"Don't give up...don't ever give up."

Every year ESPN helps sponsor the Jimmy V Classic, a basketball tournament in which the proceeds help fund cancer research in the name of the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, and every year they play Jimmy Valvano's speech at the 1993 Espy Awards. It's not quite Brian's Song, but it still nearly makes me cry every time I see it.

Cancer is a killer. Three of my four grandparents had it. Two of them died from it, along with my uncle on my mom's side. Cancer is a bitch. My mom had a hysterectomy for pre-cancerous cells on some girl part down there, and my dad has recurring skin cancer. Given family history and the increased processing of foods, the addition of assorted chemicals into various daily-used household products, etc...I'm likely to get cancer. I can take reasonable steps to prevent it, and goodness knows I am, but sometimes there's just too high of a genetic predisposition to prevent it. My best friend and I used to joke that we'll get it since it seemed like everything people do eventually gives them cancer. But the joke has a high element of truth in it in my case; I accepted this long ago, and am quite fine with it.

I've discussed this with a fair number of you, and those of you that I've talked to about this know that, by no means, is this a morbid statement. In fact, it's nothing more than a scientific near-guarantee...a part of life that I don't directly control. I will very, very likely have cancer before I die, so I look at the efforts and donations of myself and my family as something of an investment in my future. But I'll tell you this much, folks, if I get cancer, I won't take it laying down. To the contrary, I'll put up more of a fight than a championship fighter in the ring defending his belt. I'll not stop until my 12 rounds are finished and it's licked, and maybe we'll go three extra rounds for good measure. But, should it get a sucker punch in on me, before I go down for the final count I'll look that bitch in the eye and punch it right in the mouth.

Should cancer be my fate, I'll never give up...I won't ever give up.