Executive Coach, Facilitator and Founder of xPotential, Ewan Dunbar shares his experience of dealing with cancer and how his journey changed the trajectory of his life, career and mindset.
5,000 Steps!! That was my goal … if I could achieve that then I was sure that my system would kick back in, my wounds would start to heal properly, I would be able to cope without morphine and I would recover fully mentally. 24 hours earlier I had undergone significant surgery to remove stage three cancer and fit a temporary stoma bag for a year. I had cried for the first time in over a decade when I looked down at my stoma wound, exhausted from the pain and a sleep deprived night in the “Zombie ward” (as I ‘affectionately’ named it). The Zombie Ward was intensive care where patients were typically on morphine and definitely not in control of their senses during the night (I only have admiration for the nursing staff).
I decided to take control of the situation… I declined any more ‘purple tablets’ (the morphine), forced myself out of bed and started putting one foot in front of the other to get walking. I achieved the 5,000 steps within a couple of days much to the amusement (and possible annoyance) of the nursing staff as I marched up and down blocking the hospital corridor. I achieved 10,000 steps after day five (not to be recommended) and was released from hospital in half the time I was originally told I had to stay for.
I had set a goal. I had a purpose. I had prepared through significant physical training in advance of my operation and apart from the ‘wobbly 24 hours’ mentioned above, I was determined to live up to the expectations that my friends, family and colleagues expected of me. Throughout the year of my cancer treatment, the importance of having a really strong network was emphasised to me. Everyone viewed me as being really positive but I was only positive because of them (they were the fuel to my fire in trying to cope with the challenges presented to me).
How did I get there though? As everyone is all too aware, there are carcinogens throughout the world in which we live. There is not any way to know definitively the cause of my disease however for me it was not coincidental that I was experiencing the most stressful period of my working career. Whilst smiling on the outside and still being that positive person that everyone expected at work, I was going through so many challenges that I was not sleeping properly.
Despite a rigorous exercise regime, I was constantly exhausted from a lack of sleep and worrying about work issues. It also does not surprise me that all the cancer sufferers that I befriended who are in their forties also developed cancer whilst going through a particularly stressful period in their lives. This is anecdotal and unfortunately people can just be extremely unfortunate, but this journey has led me to a large number of realisations which also prompted a career change.
I now coach and provide leadership talks to support business executives in navigating the challenges of business life. One of my regular questions to senior executives is “if you woke at 2am, what would you be thinking of” … unfortunately this transpires to be the reality for almost all of my clients, who are able to tell me exactly what they were thinking about. In this ‘always on’ world, leaders need to check themselves (both physically and mentally) before they wreck themselves.
So please, if in doubt, get it checked out! (early detection is key to saving lives, possibly even yours!) If you are struggling with business challenges then please reach out to someone for support.
Written by Ewan Dunbar on behalf of Thrive. Ewan is an Executive Coach, Facilitator and Founder of xPotential.
Ewan spoke at Thrive's Movember webinar, Movember Lessons: Surviving the Corporate World & Beyond, that focused on men’s health and their journey through the corporate environment.
You can watch this webinar on-demand here.
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