HOBART | One day after realizing his lifelong dream of breaking the sound barrier in an F-18 Hornet fighter jet, Navy pilot Bill Goss learned he had a rare type of melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, that had spread from his left ear to within an inch of his brain.
"It's all about persistence. You never know what life is going to throw at you," Goss told more than 500 guests at the annual Survivors' Day Celebration on Saturday at Avalon Manor sponsored by Cancer Health Treatment Centers. Most of the guests also are cancer survivors, diagnosed one to more than 15 years ago. Caregivers, family and friends also came to honor those who have faced and fought back against the disease.
The keynote speaker was a 15-year survivor of a cancer doctors thought would kill him within six months of his diagnosis. Radical 12-hour surgery to remove the deep-seated tumor left him "looking like Frankenstein," Goss said.
After multiple reconstructive surgeries, the tall, vibrant 53-year-old Goss looks as though he's never seen in the inside of a hospital.
During his talk, the author of two books relived his personal nightmare and what he believes helped him.
"An important part of survivorship is sharing. Share what helps. Share what hurts, Share our stories," he said.
Persistence and being positive also are vital components of surviving what life dishes out, Goss said.
"A lesson my mother taught me was, 'No matter what happens, just get up, dust yourself off and get on with the next thing in your life'," he said. "Facing obstacles in life creates new opportunities for more hopefulness. Absolutely, positively, thinking good thoughts raises your odds."
Shock and anger are a natural part of living with a cancer diagnosis, Goss said.
But, the key to dealing with negative thoughts "is to deal with them. Don't ignore them," he said. "See them as a giant box of garbage in your path. Lift that box over your head and throw it behind you and you never have to look at it again."
Pets are also important for dealing with life's crises, said Goss, describing his own animal best friend - Rocky, a flying squirrel no bigger than a bar of soap. "After my surgery, Rocky climbed into my robe and slept on my scars and they melted away," he said.
"Animals are our greatest copilots in our lives. Their sense of loyalty is beyond human and never can have a dollar value."
Goss gave the audience a visual aid to help remember what he calls "the 5 F's of fulfillment that got me through the greatest challenges of my life." "Look at your hand. There are five fingers there. Each finger symbolizes one of the five f's - family, friends, faith, focus and fun. If there were a sixth finger on your hand, it would be forgiveness," he said.
