Up for the Fight: A Five-Time Cancer Survivor’s Journey with Bill

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What's up, my good people? Welcome to the CJ Moneyway Johnson Show, where we uncover inspiring stories and meaningful insights. Today, we're honored to have Bill joining us to discuss his incredible journey as a 5-time cancer survivor and author of Up for the Fight. But before we dive into your book, Bill, let's address questions many of us are curious about. Who actually is Winter the Dolphin?

Oh, Winter the Dolphin is awesome. So Winter the Dolphin was this dolphin that was orphaned. She had her tail wrapped in a crab trap, and she was rescued off the east coast of Florida and brought to a place called Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she was given almost no chance of survival because she was a baby, she was orphaned, and she had serious, serious damage to her tail. The tail ultimately had lost its blood flow and came off and was surgically removed. So here was a little baby dolphin without a tail, and this little dolphin didn't want to give up. And against all the odds, she survived and became the basis of the movie called Dolphin Tale. And that movie was with Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr. and Kozie Zilsdorf and Nathan Gamble. Really became kind of a movie that was number one in the box office when it came out the first week. And it was a movie about inspiration, "If Winter Can, I Can." I was lucky enough to be the chief marketing and revenue officer of Clearwater Marine Aquarium when things were booming there and was lucky enough in my first week to have a chance to swim with Winter the dolphin because as part of my orientation, they thought that, you know, I'm a big swimmer, was, that I could actually beat a dolphin in a race. DJ, even without her tail on, she beat me. And it was the happiest I've been ever to lose a race because I had not only Winter with me, but also Hope the dolphin, who was rescued as well in the same area of Winter a few years later. And she became— Hope became the basis for Dolphin Tale 2. So I'm lucky enough to have been good friends with two dolphins. Unfortunately, Winter passed away a few years ago. But Hope is still alive and well at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and she would count me as one of her BFFs.

Oh man, that's great to hear, man. I was curious. I mean, I don't know about the office— I mean, the audience being curious, but when I saw that, I had to ask that question. Now we know who Winter the Dolphin is, and I didn't know that they made a movie about it, man. That's even more special and more cool.

Yeah, yeah.

So, Bill, man, Now let's talk about your powerful story. What motivated you to share your personal cancer journey through Up for the Fight?

Yeah, it's so interesting because in a million years I never would have thought I would have written a book about my cancer journey, and it wasn't my idea. September 17th, 2020, I woke up in the recovery room at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, having just had surgery to remove a very painful cancerous tumor from below my right hip. And, CJ, I woke up an emotional breakdown. And, this is during the COVID time, so nobody's allowed in the room. It's just me and Jen, the nurse. And, it wasn't like a few tears coming down my face, it was a full-fledged emotional breakdown. And, she said, "Hey, what's wrong?" And, CJ, the words that came out of my mouth surprised even me. I told her that this was the 5th time that I had cancer, actually the 6th time. I'd just been diagnosed with prostate cancer a couple weeks before. This is my 4th time with lymphoma. I'd had thyroid cancer, and I knew what was coming with this recurrence of the lymphoma and that I really wasn't up for the fight anymore. And she reaches over and grabs my hand, and she said, "Bill, I think at certain times in your life, God puts an angel in your life." I think today I'm that angel. And so she just held my hand while she used the other hand to call the pastor to come in. And so Pastor Tanya comes in and she says, "What's wrong?" And I told her the story of my life, how awesome it was and how great it was, but that I knew what was coming with this treatment for the lymphoma. And I had had a great life. It was awesome, fulfilling. And that I was done. I wasn't going to fight anymore. I was going to throw in the towel. And so for about an hour, she works with me. This is a miracle too because my heart changed and she reminded me of all the reasons why I should fight. I should fight for my family. I should fight for my friends. I should fight for my work. I just started a marketing agency. I'd left the aquarium and started an agency. And then she said something that I hadn't thought of. And she goes, "Bill, you also need to fight to make God proud." Hmm. So I said, "Okay." So while my wife is freaking out because now I've been out of surgery for a long time and she hasn't been able to find out what's going on yet while I'm going through my issues, we're wrapping it up with Pastor Tanya. She leans in and goes nose to nose and she goes, "Bill, I got one more thing for you." Like, what? She goes, I want you to turn your pain into purpose and write a book to help others. So I leaned back and I thought about it and I said, all right, I'll do it. Now, I was coming off of fentanyl and morphine and I had good reasons to forget about it, but when a pastor leans in, asks you to do something, and you say to do it, You know who's asking you.

