By Rod Shealy, Publisher The New Irmo News Week Two  

Your're going to whip this

2-25-2007 till 3-4-2007

             That's what Dr. Babcock told Jerry Fowler about the cancer which had been discovered in his lungs a few days earlier. He seemed to have an upbeat attitude a smile on his face, a calm voice and, naturally, so did I, Jerry told me about his doctor earlier this week. I still haven't had a negative thought about this thing.I believe I AM going to whip it. That's the kind of positive attitude which has led Jerry Fowler to success in his business, in his broadcasting and political ventures, and in his personal life.

            And now, Jerry's using his positive attitude to face the greatest challenge of his life. Last week in this column, I recounted my own friendship with Jerry Fowler, who is well-known throughout the Midlands as a real estate broker, a member of Richland-Lexington School District 5 Board of Trustees, a radio talk-show host, and the founder of a business networking organization. Jerry had called me a few days earlier to let me know he had been diagnosed with lung cancer apparently advanced with a strong prospect that the cancer had spread from other parts of the body.He told me that he wanted to face this health crisis with a positive attitude, and wanted to share the experience with others, so that his personal story might be able to in some way help others face their own obstacles. I volunteered to help him put his story into words.

           Jerry shared with me some of his ideas for making sure he kept his spirits up. In addition to the positive re-enforcement of telling his story to others, he has researched other case studies of people who overcame long medical odds with their own attitudes. He sent me information to let me read about them for myself. Morris Goodman was crushed in an airplane wreck. His neck broken twice, his spine shattered, and every major muscle in his body destroyed, doctors predicted he could not survive through the night. He recovered, and is now a much-sought after speaker, dubbed:

            The Miracle Man.(Read more at:www.themiracleman.org? Norman Cousins was an editor with The Saturday Review who was twice diagnosed with conditions which were thought to be fatal. Both times, he fought back with his mind, literally laughing himself back to good health. Later, he detailed how he turned his adversities into personal growth in his book, Anatomy of and Illness.

            These kinds of personal stories helped Jerry stay upbeat last week even as he received the diagnosis that the cancer had spread from the lungs to the lymph nodes. Since it had already spread up from the lungs, the oncologist explained to Jerry, an MRI was called for to see if it had moved into the brain. This Monday, Jerry called me with the best news yet:the MRI report was negative.There was no evidence of cancer in the brain.Still, there was a possibility of an occurrence in the colon, so this week, Jerry will undergo a pre-cautionary colonoscopy, as well as any other procedure required at the time.

            If nothing else turns up, Jerry will likely begin aggressive chemotherapy treatment of the existing cancer. Through it all, Jerry knows he's armed with two important weapons: (1) the tremendous medical advances in the treatment of cancer which have been made in recent decades, and; (2) a positive attitude and prayer. We will overcome all odds, Jerry wrote me in an email a couple of days ago. I believe him.

Rod Shealy, The Irmo News