Olympic Hero: Eric Shanteau

Have you ever heard of Eric Shanteau? If not, you will soon.

Eric Shanteau trained his whole life for a shot at making the U.S. Olympic swim team. Although he was not picked among the favorites to make the team, he qualified for the trials this year, and came in prepared to swim the race of his life. He stunned everyone, save perhaps himself, when he touched the wall in second place, earning a trip to Beijing. Imagine, the weight of preparing your entire life for one short race.

Now imagine the weight of learning, just one week before that race, that you have cancer. Shanteau, diagnosed with testicular cancer just before the trials, used that knowledge to inspire the performance of his life. Then, almost immediately after making the team, he faced an agonizing decision. Skip the Olympics–his lifelong dream–to have surgery to remove the cancer as quickly as possible, or prolong the potentially life-saving procedure to fulfill his Olympic dream.

He chose the Olympics. Cancer would have to wait.

Although doctors will monitor him closely and pull him out if the cancer appears to be spreading to quickly, Shanteau's brave decision will bring national and international attention to a disease affecting 1.4 million Americans. He will not only be swimming for his country, he'll be inspiring cancer survivors worldwide and motivating leaders to join the fight.

Sound familiar? Since starting the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997, the 7-time Tour de France winner–and cancer survivor–has focused the spotlight on a disease that hits 1 in 4 families. Through his celebrity and the popularity of those now ubiquitous LIVESTRONG yellow wrist bands, Armstrong's fight has enlisted other notable cancer activists, such as Elizabeth Edwards, Ted Kennedy and the late Tony Snow. Last night on the ESPY awards, many people probably learned for the first time that ESPN personalities Stuart Scott and Robin Roberts were also recent cancer survivors when they presented the Jimmy V. Award for Perseverance. No one is immune. It's everyone's fight.

Although cancer affects millions worldwide, I am encouraged by the increased visibility the cause is receiving, thanks to those who are brave enough and able to capture the spotlight and keep it focused where it should be, on ending this dreaded disease. I've highlighted the efforts of Lance Armstrong before in my blog, as well as those behind Stand Up To Cancer. At the Olympic Games, Eric Shanteau will make his mark on the world, and his contribution will be greater than gold.

Stretching the Brand

This week, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and Demand Media announced the launch of LIVESTRONG.com, an online community dedicated to healthy living, built on the brand essence of LIVESTRONG (e.g. health, fitness, nutrition, balance), a brand Nike created and nurtured for the LAF in 2003.

Containing more than 600,000 pages of content, LIVESTRONG.com includes more than 15,000 videos and articles, 50,000 questions and answers, plus personal profiles, photo galleries, discussion groups, personal action plans, recipes, interactive tools and calculators... (whew) let's face it, it's a behemoth. More to the point, it's a stretch.

I get the strategy- it's an evolution of the brand, leveraging it's key attributes. I'm just not sure I buy it. Where does it leave the foundation? I'm looking at my little yellow LIVESTRONG wrist band today, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Yesterday it said I was united in the fight against cancer. Today, however, I think it says a lot more ...and means a lot less. Let's watch- I could always be wrong.

LIVESTRONG Day 2008

LIVESTRONG Day 2008 was a huge success, thanks to many of you in the KU community. LIVESTRONG KU hosted a Campus Walk for KU faculty, staff, students and Lawrence community members. Meanwhile, Oread Books held a sale in honor of LIVESTRONG Day, and several sororities purchased LIVESTRONG wristbands for members to wear, in addition to all of you who chose to wear yellow on May 13th in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF).

KU came out in force to support the fight against cancer, and we'll be doing even more in the months ahead. We've already established a local LIVESTRONG Army recognized by the LAF, and Rueben Perez and I have been selected as delegates to the LIVESTRONG Summit in July. Our goal is to position KU as a national leader in the fight against cancer, and for that, we'll need your help. But for now, enjoy this look back at the Lance Armstrong Foundation's LIVESTRONG Day 2008.

Stand Up

I had lunch today with Jan-Eric Anderson, a good friend of mine at Barkley- the KC agency that has emerged as a leader in the cause marketing movement thanks largely to Mike Swenson, Barkley's EVP, CMO (and KU grad). My visit reminded me of something special that happened last week in the fight against cancer that I thought was worth sharing, and I'm sure the folks at Barkley would agree.

Laura Ziskin, a movie producer and cancer survivor, aggressively launched Stand Up 2 Cancer to help make cancer a national priority, lining up celebrities like Katie Couric and Lance Armstrong as well as partners, including the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Lee Jeans (a Barkley client) among many others. Perhaps most impressive is that Stand Up 2 Cancer has lined up ABC, CBS and NBC to donate airtime to a special one-hour show on September 5th designed to "educate, inspire and entertain."