Yeah, yeah.

So I thought, well, now what? I'm about to go through— I just have had surgery. I'm about to go through 6 months of chemotherapy, and I'm trying to focus on living, right? Trying to survive because that was not a guarantee. And now I'm going to write a book? And so I reached out to one publisher, Page Two Publishing,, and the CEO calls me, says, "Hey, we want to do your book." I'm like, "Why do you want to do this book?" And she said, "Look, I've got a close friend of mine that just passed away from cancer, and I think there's a need for a book like this, a book like What to Expect When You're Expecting, but for cancer." And I thought about it, I'm like, "Dang, she's right." I wish somebody else had written this book. I wish this book had been there for me when I was going through my journeys, but Pastor Tonya pivoted my cancer journey to thinking about myself, to thinking about others, and what I could do through this book to help those that are going through the cancer journey and also to help those around those going through the cancer journey, the family and friends. My wife and two of my kids wrote one of the chapters. All of a sudden now, I had this new purpose. While I was trying to survive cancer, I was taking a beating, I was also trying to write this book. I had an editor that was pretty flexible that would work with me, CJ, when I was able to work because, man, I was going through it. There was days and weeks I couldn't write, but I was on an accelerated timetable because, hey, I made a deal, right, with the pastor and with God, and I better get this thing done. We wrote it on an accelerated timetable because I really wasn't sure if I was going to live. And we got it done. It didn't come out for almost 9 months after it was finished, but this book came out. And then I started hearing things that honestly I hadn't expected. The first feedback I got from people was, it gives me hope. I'm like, I don't know why I didn't think about that, but if I can beat cancer 5 times and they're going through it for the first time, you know, that would give them hope. And then I started hearing, well, it's really helped change my life. "it's really helped me in my journey and it's made a big difference in my journey." And then I started hearing, "Well, it helped save my life." I'm like, "Whoa, Pastor Tonya was onto something." And so by getting second opinions, largely people are saying, "Wow, I wouldn't have been able to get that treatment if I hadn't read your book and I hadn't got a second opinion and it helped save my life." And I'm like, "Okay." And so now my cancer, instead of becoming an inward focus on me, has become an outward focus on others and it's completely flipped. Turned the cancer journey on its head for me to the point that somebody asked me, "Bill, was it worth having cancer?" I had to think about that one because I've suffered way more than my fair share. I've been doing this for 22 years, going through the fight. Even when you're in remission, it's on your mind and you're dealing with side effects and still dealing with side effects from chemo. But I thought, "Yeah, yeah, now it's worth it." Because how many people get the chance to change or save lives you know, through challenges they've been through. And a lot of people get to do this, and— but I didn't expect it, and it's been remarkable. And, and the sales just continue to go up as, you know, word, you know, gets out about it. And the entire purpose of this was to change one life, and so to have do that in the thousands, it's— I mean, only God could do it. And it's really rewarding, and I'm just grateful for Pastor Tanya to lean in. It wasn't a suggestion. She basically told me to do this book, and, and I'm grateful that she did.

You know, I'm listening to you, Pastor Thompson. What was the nurse's name again?

Uh, Jen.

