Armstrong………..last couple of days, media was full of this name. Armstrong, does it ring a bell??? I knew of two Armstrongs, separately, but never tried to link them. I admired both of them. Guess who… Neils Armstrong and Lance Armstrong. One who walked for the first time on moon, on july 20th, 1969 and the other who won Tour de France – a cycle racing event for 7 consecutive years. One who inspired to look beyond the horizon and the other, inspired to look into the eyes of death and still win over it.
One ignited scientific spirit by saying “That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind” and the other stood as a symbol of human spirit and said, ““Anything is possible. You can be told that you have a 90-percent chance or a 50-percent chance or a 1-percent chance, but you have to believe, and you have to fight”.
We hear about amazing achievers all the time. Sometimes it’s funny and also delightful to recall when and where we heard of them for the first time. You come across Niels Armstrong in every textbook, so did I. But Lance Armstrong…. that I came across in my friends place. She had this book “It's Not About The Bike: My Journey Back To Life - by Lance Armstrong”. I heard about him, read about him, got inspired and later even gifted the book to my younger sister who is one another inspirational figure.
Lance was the National amateur cycling champion at the age of 20. His career was shining, looking bright, till one day, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, cutting his career and may be even life. But still he survived and won over death. But the road to victory has not been smooth, which makes his story all the more compelling. Cancer had spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. He underwent surgery for his brain tumours and had less than 50% chance of survival. But he came back like a Phoenix and won prestigious Tour de France for seven consecutive years from 1999-2005!!!. He is the only person to achieve it.
Even though he couldn’t win Tour de France this year, he continues to inspire many millions and me. His foundation (www.livestrong.org) unites, inspires and empowers the cancer-affected people. He declared himself not a cancer victim but a cancer survivor.
Bravo !!!
One ignited scientific spirit by saying “That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind” and the other stood as a symbol of human spirit and said, ““Anything is possible. You can be told that you have a 90-percent chance or a 50-percent chance or a 1-percent chance, but you have to believe, and you have to fight”.
We hear about amazing achievers all the time. Sometimes it’s funny and also delightful to recall when and where we heard of them for the first time. You come across Niels Armstrong in every textbook, so did I. But Lance Armstrong…. that I came across in my friends place. She had this book “It's Not About The Bike: My Journey Back To Life - by Lance Armstrong”. I heard about him, read about him, got inspired and later even gifted the book to my younger sister who is one another inspirational figure.
Lance was the National amateur cycling champion at the age of 20. His career was shining, looking bright, till one day, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, cutting his career and may be even life. But still he survived and won over death. But the road to victory has not been smooth, which makes his story all the more compelling. Cancer had spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. He underwent surgery for his brain tumours and had less than 50% chance of survival. But he came back like a Phoenix and won prestigious Tour de France for seven consecutive years from 1999-2005!!!. He is the only person to achieve it.
Even though he couldn’t win Tour de France this year, he continues to inspire many millions and me. His foundation (www.livestrong.org) unites, inspires and empowers the cancer-affected people. He declared himself not a cancer victim but a cancer survivor.
Bravo !!!
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