Friday, August 1, 2008

How basketball helped Robin Roberts beat cancer

Inspiring article in the NY Times a few days ago about Robin Roberts' battle with cancer. She won the battle in part because, in her words, "When you are an athlete, you learn to do the David-and-Goliath thing."

According to the article:

Roberts praises the contemporary superstars who play the game right up near the basket. She doubts she would have been good enough to play in the W.N.B.A., but traces her survival to her life as an athlete.  

“To be honest, as an athlete, I was annoyed with my body,” she said.  “I took such good care of it. I felt it had let me down. My doctor said, ‘It won’t help you avoid cancer, but it will help you kick its butt,’ and that’s just what I did."

Sitting in a quiet office last week, Roberts said: “I was looking at cancer as a beatable opponent. I’ve always been a positive person, and that’s how I beat cancer.”

She also traces her resolve to high school basketball in Pass Christian, Miss. “I know I would not be sitting here talking with you if not for Title IX,” she said, referring to the 1972 federal legislation mandating equal sports opportunity for women. She gave thanks for “the leadership, the teamwork, all those things that men have used for generations, to be successful in anything they pursued.”

Here's a good TV interview with Ms. Roberts.