Jen too. Because as you said in the beginning, Jen said, well, I'm your angel. God sent me as your angel today. Then she brought Pastor Tanya in, you know what I'm saying? And so now, now God's speaking. To you. And like you say, I'm going through things, I'm going through my own personal challenges, and I'm trying to think if I'm going to live or die. But then now I got this on my mind, you know what I'm saying? I could just imagine all the things that's going through your mind. Like you say, your family, you got a business, and kids and things of that nature. So I know it's just overwhelming. But I was just talking to somebody, Bill, Cash, before I got on with you, I just did an interview before I got on with you, and me and her were talking, and you said something that made me think about what me and her said. One person, a thousand people, ten thousand people. And we know that the words say that if you can just, you know what I'm saying, change a multitude, you know, just change one person's life, it saves— it covers a multitude of sins for that person. And like I told her, and I'm gonna tell you the same thing, what I admire, man, is the willpower that you guys have to be going through things yourself. And as you alluded to not too long ago, put yourself aside because there's a bigger cause than you, and that's to help others overcome some of the things that you have already done, man. And I, and I commend you for that. I really do.

Yeah, thank you. I appreciate it. It's been life-changing. And see, I'm learning so much from other cancer patients because I'm easily accessible. It's bill@billcpotts.com is how people reach me, and that's in the book. And so I hear from cancer patients often, and I'm inspired by them, and I'm learning through their journey. And, you know, I accidentally became an expert on cancer from the patient perspective one of the biggest experts in the world because I've been doing this for so long. And I'm kind of a unicorn out there. And my knowledge since the book came out has ramped up so much. I've accidentally become an expert on pancreatic cancer, on lung cancers, and lots of different cancers through my conversations with other patients. Mm-hmm. And so now I'm learning and I'm starting to bank some of these things that I'm learning for my next battle because my lymphoma is not curable. So it's coming back. And so when? Yeah, I don't know. I mean, it could be tomorrow. It could be in a year. It could be 2 years. If I could get another 3 or 4 years, that would be remarkable. But I'm going to be even better. And when I go through lymphoma battle again because of what I've learned.

Mm-hmm. And, you know, whether learning through the books or like you say, through cancer patients and other inspiring stories, one thing I believe that that you learn and that I know, and when we go through certain things, the most powerful thing that you learn out of some things is knowing that God is with you and that his protection and that his strength is better than anything that we have. And having that faith that like, hey, I've been through this before. Just like when they had a famine in the land in Egypt and then they had another one. They say, hey, I've been through this before. You know what I'm saying? So like you said, I'm going to be better next time because I've been through this. I know how this road take, you know, and I know that God is with me. If he brought me through for 22 years, then I know that he can bring me through some more, man. I really appreciate you sharing that with us though, Bill. So let me ask you, Bill, as a 5-time cancer survivor, your perspective, as we've been alluding to, is invaluable. What advice would you give to those who are struggling to maintain hope through their battles?

Yeah, hope is a big one. There's a couple answers to this, but you got to always remember the reasons why that you're fighting because this is where I got in trouble, right? I wanted to give up until Pastor Tanya reminded me of all the reasons why I should fight. Remember the family, the friends, even my work to make God proud. So for those that are losing hope or losing the will to fight, reminding yourself every day you know, why you want to fight can help you get out of bed and get going and go to the treatments and go to the appointments. On the hope side, that is a great question. And, you know, hope is such a powerful thing. And I tell people that the longer I live, the longer I will live, because the advancements in cancer treatments are advancing that rapidly. For example, with lung cancer, there are no 5-year statistics that even make any sense because the advances have been so dramatic and so fast. So that's a hope piece. Another piece to keep fighting is to inspire others through your journey. And this is something that I've seen over and over and again, because, you know, I fight and I fight and I fight and I had given up and then I recommitted to fight again, that that gives and inspires other people to fight too.— and each day is so precious that not everybody's fight is gonna result in the outcome that I have so far, right? And so I had to really come address the potential for dying, and I had to do that in 2008 when I almost died, right? And so I had to do it again each time I go through the treatment, and I, I had to go through it again in 2020 and 2021 when I was going through chemotherapy, when my chance of dying during each treatment was 3%, and I did it 14 times. So the hope I had was that— even more complicated, CJ— my chance of surviving COVID while I was going through treatment was 45%. And I'm going, this is the heyday of the COVID pandemic. It's because I had no immune system because the chemotherapy literally wiped it all out. So a COVID, a cold, the flu, a cut, you know, could take me out. So what gave me hope also was my faith that if I lost the battle, I was still fine, man. I knew where I was going.

