John Atkinson's Golf, Lung Cancer and Lessons for Us Patients

I love the game of golf. Not just playing golf, but the entire experience. It's more than simply transferring that little white ball from the top of a tee to a tiny hole hundreds of yards in front of you, with gawd-only-knows what types of hurdles in the forms of trees, water and sand between them. There is an ambiance that goes with it, too. Part respect, part etiquette, part community, part history and a wealth of stories that define the character of those who play golf.

One of those stories was showcased yesterday afternoon. The story of John Atkinson, a golfer who won an essay contest that allowed him to play golf at Torrey Pines, one of the most revered and difficult golf courses in America, alongside some folks you've heard of -- Matt Lauer, Justin Timberlake and Tony Romo from the Dallas Cowboys.

John Atkinson has lung cancer. It's advanced, and its inoperable. He's a young man, only 39, and he has young children, and -- to answer the question we all ask -- he has never smoked.

To combat the stresses of lung cancer, and the weakness that goes along with treatment, John has been playing golf, and has developed a strong game. Not content to lay low and simply die from the illness, he has chosen to fight it the best way he knows how -- by concentrating on his golf game.

His thoughts? "This was not a dream of a dying man," says Atkinson. "This was the dream of a golfer."

His score doesn't matter. It's his strength, his will, and his determination to fight that provide lessons for us here. John's story is not so much about golf. His story is about his choices. It's about a man who is reaping the emotional and physical benefits from a game he loves, to stay as healthy as he can for as long as he can.

Sometimes the treatment choices we are given include therapies like chemo, or radiation, or drugs or surgeries. John may be choosing some of them -- but his real choice has been his golf. It may not be mainstream! But it has certainly proven to be THE therapy that has brought him the most happiness and provided an example for us all.

Learn more about John and his courageous battle with lung cancer from Dr. Lynn Eldridge, our About.com Guide to Lung Cancer. And a follow up at Golf Digest, too.
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(Note to those of you sharp enough to have picked up the name -- No, I'm not related to those Torreys. I think they are just the names of the trees!)
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Photo -- Tony Romo, John Atkinson and Justin Timberlake
© Scott Halleran / Getty Images Sport