Mark Everett Kelly was diagnosed with Stage IV Rhabdomyosarcoma on December 12, 1990.
July 15, 2020, will mark the 29th anniversary of watching my oncologist supervise my bone marrow transplant at Memorial Sloan Kettering. While surviving cancer does not determine if a person possesses integrity, the memories of the weeks that followed indeed helped develop it.
Before my cancer diagnosis, my interests revolved around sports. Those who didn't share my passion, I didn't understand. Anything unrelated, I viewed as punishment. I spent the summer before my diagnosis, perfecting aspects of my game. The 1990-91 season was going to be my breakout season.
My future featured playing college basketball and baseball at a major university. I loved competing and challenging myself against others with similar skills.
Surviving cancer came with side effects that destroyed my ability to compete. My first love was gone, but it taught me an invaluable lesson. Having sports taken away from me forced me to venture outside of my comfort zone to relate to people.
Integrity is unlike other personality traits; evaluations do not reside in personal feelings. Friendships appreciate specific aspects of how a person exudes said trait, while even dealing with negative consequences, detractors often reach similar conclusions.
Living through radiation, chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant which featured 11 surgeries in three weeks, created survival instincts as well as teaching me what really matters. Regardless, adjusting to life’s realities will test one’s ability to face the music and produce or concede and compromise lessons learned.
I wish I passed all my tests, but I haven’t. However, as long as I’m still breathing, I can accept responsibility, learn, and persevere. Nothing produces character like hardships.
Diversity isn't just about ethnicity, race, religion, or gender. I encourage others to engage in the following experiences:
join a class or challenge yourself with a lecture of which you disagree or are uneducated
spend personal time sharing life experiences, backgrounds, and hobbies with another culture
Search Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube on topics you are unfamiliar