Yeah.

So once I got my hands around the dying part, it shifted my perspective on the hope part as well. And if the plan was that I didn't make it, I'm still going to be okay. And that doesn't mean I fought any less hard. That doesn't mean I tried any less to beat the cancer. But it also gave me a calm in the eye of the storm that the ball bounced the wrong way, I'm okay.

Yeah, man, listening to you talk kind of put me in the mind of the Apostle Paul, man. You know, Paul said, I fought the good fight, you know. And then because he was ready today, he was ready to go, you know, be with Jesus and everything, and it just wasn't his time. As I'm sitting here listening to you, because as you, as he was, and as you are, he had to go out to inspire, to encourage, you know what I'm saying, people not only to live but to live for Christ and to live for, to live, to live, you know, in the eternal, to live ever after. Because just as you were saying, I was listening to you say I came to grips with this, and even if I had lost that battle at that time, I had still won because God— I was taken care of by God. God, you know what I'm saying? I was secure in my faith and where my life is leading me. And I think more people need to hear that because a lot of times we just see one aspect of it and not look at the other side of it. So let me ask you, Bill, since we on that and we're talking about hope and things of that nature, Cancer treatment can be overwhelming and complex. Okay, we know that. How can readers reading your book effectively advocate for themselves and navigate this system with confidence?

Yeah, another great question. First of all, it's the mindset, and the mindset is you, the patient, own the journey, not the doctors. And that's a big shift. I didn't change until cancer number 2. My first cancer, I let the doctors own the journey. I got lit up with so much radiation that it was ridiculous and probably caused my lymphoma. I had thyroid cancer and I was going to letting the local for-profit oncologist manage my journey. I had my thyroid taken out. I got dosed with iodine-131, which is the same radiation that came out of Chernobyl. Which is a treatment for thyroid cancer, but I got this giant pill, was isolated in the hospital for a while, and it took care of the thyroid cancer. But then 6 months later, they said my thyroid cancer was back, and I'm like, "That's gotta be impossible." Because I don't have a thyroid, and I went through this radiation treatment to wipe out what was ever left of the cancer. And so I went to MD Anderson in Houston and decided I was going to own my own journey. And at that point, I took charge of it. So number one, it's my life, I gotta own it. And so you also have to treat it like I treat my work, and that is organized. I take notes, I ask questions, and the cancer journey, I always get second opinions. Even though I was being treated, you know, at some of the best places in the world, I still get second opinions. And once you change that mindset and treat it like a job to live, to beat this thing and make it your focus, it's pretty easy to do all the other things that you need to do to advocate for yourself, which is to pick the right care team, to get second opinions, to take notes at appointments, to know your medications, to know the side effects of the medications, to get ahead on insurance, on financials, all those kinds of things. Once the mindset is towards you owning the journey, It's great. So much so, in 2008 when I was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma, and I'm at MD Anderson, and I'm meeting with the doctor in the world that sees more patients with my particular type of lymphoma than anyone. There's 61 different types of lymphoma. He was the expert on my type. He prescribed to me. I went through my staging, sit down on a Friday afternoon after going through 4 days of staging, and says, "Okay, here's your treatment." And I'm like, "No." And he's like, "What do you mean? We're MD Anderson." I'm literally the number one doctor in this particular type of lymphoma in the world. And I'm like, no. And like, why? I said, because I know what the side effects are. I'm gonna lose my hair, right? And they're like, yeah. Now you talk about owning your journey. So I said, I'm in sales, I'm in marketing, I travel. I can't be that guy. I mean, I like my hair. I don't look— I'm not gonna look good bald. And if I walk into a sales call and they're like, what happened to your hair? I'm not going to get the sale because they're going to be talking about me. I need to talk about them in sales, right? So yeah, they're like, I'm like, you're MD Anderson. Like, we are. Give us a couple hours. I almost missed my flight back to Tampa. I was in Houston. And at the end of these 2 hours, they came to me like, okay, this is 2008, like, you've probably never heard of this. And nobody had. I said, but we're working on a thing called immunotherapy. Like, immunotherapy, what's that? It wasn't until 2009 it actually even became publicly known about immunotherapy. And like, last week, you know, we give you drugs so the body can help kill the cancer. I'm like, do I get to keep my hair? They're like, yeah, you keep my hair. I said, do you know if it works? I was patient number 23. And they're like, don't know. I said, what if it doesn't work? They're like, then you'll lose your hair. We'll have to go back to the original treatment. So at that point, I was owning the journey. And by the way, it worked. I was one of the early benefactors of a common treatment now, which is immunotherapy. Immunotherapy saved me 3 times, the first 3 times with my lymphoma. There's a quick case study on why advocating for yourself, it can make a big difference in your treatment. In mine, the side effects weren't great, but I got to keep my hair. That mindset is the big one.

