Courage + Believe = Life

"Courage + Believe = Life" was John Challis' motto. He joins Dr. Randy Pausch as another Pittsburgh area inspiration, not just for cancer patients, but for all. John Challis showed us how to live a full and rich life. His life ended Tuesday at the age of 18.
KDKA-TV has this story and a slideshow.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offers this article.
And Pittsburgh's best blogger, PittGirl sums it up as well as can be done.

Wise decades before the wisdom should have kicked in and mature years before the maturity should have shown up, he was truly an inspiring teenager who faced death, admitted it scared him, but was more worried about how it would affect his family when he was gone.

He was a selfless kid who instead of dwelling heavily on what he could not change, looked to using his reaction to the inevitable, to change those around him. And it did.

Her entire posting can be found here.
ESPN had a touching tribute on SportCenter.

His battle with liver and lung cancer was inspiring, not because he overcame adversity to live his life to the fullest, but that he did so in such a positive way.

On Tony Snow, Adam Frey, Randy Pausch, and John Challis

The death of Tony Snow this weekend was not unexpected, nor is the outpouring of love and admiration for this very special role model.

• Deacon Greg offers a homily on A world without Snow.
• William Teach over at Pirate’s Cove offers some thoughtful observations and a link fest.
• Michelle Malkin’s article delves into the many faceted personality that made Tony Snow so special to so many.
• Lemuel at Hillbilly White Trash provides some clarity about why Tony Snow’s passing has impacted us all who follow politics and media.
• You know the Anchoress will offer some valuable nuggets of wisdom.
• Gina Cobb’s take: Tony Snow, R.I.P. ("Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant") is another “must read.”
• E.M., our favorite American Princess in A Sad And Sudden Loss offers the perspective of the younger generation.
• And Dr. Melissa Clouthier suggests some parallels in the passing of Snow and pioneering heart transplant surgeon Michael DeBakey.

I place Tony Snow with a group of brave Americans from whom we have much to learn.

College wrestler Adam Frey has maintained a fascinating outlook on life in his blog as he continues his battle with some stubborn chemo-resistant tumors.

“I guess all there is to do is go there and kick it in the ass. I am sure God has a reason for this, and I trust him fully. Of course, I hope no offense is taken upstairs when I say I do not really want to go through it…again. Life I think is going through most things you do not want to do in life and only a few you do. I am learning that really fast.”

There’s Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch, whose continued survival is something of a miracle, yet he sees beyond all that.

And most inspiring because such wisdom is not usually thought to reside inside the body of an 18-year-old, is that shared by John Challis, who has been making the rounds of baseball, football, hockey, and other sports venues, bringing tears to tough guy athletes and news media critters alike. Quotes like this one in a recent Pittsburgh Post Gazette article, “A Beaver County church had planned a fundraiser, but John and his family asked the church instead to conduct the event and give the money to a fifth-grade boy in Beaver County who has a brain tumor.

"His family can use it more than we can," John said. "That's just common sense. Someone does something good for you, then you help someone else."

ESPN produced this SportsCenter feature on John:

Removing a speed bump on the Hershey Highway

Ah, the joys of early middle age. I must say the effects of Demerol almost makes up for the inconvenience of having a live video feed originating from inside my large intestine. This was my second colonoscopy; the first one showed a pink, healthy bowel. I know this because I convinced the doctor that I wanted to remain unsedated to watch the proceedings. I found it quite interesting - once. It was not exactly painful, but having traffic moving the wrong way on a one way road was in this instance both unnerving and uncomfortable.
This time, I decided to limit the audience to the professionals and allowed the nurse to bring on the drugs. And wouldn't you know it. I missed the doc finding a polyp. I now have to wait a few days to see whether or not it is cancerous (best bet is not.)