I think it's amazing what can be accomplished when we come together and leverage our talents and resources for a common cause. Enjoy this PSA.

The Cancer Question

The role of celebrities in this year's presidential election is interesting to watch, with famous endorsements coming in from all sides. Although it is admirable for stars to leverage their celebrity in support of a particular candidate, I'm more impressed by one who uses his to support a cause.


As I've noted before in this blog, I'm a fan of Lance Armstrong for the way he's used his celebrity to fight for the cause that is near and dear to him: Cancer. Last night, Armstrong appeared on Larry King Live to push for cancer to be a national priority after an unprecedented drop in federal funding for the National Cancer Institute. During his interview, Lance was asked the question "which candidate would do the most in the fight against cancer?" In other words, who would Lance be endorsing as the cancer candidate?

Lance has always contended that cancer is not a partisan issue and he's admirably remained non-partisan in his advocacy. He answered the question by saying that, obviously, every candidate opposes cancer. It is up to us to challenge them on this complex issue by comparing specific policies, such as whether they would support a national smoking ban, following the lead of 23 states that have adopted statewide bans to prevent the single most preventable form of cancer death in America. Where do they stand on early detection programs? Federal funding for drug discovery? Access to clinical trials? Treatment for the uninsured? The list goes on and on.

While other celebrities will support the candidate they believe can change the world, Lance is asking them to support his cause and his fight. To me, this is a tremendous example of leadership on both a public and a personal level, and it is why I admire the man even more than the cyclist. Last August, the Lance Armstrong Foundation hosted the first ever LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum, demanding that each candidate answer what Lance refers to as the "cancer question." I hope you'll watch the video below.

LIVESTRONG DAY 2007

Today was LIVESTRONG DAY, when the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) mobilizes thousands of cancer survivorship advocates throughout the country. Delegates from every state met with elected officials in Washington D.C., while hundreds of local events took place across the country- all organized by volunteers.

A quick glance on the LAF web site showed there were no events organized in my community, so I immediately thought of what I could do. Surely I could do something. Anything. At the very least, I could hand out LIVESTRONG wrist bands and tell local school children about Lance Armstrong's amazing story.

Sure, cancer is a weighty subject for kids, yet it affects 3 out of every 4 families in America. How do you talk about cancer with kids? At least Armstrong's story provides an optimistic- even inspiring- way to look at the disease, so I attempted- after reading one too many Dr. Seuss books- to tell it in verse. Here's an excerpt:

Lance finally got better, but it took awhile
When he was all better he just had to smile

The doctor said "Wait, I want you to know
Your cancer could always come back tomorrow."

Lance said, "Okay, there’s just one thing to do:
We’ll have to fight cancer, but I’ll need your help too."

(Read entire story here)

After reading to my daughter's class of 4 and 5-year-olds, I showed them a video sent by the LAF, then collected penny donations from the class to help fight cancer. Everyone who donated will receive a yellow LIVESTRONG wrist band from the LAF. It's not much, but it's something. And who knows, maybe one of these kids will cure cancer one day.

Newsweek features LIVESTRONG

The ubiquitous yellow LIVESTRONG wristband- a symbol of the fight against cancer- made its way onto the cover of Newsweek last week for the magazine’s coverage of Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow’s recent recurrence. More than 10 million cancer survivors nationwide were instantly reminded of the courage it took to overcome the dreaded diagnosis, and the fear of recurrence they live with everyday.

Of course it shouldn’t take a Newsweek article to remind us that cancer is an ever-present threat (1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime), but I want to focus on the power of symbols and storytelling in driving public awareness and interest. In higher education particularly, we focus on the value of the scientific research being done in the laboratory- which is essential- but the human story can get lost. Perhaps more importantly, the relevance is not understood.

Stories that resonate deal with real people and real life- those are the most compelling. So are the ones that hit close to home (3 out of 4 families will care for a family member with cancer). Lance Armstrong has become a powerful poster boy for survivorship by not merely surviving, but by living life to the fullest, and staying dedicated to the fight that affects so many Americans. People naturally draw inspiration from his story. I also draw inspiration from the way he’s managed to leverage that attention. After all, it wasn't Lance's picture that appeared on the cover of Newsweek.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year, but the yellow wristband is just 3 years old. Not since Lou Gehrig has a major athlete or celebrity been so linked to a cause. Still, Armstrong’s foundation has benefited even more by nurturing and leveraging the LIVESTRONG brand. Following Armstrong's retirement from cycling in 2005, the foundation is stronger than ever, thanks to its successful branding. The Newsweek cover just underscores the relevance of the LIVESTRONG brand today. It is at once a message, a cause, a color and a symbol- seamlessly tied to Lance’s story of survival and triumph- bringing hope and raising awareness millions of times a day. This powerful combination gives the LAF what I consider to be a “Best Brand.”