Hey, I don't care about nothing else. I gots to keep this hair because I can't— That's true.

I mean, it sounds ridiculous in hindsight. But at the time, I mean, I got 3 kids I gotta feed.

I hear you, man. Hey, that was a good one.

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So talking about the physicians and the team and the caregivers and things of that nature. Building a care team, as you was talking to, I see that that's very important. So what are the essential qualities should individuals look for when assembling supportive team to guide them through treatment?

Yeah, uh, so you're a Ferrari, so you got to go to a Ferrari dealership. You got to go to somebody that sees a lot of cancer patients with your particular type of cancer, which then defaults to the large cancer centers. There are 65 National Cancer Institute accredited cancer centers in the U.S. Perfect case, you aim for one of those because they're big and they see a lot of patients. Now, if you can't do that, there's still going to be big ones in your market most likely, so go as big as you can and find a doctor that specializes in your particular type of cancer. An oncologist is one thing, an oncologist who specializes lymphoma is another, An oncologist who specializes in follicular lymphoma B-cell, like I had, was even better. So you are looking for the specialist. So you got to find them, you got to do your homework, but the cancer.gov is a good place to start online. They have all that stuff or you can reach out to your health insurance provider and they will coach you as well. So big is better and big is better in a lot of reasons. They are going to be an expert in your particular type of cancer. They are going to have better equipment. They're gonna have better testing. They're gonna have better everything just because of the same scope. That doesn't mean you don't have to do your homework on who you're meeting with at that facility because you still gotta do your homework on that.

Mm-hmm.

And you've also gotta be able to pick somebody that you're comfortable with. So, look, I deal with a lot of patients and I've had patients that a highly qualified doctor they just don't connect with for some reason. You know, you gotta be able— willing to pivot. And find somebody else. And in cases for me, I had, you know, the world's best lymphoma doctor who, who left MD Anderson. So you have to find somebody else and be flexible with that. If you are at a high-quality cancer care facility, you're going to have options to do that, which is another reason for big, right? If things change with your care team or they leave or you're not getting along or whatever, you're going to have some other options versus a smaller place that just won't.

That's some good information right there. So, Bill, let me ask you, because you talked about this in your book, maintaining a positive mindset is a recurring theme in your book. How does this contribute to a person's overall well-being during cancer treatment?

