6 Tips From a 5-Time Cancer Survivor: ‘I Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff Like I Used to’

 

It was September 2020, and Bill Potts had had enough. He was in the hospital, recovering after surgery to remove a painful, cancerous tumor from below his right hip. He’d been battling cancer since 2002. First, it was thyroid cancer, which doctors treated with surgery and radiation ablation. Then, in 2008, he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He beat it into remission with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. 

But the lymphoma returned in 2014, and again in 2019, and again in 2020. Each time, the treatments took a greater toll on Bill’s body and mind. Doctors also found he had prostate cancer in 2020. 

“I didn’t want to fight any more,” recalls Bill, now 64, of Saint Petersburg, Florida. “I told the nurse in the recovery room, ‘I’m not up to the fight.’”

The nurse brought in the hospital chaplain. She listened to Bill’s story, then helped him remember why he’d fought so hard up until that point — reasons that included his family, his friends, and his meaningful work. After an hour of conversation, Bill was on more stable ground, and the chaplain gave him a directive: Turn his pain into purpose and write a book to help others. 

The result was “Up For the Fight: How to Advocate for Yourself as You Battle Cancer from a Five-Time Survivor.” Published in September 2022, the book has been praised by cancer patients and clinicians, and endorsed by the Mayo Clinic, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. 

“It’s ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting,’ but for cancer patients,” Bill says. “It’s the book I wish somebody else had written when I was [first] diagnosed.” 

The book is a practical read, not a personal one. It includes tips for dealing with “chemo brain” and other side effects, thoughts on reassessing your priorities, and insights on dealing with life during your cancer journey. Bill’s wife of 32 years, Kim, and two of his three children also wrote a chapter of their own about how to support a loved one with cancer.

Bill Potts and his wife Kim stand beside a hospital cancer bell, which Bill rang when he was finished with radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

“My story gives people hope. ‘If he can do it five times. I can do it, too.’ My fight inspires them to fight,” Bill says. 

Bill closed his marketing agency a year ago to spend more time with family and friends. He’s been able to do that, but he’s also more available to the dozens of cancer patients who want to share their stories with him and get his advice. Readers of his book have formed a strong community with each other online, connecting via the #cancerclub hashtag.

Bill makes himself available to readers who want to share their struggles. The exchanges can be difficult, he says, and he’s had to say goodbye to more than one reader who became a friend. But he knows he’s doing the right thing.

“I didn’t want to talk about cancer. I did not want to write about cancer. But now, accidentally, it’s become my purpose,” Bill says. “It’s amazing.” 

These are his tips for getting through it.  

1. Own your cancer journey 

First, Bill says, it’s critical to get a second — or even third or fourth — opinion. He visited four doctors to confirm his prostate cancer diagnosis. 

Once that’s finished, treat your cancer care like a business, he says. Select and manage your cancer care team. He recommends seeking treatment at a National Cancer Center Institute-accredited cancer center, such as those listed here. “They will see more patients with your cancer than anyone else,” he says. 

Learn all that you can about your cancer, Bill says, including the latest research and treatment options, so you can question the team if necessary. Take notes during doctor visits. Know the possible side effects of your medications. Build relationships with team members — Bill sends thank-you notes.  

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2. Take charge between treatments

Treatment goes beyond the hospital, Bill says.

“I also have to own what happens when I’m not under their care,” he says. “It’s so much more than going to get treatments. It’s what happens after. It’s what happens in between.” 

That means doing what he can to support his immune system through diet and exercise and practicing relaxation techniques. He has installed air purifiers at home and avoids people who are sick. He makes sure to schedule recommended tests without his team needing to remind him. 

3. Confront the fact that you might die, and prepare for it 

“You have to think about it and understand it’s a possibility. It’s not about being negative. You need to get your ducks in a row,” Bill says. “It’s really hard for a lot of patients to do because death is the last thing you want to think about and plan for. But as a husband and a father, it’s the most thoughtful thing I can do.”

Bill Potts (at left, with his family) has a folder that every member of his family can look at to see what his wishes are when he dies.

Bill has a “Just In Case” folder that’s stored in his wife’s home office that every family member can access. It goes beyond having an updated will. It includes a list of passwords, details of the type of funeral he’d like, letters and advice to his children, and instructions on how to deal with his belongings. It also has contact information for people outside the family who are prepared to step in and manage certain tasks in the immediate aftermath of his death. 

“It’s anything that, after I die, they say, ‘What would he want, or what do I need to know?’ They have the answers,” he says.

4. Keep an eye on your non-medical care team, including family and friends

When Bill was initially diagnosed with cancer 22 years ago, he and his wife didn’t tell their then-young children the details of his illness. They learned those when they were older, and Bill and his wife provided counselors for them.  

Today, Bill encourages family members to stay active and social. He’s also honest and open about how he’s feeling. His family knows that days before a treatment, he gets anxious and doesn’t want to talk. They know it’s how he processes and is not a reflection on them.

5. Look on the bright side

A cancer diagnosis can positively impact your life because it gives a new perspective, Bill says.

“You see those videos of people who were color blind and then they get these glasses, and all of a sudden they can see all of these things they’ve never seen before. That’s exactly how I feel,” he says. “I’m trying to live in the present. I try to listen better. I try to be engaged more, and I don’t sweat the small stuff like I used to.”

Bill says his cancer diagnosis has changed how he lives: Does he really want to go to that party where he won’t know many people, or would he prefer to spend time with family or close friends? 

He views money differently, and he says he “spends less on things and more on experiences.” It’s a lesson his family is learning, too. Bill wanted to see “Top Gun: Maverick” when it was released. But, being immune-compromised, he feared the crowds. His children rented out an entire theater on a Saturday night so he could see the film.

6. Look for stories of hope

Bill Potts says his unlikely friendship with a dolphin named Winter helped inspire him.

Before opening his own marketing agency, Bill was the chief marketing and revenue officer at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a nonprofit committed to environmental conservation efforts, including sustainability, research and treating sick or injured marine life. The facility gained attention because of Winter and Hope, two dolphins that overcame multiple health challenges to not only survive, but thrive. Winter’s story was the basis of the 2011 film “Dolphin Tale.” Hope’s story lent itself to 2014’s “Dolphin Tale 2.”

Bill worked — and played — with both dolphins. He raced with Winter and played hide-and-seek with Hope. (She always won. “She could echolocate, so she always knew where I was,” he says.)

Millions of people, many with challenging health issues of their own, visited the aquarium to see Winter, and later Hope.  

“[Winter] inspired people,” Bill says. “If Winter can, I can. This dolphin, she never gives up. She’s fighting all the time. Her attitude is always good. Who would have guessed a dolphin could have inspired me in my cancer journey?”

*Source: https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/cancer/tips-from-a-five-time-cancer-survivor
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Bill Potts is a Five-Time Cancer Survivor and Author of the book “Up for the Fight. How to Advocate For Yourself as You Battle Cancer.” Available wherever books are sold.

 
 
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