It's Not Harder Than Cancer

Michael Holtz was diagnosed with rectal cancer on March 27, 2012, five days after his 43rd birthday and 23 days after running the Rock 'n Roll New Orleans Marathon. Further testing would determine the cancer was stage-3b, a large tumor with lymph node involvement. His medical team threw the book at him: oral chemo therapy combined with radiation, surgery and then six months of infusion chemotherapy. It was a difficult 11 months, but Michael and his wife, whom he calls the lovely Sarah,...
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Michael Holtz was diagnosed with rectal cancer on March 27, 2012, five days after his 43rd birthday and 23 days after running the Rock 'n Roll New Orleans Marathon. Further testing would determine the cancer was stage-3b, a large tumor with lymph node involvement. His medical team threw the book at him: oral chemo therapy combined with radiation, surgery and then six months of infusion chemotherapy. It was a difficult 11 months, but Michael and his wife, whom he calls the lovely Sarah, survived. In his life after cancer, he is thriving. He learned a lot during his cancer experience, which is why he wrote this book. He also wrote it because books about colorectal cancer experiences, and books about cancer experiences from a man's point of view are difficult to find.Michael wanted to tell his story from the perspective of the mental attitudes it takes to survive and thrive after cancer. This is not a how-to book, though. The reader won't find "the three strategies you need to maintain a positive attitude during your illness." Much of what Michael writes about comes naturally. Some he learned along the way, from great authors and from friends whose lives reflect the mindsets about which he writes. Some of the mindsets, like being grateful in the face of difficulty and letting go of unnecessary emotions and obstacles, still take practice. In this book, each mindset is framed around his story and how each of them worked for him. While Michael cannot give the "formula" for surviving and thriving, most chapters end with a Mindset Exercise, a simple exercise designed to help you think about how you can use each mindset in your own experience. The title of this book comes directly from Michael's response to some of the challenging but wonderful things he's done in the months and years since he finished treatment. Speak onstage about his cancer experience to a roomful of strangers? It's challenging, but it's not harder than cancer. Train to run a marathon with the intent of crossing the finish line more than an hour faster than ever before? Hard, but it's not harder than cancer. Michael has learned that even with a permanent colostomy, he can do just about anything.So, this is Michael's story. It's a story of thriving through Stage-3b rectal cancer and some of the other ugliness of life, like childhood sexual abuse, a difficult paternal relationship and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The details are not always pretty, but thanks be to God and the love and support of his friends and family, the end result is incredible.