Yeah, attitude is important. And as a cancer patient, my attitude wasn't always positive, and it's like a roller coaster of emotions. Even now, some days I'll just wake up and I'm like, "Oof." You know, the positive energy is a little bit missing sometimes, but most of the time I'm pretty positive. And number one reason I'm positive is because I'm so dang happy to be alive, right? I'm on bonus time. So every day truly is a blessing. And so that's my mindset. But for somebody going through any health journey, cancer or not, the positive attitude makes a difference in these ways, is the care team will respond favorably to it. They will naturally want to be with you more if you have a positive attitude. They're going to be more positive if you're positive. If I came in all grumpy and sad and complaining and whining, that puts them on kind of the defensive. So positive attitude, you know, helps them help you. A positive attitude around your friends and family is going to help them help you, because if you're down, then they get down. It kind of feeds on itself. So the positive Plus positive is going to be positive. Positive plus negative is going to be negative. It's a science, but that's true. The positive attitude, it can't save me because I've been around plenty of people with great attitudes that have lost their battle, their health battle with cancer or other things. But I don't know the science behind it, CJ, but I know if we could figure this out, a positive attitude will help you heal and it will help you feel better. Yeah, I've got a terrible headache from the chemotherapy. I could be negative about it and complain about it, or I could say, "You know what? This headache, this is part of me getting better. Without the chemo, I wouldn't have the headache. Without the chemo, I wouldn't live, so the headache is just part of the process. I don't need to be sad about it." In a way, you're grateful you have it because that means I'm here and the chemotherapy is probably working. That mindset of a positive attitude It's an enormous difference in how you battle this. And if the one reason, the biggest reason is for those around you. You know, you want positive around you so you can't feed them negative. So for me, when I was negative, having a bad day, I zip it up. You know, how you doing? Hmm, yeah, hey, you know, I'm getting through it. And I wouldn't feed them the negative thoughts I keep those inside. Whole other set of issues, by the way.

Yeah, that's what I was just about to say. And now, you know, that's something totally different because you got all these different emotions, you keeping them to yourself, you thinking. And you know, like you say, in situations like that, I've known people that was just so lucky, you know. So that plays a part in your thought process, you know. I know that, and I could just imagine what you were going through and dealing with. But I get it, saying, you know, bringing energy because, you know, they see that you're upset or having a bad day, it is putting them on the defensive. And now they don't know how to approach you or talk to you, this and that. They thinking to theyself, oh, he having a bad day today. Yeah, man, that's life. But I'm glad you still here too, man, because like you said, if I didn't go through all the things that I was going through and dealing with the aftereffects, pros and cons.

Yeah, and the place to share what you're really feeling therapists, you know, support groups, those— because you need to share some of these things, right? You don't want to keep it so bottled up inside it, it affects you. So I highly encourage, uh, patients going through any health issue to find support groups, which I found some really good ones on Facebook, interestingly, or to hire professional therapists or social workers to try to walk you through it, because it is a mishmash of emotions as a cancer patient. I mean, it is up and down, zigzag, you can't predict it. And so you need some professional help if you can get it to work through that versus unloading on my wife, you know, and bringing her down. I can get the support from professionals that kind of can coach me through some of these things I'm going through.

Mm, yeah, that's cool. So Bill, on top of that, could you share a story for the fight that highlights the importance of emotional and mental self-care during your cancer journey?

Yeah, I could talk for a lot on that, but each day going through the journey to try to maintain my emotional and mental health, I would— if I could, I would try to do some exercise. And, you know, going through the treatment, that exercise might be a walk around the block, but that exercise accomplished a couple things. It got me moving, it got me out of the garage apartment where I was living and writing the book and spending a lot of my time, I was pretty isolated. And so, yeah, I've got a house and a garage apartment and I'd spend the nights in the house and the days in the apartment writing the book and recovering, but it gets me outside. It gets me into the sun. It gives me the opportunity to take some deep breaths. So, I would handle the mental and emotional health with those things. I would also handle it by trying to take as good care of myself as I could relative to the physical self. So, diet, was a big part of that. I hired a nutritionist to try to coach me through and did managing side effects as well as what I could do to boost my immune system. So I focused on that. I also made sure, even though I was pretty isolated, I couldn't see people for a long time, at least I was on the phone with them or FaceTiming them or texting them so I could have some social interaction. I would wake up every day like we talked about too and reminding myself, you know, why I'm fighting and I also had a cute little dog, and she's a little 20-pound Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and she'd spend the days with me, and that really helped me with my mental health. I jokingly call her my therapy dog, but it's really not a joke. So all those things, and then also the outside support. And also for me, start each day with a prayer and meditation, and before my feet hit the ground, I'm already grounded in my faith, and that is huge and has made such a big difference. And as I've gone through this journey, that faith, that Christian faith, has been enormous in helping me manage my mental health.

