In today’s episode, John R. Miles interviews pancreatic cancer survivor and ironman race competitor, Sindy Hooper, who shares with us her incredible story of grit, hope, and finding success in extreme adversity.
Back in 2013, things could not have been better for Sindy. She was leading a happy existence with her physician husband at their countryside home. Sindy had just turned 50 and was in the best shape of her life.
A huge fitness enthusiast, Sindy was training for Ironman Canada when she felt a few sharp abdominal and back pains. Further investigations revealed that she had pancreatic cancer – a disease with an average life expectancy of just 6 months.
How Sindy Hooper Took Her Life to New Heights
After going through Whipple surgery where “they removed her gall bladder, bile duct, duodenum, bottom third of stomach and half the pancreas,” Sindy went through 18 rounds of IV chemo, 28 days of radiation, and a month of oral chemo. While she was going through her treatment, she decided to do what any rational person would.
Sindy decided to participate in Ironman Canada!
The Ironman race features a 3.9 km swim,180 km bike ride, and then a 42 km marathon, to put things in perspective.
So, in August 2013, Sindy became the only pancreatic cancer survivor to finish an Ironman race. In the process, she also raised thousands of dollars and gave hope to millions worldwide.
How do you retain a positive mindset even when your future looks bleak, and all odds are stacked against you?
When you’re trying to lead others to a destination, most are unable to see that far ahead. You have to break it down into actionable steps so that they can accomplish along that journey towards the future. Once you accomplish the smaller goal, you can then extend it further to slowly rise to where you wish to be.
This concept of remaining focused on the now, on the aspect of our lives that we can control allows us to persist forward, despite improbable odds. It’s important to stay concentrated on the goals you wish to succeed in by working as hard as you can despite the uncertainty of what lays ahead. Stay in the present moment and do what you need to do to get through the day –to make it to tomorrow.
“There is very good evidence that supports exercise, during chemotherapy and radiation, and whatever else type of cancer treatments people might be going through.”
Sindy Hooper
Tune in and get inspired!
What You Will Learn From Sindy Hooper Who Completed the Ironman Race
- How Sindy survived pancreatic cancer – one of the deadliest forms of the disease with a less than 5% survival rate
- How she finished the Ironman while I was undergoing chemotherapy
- How she retained a positive mindset even when all odds were stacked against me
- What she recommends to other growth seekers in how to take control of their lives
- And so much more…
Questions that I Ask In This Show
- What was your life like before the cancer diagnosis?
- Can you explain how they performed the Whipple surgery on you?
- Can you share how you completed Ironman Canada while you were undergoing chemotherapy?
- Do you think there can be a success without adversity?
- What advice do you have for overcoming adversity?
- How do you deal with negative emotions?
- How is your life different now compared to how it was before you started your journey?
Follow Sindy Hooper
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sinhoop/
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John’s Website: https://johnrmiles.com/ –
John’s New eBook – The Passion Struck Framework https://passionstruck.com/coaching/