesting way of looking at it. And there are a lot of support organizations out there. Think of the I feel so so terribly for someone who's dealing with this problem. This is cancer diagnosis and being alone in the world in that regard. I'm blessed to have a family in support, you know, in my own home, to help me deal with the problems associated with cancer,
mental and otherwise. But there are some great support groups out there that can help out and have resources for you and to interact with folks who are also struggling like you.
Yeah, it's been remarkable for me. I leaned into the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I guide people to whatever cancer it is. There's a national cancer nonprofit in the US that can provide you support. I leaned into some Facebook groups for support. I recommend professional therapy if you can get it. Somebody
listen to you. You do want to lean on your family and friends, but you also need to lean on outside support because there are things that you can share with them that you might not feel comfortable with sharing with your family. And you also, as you did too, Brian, you've got to keep an eye on the family and
make sure that they okay. So part of my job and my wife's job was to keep an eye on the three kids and to make sure that they were handling it well and to make sure they had the support and resources they need to go through it too, because the family goes through it and the friends go through it, not just the patient.
Yeah, there's a certain degree of that. I can understand that. And well, to the family and others that are struggling with a loved one's cancer diagnosis, how do they help and support that love them with, maybe how without overwhelming them? I mean some people are like, oh my god, they funnel over people and like, oh my god, anything I can do for you, And sometimes that can be a little bit troubling for the person who's dealing with the cancer diagnosis.
Yeah, it's it's true. Sometimes your friends disappear. Sometimes they lean in a little bit too much, and so there's really a few things. Is number one, be present when you're with them. Number two is ask them if there's anything you can do for them, But not only that, maybe suggest something that you can do for them and see what they say. I don't know how you were with people coming over to visit and food and things like that, but that wasn't really working well for me.
I don't My sense of taste was kind of a mess, and my sense of smell was kind of a mess, and so you food tasted differently. And the best thing that my friends have done for me, I'm sure for you is to say, hey, can I come see you? And then just sit there and talk about anything but the cancer. Let's talk about Let's talk about basketball or football or baseball, some of my passions. Let's talk about
your family. Let's talk about my family. But let's give me a break from all the cancer talk, because I get that enough.
Yeah, And everybody's curious because they love you. They just want to know if everything's okay. And I get to ask that question from time to time, and I don't mind hearing the question to me. That's just a sign of love, concern, and support, and that's what you expect from friends. But I guess my symptoms and my treatments weren't ever as bad as yours in terms of my body's reaction to it. And I just really don't even
talk about it. Like I said, Bill, It's just part of my life and I just accept it for what it is. It's the hand that the cards that God dealt me, and I'm happy to play with them. So that's where I sort of get my optimism. You know, it's kind of out of my hands. I just go with the treatments and just enjoy and embrace the support that's provided. And of course get a copy of the book Up for the Fight, How to Advocate for Yourself
as you Battle Cancer. From a five time survivor, Bill, I can't thank you enough for writing the book for all of us out here who needs some resources and guidance to help. And you obviously have been down this road as a five time cancer survivor. That's truly amazing, Bill, and congratulations on that. And I wish you all the health and the best in the world.
Yeah, yeah, back at you. And this book has changed my life in so many profound ways because now I hear from cancer patients all the time, and I'm able to mentor them and coach them to their journey. So I've accidentally become an expert in a lot of other different types of cancer than the ones I've had. So if you need it, if you have anybody that needs some coaching or whatever, Brian, just reach out.
Just reach out.
Bill.
It's been a pleasure and congratulations. Obviously a very well rated book on Amazon. You're almost at a full five stars across the board and some really positive reviews from folks in the medical profession. So well done, and thanks for your time this morning. Bill, It's been a real pleasure having you on the program.