I like that, because he say, in all things give thanks, you know, in all things, regardless of what we going through or how it may look or how it may seem, give Give 'em thanks. So I like that. That's a good one to grow on. So let me ask you, Bill, for those in the thick of treatment, like right now, what practical steps can they take to make their treatment days more comfortable and manageable?

Yeah, if you're walking in for treatment, don't get there too early, but get there on time. Make sure you've got comfortable clothes on. Make sure you take a sweater because it's always going to be cold. They'll give you blankets if you need it. I wear a baseball cap, take sunglasses so the light's in my eyes. Don't plan to work. Don't plan to read much. It's hard to read going through this, but if you have your laptop or an iPad, have something that you want to watch on TV or Netflix or whatever. Make sure you take some water. Make sure you take some snacks, things like that. For sure, take somebody with you. If at all possible, get somebody with you because you're going to need somebody to keep an eye on you while you're going through this. I've had a couple instances where it was a 911 during my treatments. Both out of the blue. And yes, I'm alarmed up, and yes, the nurses or the staff are keeping a close eye on me, but the seconds can count when you're going through a reaction to chemotherapy. So having my wife or somebody else or friend sitting with me that can keep an eye on me makes a huge difference.

Yeah, I'm not gonna say no names or nothing, but I know what you said. I know people that go through chemotherapy or dialysis and things of that nature. Then they try to drive and do things after all this treatment that they given. I know somebody that perished, they was going through it and I guess they blacked out and car went off the road and things of that nature. I know somebody else that had an accident after they did it. Like you say, I like that, have somebody with you, your support team, build a support team, somebody with you so you don't have to put that extra pressure on yourself trying to do everything all by yourself.

Well, it's true, and it's unpredictable how you're going to feel. There was times I'd walk out of chemotherapy, and there was times that I would be wheeled out, you know, from chemotherapy. So yeah, you never know how you're going to feel. But for sure, if you're going through chemotherapy, the likelihood of you getting chemo brain is high, and that makes it really challenging to think. So yeah, you need somebody to be with you because I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, you know, for going through those treatments, and literally It was hard not being able to remember things. So yeah, that buddy, the buddy system, got to be one of the top things you got to do. You got to have somebody with you.

Mm-hmm. That's one to grow on. Have somebody with you. So Bill, I got one more question for you, but before we get there, man, where can we find the book at?

Yeah, you find it anywhere books are sold. Amazon is the most common one. You can go into Barnes Noble and get it as well. Yeah, anywhere books are sold, though, you know, in the book world, most, most seem to be purchased on Amazon. It's Bill C. Potts. There happens to be a Bill Potts, famous musician, so I had to add the C to my author's name. So Bill C. Potts, Up for the Fight: How to Advocate for Yourself as You Battle Cancer from a 5-Time Survivor.

And so that's your website too, you said, right? Billcpotts.com.

Billcpotts.com. It's got all the information, all the social media links there, and I appreciate you talking about it. And it becomes our book now, CJ, because if one of your listeners through this show buys the book and it changes or saves their lives, now that's you that's been part of it. So it's not my book, it's ours. And then if somebody listening gives it to a friend that's going through the journey, then it's their book too. And we're seeing a lot of that happening with this. It's growing organically. And that's why being on the show is so important to me because we don't know what life we may change or save through this podcast.

