- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." - Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic. Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's Web sites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the Web site) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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Feb. 7, 2009
Lessons in living strong
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
What can we learn about stress from a cancer survivor who rides a bicycle for a living? Lance Armstrong has won the Tour de France an unprecedented seven times. This is not simply a bicycle race but a month-long, 2,200-mile trek through France and neighboring countries.
The race tests riders' endurance as they pass from the grueling subtropical sun of Southern France to the subfreezing temperatures of the Pyrenees Mountains. It's been compared to running a marathon several days a week for three weeks straight.
But it wasn't only racing that tested Armstrong. He also faced multiple challenges professionally, medically and personally:
- A diagnosis of advanced testicular cancer that spread to the brain and multiple lymph nodes. His chances of survival were slim, yet today he is apparently cured of his disease.
- The betrayal of friends and confidants and blistering attacks accusing him of drug doping. He was subjected to 24/7 drug analysis. If he had refused one of these intrusions, he would have been branded as a cheater.
- Painful, very public divorce and custody proceedings.
- Personal attacks by the aristocracy of American and European racing, who were embarrassed that a brash young Texan was able to humiliate the best professional riders in the world.
- Multiple lawsuits in multiple countries involving complex financial and contractural relationships.
Any one of these issues would have buckled the knees of most individuals, but yet somehow Armstrong has survived. So, how did he do it and what can we learn from him? A couple of things come to mind:
- A fanatical focus on the task at hand and a meticulous attention to detail. Armstrong scrutinized every mile raced, every calorie consumed, every tactic tried in his pursuit of optimal performance.
- The gift to eliminate blistering and withering distractions to focus on his goal.
- Graciousness in the face of adversity and humility in the face of constant attacks on his honesty. And a willingness to be completely transparent. In effect, Armstrong said to the public, "Here I am — I'll take any test because I have done nothing wrong."
So, this extraordinary man from Texas provides us some powerful tactics as we struggle with our own demons and uncertainties.
Have I missed anything in my list? What else can we learn from the Lance Armstrongs of the world?
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