Like Farrah Fawcett, Ethan Zohn seeks to inspire others who are fighting cancer

July 23, 8:04 PMJewish Community ExaminerSheila Solomon

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Like Farrah Fawcett, who died after a valiant battle with cancer on June 25, 2009, Ethan Zohn, 35, who is the only Jewish winner of Survivor, has recently begun to educate and inspire others by publicly sharing his struggles as he fights a rare form of cancer.

On May 15, 2009, NBC TV aired a two-hour documentary, Farrah’s Story, that chronicled Fawcett’s two-and-a half year fight against anal cancer. According to a Daily News report, over nine million people watched the show that included video of “deeply personal footage of her treatments in the U.S. and Germany.”

Fawcett’s best friend, actress Alana Stewart, explained in a CNN video that Fawcett felt that it was her responsibility to support and encourage people in their battles with the deadly disease. Stewart went on to say that Fawcett will be remembered for this documentary and that it is Fawcett’s “gift to the world.”

On May 18, only a few days after the premiere of Farrah’s Story, People magazine published an exclusive article revealing that Zohn, a professional soccer player and the winner of the 2002 Survivor:Africa, recently had been diagnosed with cancer. "This is happening for a reason," Zohn told People. "You have to get spiritual about this….I know I want to help people and inspire people. That's my purpose in life. So I need to use this as a platform."

Zohn is no stranger to using his celebrity status for philanthropic causes and for motivating others. In 2002, Zohn used a portion of his $1,000,000 winnings from Survivor to co-found Grassroots Soccer, a non-profit organization that trains Africa’s professional soccer players to teach children about HIV/AIDS.  For the past five years, Zohn has traveled around the world promoting the importance of HIV/AIDS education. In addition, he has used speaking engagements to encourage Jewish youth to identify with their Jewish roots, to contribute to their communities, and to engage in activities to repair the world (tikkun olam).

In fact, Zohn brought this message to the Tampa Jewish Community Center on January 27, 2008 when he was the featured guest at the first ever community-wide “Teen Challenge Day” sponsored by a group of women donors of the Tampa Jewish Federation known as the 1818 Philanthropic Circle. A highlight of the event was Zohn’s address to 65 adolescents who also participated with the soccer star in mock Survivor challenges. Zohn said to the assembeled young people, “And while I’m certainly proud of winning Survivor, I’m more proud of knowing and understanding what it was that helped me win - my Jewish upbringing - embracing it wholeheartedly, embracing it publicly, and embracing it personally.”

Zohn went on to stress the importance of helping to build a strong Jewish community and how personally rewarding it is to give of oneself. He encouraged the teens to make a difference in the world. “There are so many things we can all do to help our community, and there’s nothing stopping each of you from making a valuable contribution."
 
Two and half years later, in May 2009, the curly-haired Zohn started chemotherapy to combat Stage II CD20-positive Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Zohn and his girlfriend, Jenna Morasca, 28, the winner of Survivor:The Amazon, are taping video diary blogs exclusive to People.com to record Zohn’s thoughts as he progresses through his different phases of treatment. In an article accompanying Zohn’s first video blog on May 22, People.com reports that he is “vowing to stay positive and to use his battle with cancer to help educate and inspire others.”

"This is the ultimate game of Survivor," Zohn told People, "and there's really only one outcome, and that's to win. There's no other option."

In the photo above, Ethan Zohn schmoozes with Jewish youth at the January 2008 "Teen Challenge Day" at the Tampa Jewish Community Center.

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