Yeah, man. Well, I pray that this book brings you much success and fulfills what God's will is. For whatever God wanted to plan for it to do, man, let it be. And I prayed for a long longevity, man, and years multiplied to your life as well, Bill. So Bill, just let me ask you this final question, man. I'll let you go. Family and friends often want to help but sometimes feel unsure, something we kind of talked about a couple questions before, unsure about how to do so. How can loved ones best support someone with cancer without overwhelming them?

Yeah, it's a complicated one. So as a patient, there's a certain number of your friends just poof poof away when they hear you have cancer. You just got to accept this is common across almost all cancer patients because they don't know what to do, or it hits too close to home, and so they just poof away. As a cancer patient, you just got to accept it and move on and realize there's going to be a lot more people that lean in. My wife and kids, my kids in particular, have learned that it's not so much what you say or what you do, it's that your presence. Is the most important thing, just being present. And for my daughter Anna, that was calling me— she lives in Boston— that was calling me the night before each of my treatments to say— FaceTiming me to say, "Dad, I love you." It was my son coming in town. Instead of going out with his friends, he would hang with me, sit on the couch. So the presence is super important. Also, don't always talk about the cancer. Give them the option of other things to talk about. I mean, some of the best times I've had with my kids had nothing to do when I was going through the treatment. We were just sitting and talking about anything but cancer, you know, give them recommendations on things to do, things to read, things to watch, super helpful, talk about what their interests are. Sorry, but you know, I do like the Boston Celtics. We can talk, interview over, right? But hey, listen, I like the way, I like the way you The Lakers are having a great season. I mean, they're doing great. And who can argue with, you know, Magic Johnson, right? But anyway, those types of things. And then, make sure that— this is for friends and family, and this is one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that I didn't want to be that guy that didn't tell my friends and family that I love them. And so, particularly with the friends, particularly as a guy. I encourage everybody, if you love somebody, tell them. And so now I do, and they tell me back, and that has changed my life in so many positive ways. And also, if you've got issues with somebody in your family or with your friends, you patch it up because tomorrow's not guaranteed. And I work hard on those relationships that I was struggling with, just to work it out, whether I felt I was wronged or not. You know, let's try to work it out because at the end of the day, if my end came on my last day, I wanted to know that I was good with everybody. All right, I loved them, I told them. And that's one of the lessons from my journey that continues just to markedly improve my life.

I like that, man. I, you know, the part where you just talked about if you got any off with your brothers or sisters or family members or whatever, friends, man, patch that thing up because, you know, tomorrow is not promised to none of us. And You know, and then that person, after, you know, whatever happened to you, then they got to deal with that. And then, like you say, then now we wishing that we would have, you know, reconciled this situation or, you know, talked it over, because maybe something that we was bitter about towards each other wasn't even worth it all. You know, now you missing that person. Like you say, now I want to tell you I love you, but it's too late. So yeah, that's words to grow on right there, man. Bill over here planting seeds. I like it, Bill. Hey, so Bill, uh, Is there anything else, man, that you would like to share before we get out of here, man? I really appreciate you coming on today, man, and sharing your story.

No, I appreciate so much you allowing me to be on your show, which is super enjoyable. I would just say that my last thing would be is not just with your health journey, but own your own life. And this is what I've learned. And tell those that you love you love them, and it will make your life better.

Mm, you heard it right here on the CJ Moneyway Show. Bill C. Potts, he say, if you love someone, tell them you love them, and own your journey. You have been listening to the CJ Moneyway Show with your boy CJ Moneyway. We out of here. Peace.

Thank you for listening to the CJ Moneyway Show. Don't forget to share this episode with your friends, leave a comment, and drop a review. Be sure to tune in every Tuesday and Friday for more inspiring journeys. Who knows? Your story might be next.

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