A positive diagnosis of cancer is no reason for you to put your life on pause completely. It is possible to keep up your normal routine with the necessary precautions in place. The story of this young athlete from Mauritius is especially inspiring in this regard.
Meet Fabienne St Louis who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer of the salivary glands. She did not allow cancer to dictate terms of her life. Her unique and moving story is equally inspiring for cancer survivors and others as well. The support of immediate friends and family is extremely important for people fighting cancer, Fabienne acknowledges the support she received from her immediate friends and family. Even though she underwent two invasive surgeries to cure her cancer Fabienne refused to give up on her dream of participating in the Rio Olympics 2016.
Her story clearly shows that cancer can never stop a person from achieving their full potential and living a full life. Fabienne is not the only one who overcame cancer to win at the Olympics. There are other athletes as well who won medals even after a positive cancer diagnosis.
Olympian Santiago Lange won a gold medal after a battle with lung cancer last year. Santiago is also the oldest athlete to win the gold medal. Thomas van der Plaetsen, a Belgian decathlete overcame testicular cancer to participate in the Olympic decathlon. The journey to recovery was a long and challenging process but he never gave up. Simple warm up exercise would leave Thomas completely exhausted but gradually he was able to improve his stamina and qualify for the games.
These athletes perfectly capture the human spirit to overcome all challenges. What do all of these athletes have in common and what can we learn from them? The answer is their iron will and determination to live life on their own terms and to not see cancer as a death sentence but as a challenge that can be overcome.