LIVESTRONG Leader Spotlight: John

LIVESTRONG Leaders are individuals that make a yearly significant commitment to those in their community affected by cancer by spreading the message of LIVESTRONG. They do this by fundraising, hosting events, bringing LIVESTRONG resources to their local hospitals and more. One of our amazing leaders from Chicago, John Mahoney, talks about why he is involved with LIVESTRONG and what he is doing in his community to help spread the LIVESTRONG message.

What is your name and where are you from?
My name is John Mahoney and I am from Chicago, IL.

What is your connection to cancer?
I am a brain cancer survivor. Although my prognosis was very poor, I believe that it is of paramount importance to maintain a positive outlook on life. Cancer has been tough for me at times and the uncertainty regarding the future is always tough. The tough situation for me and my family caused by cancer has also been positive. Having day to day uncertainty has taught me to enjoy my life today instead of focusing on an ever elusive tomorrow.

How have you been involved with LIVESTRONG?
I am a Team LIVESTRONG RAGBRAI fundraiser and took part in partnered events raising nearly $5,000 for the fight against cancer. I have also promoted LIVESTRONG Navigation Services to people in the fight.
 
What are you looking forward to as a new LIVESTRONG Leader?
People need to have the right resources to survive cancer. Through my connections I was able to find the right doctors halfway across the country to perform a challenging operation that could have left me disabled. Not everyone, has the connections or the aptitude to find the best care meaning the playing field is not level. I want to make sure that people fighting cancer have the same opportunity to survive as me. From a health and advocacy perspective, I am very interested to work with LIVESTRONG. In short, I do believe that a person’s overall health and well-being plays an important role in surviving cancer, but also thriving. I believe that programs like LIVESTRONG at the YMCA are important to promote and that politicians need to invest in wellness similar to how we invest today in the next generation pharmaceuticals.