.jpg)
Dave Massey crossing the finish line of his first marathon.
Dave Massey led a life that many Americans lead: working 50+ hours a week to support his family, dealing with high stress, and having sub-optimal nutritional habits. His life changed dramatically when at the age of 29, he was diagnosed with a rare type of germ cell cancer in his hip, which had spread to the bones in his legs. His first doctor said he had 6 months to live if his legs and hip were amputated. Fortunately, he decided to get a second opinion at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. After 9 months of chemo and radiation treatments, he went into remission and was released. After his 5-year checkup he was considered "cured."
Given his clean bill of health, he went right back into his same lifestyle: working too much and being too stressed. Eleven years later, he was diagnosed with a grapefruit-sized tumor in his chest. He returned to MD Anderson Cancer Center for another 9 months of treatments, and had his left lung and pericardium removed. At this point, he knew a lifestyle change was a life-or-death decision. Currently a marathoner, coach, and inspirational speaker, Dave explains how he made a healthy and active lifestyle change.
Q: Who recommended walking around the hospital during your treatment for your first bout of cancer?
Massey: "My first oncologist (Dr. Doom-and-Gloom) wanted to amputate my hip and both legs. That idea hit me hard and I was determined to keep my legs and continue to walk even if I had to use crutches. I refused to get in a wheelchair as long as I could still move myself with the crutches. I was very thankful that the new doctor I found and the hospital staff was so patient with me. They never forced me into a wheelchair even though I was very slow and it would have been easier for them. At first I just walked when they needed me to move from one area of the hospital to another to do tests or see specialists. But it didn't take me long to realize I could get a pass to go outside. Sometimes I would just sit in the park like areas around the hospital and other times when I felt better, I would walk around and around. This was a way for me to "escape" even if it was just a few minutes at a time and I always felt better both during and after. The amazing thing is that even as I was getting weaker and weaker from the chemo I was able to walk (crutch) farther and farther. By the end of my nine months of treatment, the tumors and the pain were gone and I was able to walk without the crutches. My doctor said it was because I had been so stubborn. I like to call it persistent."
Q: How did you decide to start running? Who coaches you?
Massey: "My wife Karen who is an Occupational Therapist and marathoner (and my coach) is the one that first suggested I run. After all my treatments were finished I was in very poor shape. I was very weak, had severe nerve damage, balance problems, and only one lung. I went to physical and occupational therapy three hours a day, three days a week for six months. I had to relearn how to walk, feed myself, write and many other activities of daily living. At the end of that treatment my lead therapist (who is still a friend) made me promise to join a gym and work out at least three times a week. I did. However I had a lot of trouble with lung capacity and never could do any running without being completely out of breath. When I met Karen five years ago, she was impressed that I made my health and fitness my top priority but noticed that I did not do enough cardio. She reminded me that I needed to work on my weakness and suggested running as a way to improve the lung capacity. I answered like a real man, "I can't run. I only have one lung". She reminded me how persistent I had been before and urged me to fight this obstacle just as I had the fought all the obstacles I encountered while fighting cancer. So she made a six-month training program for me and signed us up for a 10K. After six months I ran my first 10K and after that we ran one every year."
Q: So after running 10K's (6.2 miles), how did you decide to run a marathon?
Massey: "In 2007, Karen started training for another marathon and I wanted to run part of it with her for support. I set a huge goal for myself of doing a half-marathon [13.1 miles]. That was more than twice as far as I had ever run and I wasn't sure I could do it. I started tagging along on her training runs but I just couldn't keep up. I would always stop short two miles before the end of her long runs. When she did speed work, I could not do the pace at all. I hung in there and after a few months of running with Karen, I had run 18 miles (Karen ran 20 miles). I suddenly realized that I had run 18 miles! At that moment I knew I could run a marathon. Karen sent me to my doctor to make sure it was OK for a 50 year old with one lung to train that hard. After the test results were in, he said there was no reason that I couldn't do it. Karen made a new training program for me and six months later I finished my first marathon and I haven't stopped running since."
Q: What is your training schedule for running?
Massey: "I run three days a week and cross train two days a week. Typically I do my long runs on Saturday, rest on Sunday, a 30-minute recovery run on Monday, cross train Tuesday, 30-40 minute interval/speed-work run on Wednesday, cross train Thursday, and rest on Friday. What is really amazing is that last November, a year after I started training, I ran the San Francisco Half Marathon at the pace that I could not run at all when I started."
Q: Did you just start running or was it more like a run/walk with the running bouts getting longer and the walking bouts getting shorter?
Massey: "I just ran. The pace was very slow but steady and gradually got faster."
Q: What continues to motivate you to run?
Massey: "The way I feel. I am 52 years old. I only have one lung, no feeling in my hands or feet, I'm 50% deaf and I feel GREAT! I am in the best condition of my entire life. Three weeks ago when I was in the Denver area for work, one of our coaching clients asked me to run the Colfax Half Marathon with her. I hadn't specifically trained for it but ran it with no problem. It is nice to be in good enough condition to just do something like that. Two days later I played softball with a team our nonprofit sponsors and the next weekend I ran the Bolder Boulder. The best part was that after all of that I really wasn't even that sore or tired. I just felt GREAT!"
Q: What advice would you give to cancer survivors who want to begin an exercise program?
Massey: "I give the same advice to everyone, not just cancer survivors. There are 6 things I have done that have helped me achieve what many thought was impossible. This is very simple and it works:
1. Believe you can do it!
2. Find a coach or mentor to help you achieve your goal
3. Make a systematic plan
4. Take action
5. Be persistent
6. Be patient
I have one other piece of advice that is very important: it is never too late to make a change."
Q: After your second bout of cancer, did you change your nutritional habits and if so, how has that improved your health?
Massey: "Yes. After I finished treatment for cancer the second time I asked my doctor how I should be eating. He told me to eat six times a day and to eat like my grandmother used to feed me. He said one’s grandmother would go to the market and buy the freshest ingredients she could find and then prepare the meals herself. He said no fast food, no soft drinks, and no processed food. He also said if I read the label and don't know what the ingredients are; I don't want to eat it. He also suggested to be sure I ate enough protein, which it was important for building muscle. This change has had a tremendous impact on the way I feel. When I am unable to eat this way, I feel physically ill."
To contact Dave or learn more about his mission, please go to his website, www.agoodday.org
Comments