22 Years Later, the Jimmy V Speech is Not Enough

Cancer has effected us all, everyone knows at least one friend or family member that has had to deal with it. It’s not the easiest thing to deal with.

Tonight and tomorrow on ESPN, the Jimmy V Classic will be played on ESPN at Madison Square Garden. I’m a big sports fan, I really am but when a Classic has to be created to raise awareness for cancer research it really puts sports in perspective. We should be aware of cancer throughout the 365 day calendar year because people are still dying of cancer at an alarming rate. 

Unfortunately, it gets worse. It is not just old people getting the treacherous disease. Young kids are getting it too and that’s the sad part out of all of this. Despite the millions of dollars being raised for cancer treatments, there is always new types of cancers that are being discovered.

By 2015, the hope should have been for a more advanced cure. However, that’s not happening, but it is in a way given the amount of terminal cancers there are still around is way too high.

My favorite speech of all time is the Jimmy V speech at the 1993 ESPY’s. Not only is it motivational to live life to the fullest, it is also very inspirational to think that I could have it a lot worse in life.

I remember hearing his speech for the first time in 2012. There was something about the speech that made me want to be a better person than I already was. At the end of the day, it’s not about how many wins a coach has next to his name. What really matters is how many people who have our backs when we need it the most. Lets face it, it’s going to happen to all of us at some point.

Something needs to done about cancer research though. Powerful speeches are sadly not enough. It is crazy to think that the best cancer doctor in the world makes less money than the worst player in the NHL.

My Grandpa has cancer right now. It is sad, but it is even worse imagining what kind of pain he is experiencing. Cancer also affects athletes too. An example was back in 1993, when NHL player Mario Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Fortunately, Lemieux was able to survive but it is an eye opener that everyone has a chance of being diagnosed.

As the Jimmy V Week concludes on ESPN this week, have a moment with yourself. Winning a Championship is hard. Many players will play professionally without winning a ring. However, defeating cancer is harder. When it’s all said and done, there is no reason for Blue Devils to hate Tar Heels, or Buckeyes to hate Wolverines. We are all on the same team. A team that is motivated to defeat cancer.