Recieved this early this morning, so i wanted to share it with everyone.

 " Rob,

Ah the frustration of my sport.  So let me start by saying that was my best time so I can't be too upset, it just wasn't the best time I know I am capable of.  I guess that 2:08 will just have to wait.  The really frustrating part happened this morning when I realized my time in the 200 IM would have qualified 3rd for the finals.  However, as in 2004 I got 3rd at trials in that event to Michael and Ryan, who are again and as usual, first and second.  So all that venting being said, through this experience I have definitely learned that in the grand scheme of things it's just not that big of a deal.  This experience has been incredible and I have enjoyed and cherished almost every moment of it.  I want to thank you again for setting up the blog, I have really enjoyed reading people's messages.  Also, crap has been forwarding me all of the e mails crap gets as well.  I have been on some of the most successful teams in the world that range from winning state titles, to winning NCAA titles, to now winning the swimming portion of the games (which we will do), and the cancer community that has taken me under their wing has proved to be the strongest and closest.  It is incredible the emotion and encouragement I feel from people who I have never even met before.  I have pretty much decided that I will not be retiring just yet, so after I get rid of this crap I am going to come back faster and stronger than ever.   Hope everything is going well with you, I will be in touch.

Eric "

Again, I want to thank the group of you who shared your words of encouragement, strength and hope.  As we all know suport is the rock that helps others in the "family " get thru this rough patch of road. Being that we are going to leave this open, I hope that you will continue to share your stories, well wishes , and give your strength  to Eric and his family.  As you can see by Erics letter, and alot of us know by personal experience , knowing that others before you have battled and won can make all the difference in the world. Believe it or not, there were some who thought that this was the wrong thing to do. But Eric, his family and people like  you, and others from all over the world proved once again, that being positive and giving our support and strength can and does make a huge difference.  I love it.....

"and the cancer community that has taken me under their wing has proved to be the strongest and closest.  It is incredible the emotion and encouragement I feel from people who I have never even met before.  I have pretty much decided that I will not be retiring just yet, so after I get rid of this crap I am going to come back faster and stronger than ever.  '

You all made a difference.  I believe that Eric  will conquer  the cancer battle, and we will be rooting for him as the Journey to London begins.

Once again, I personally thank you, and lets keep the support going. He reads these so if you have a messsage for Eric,  let them Fly.  As I told Eric, this was a total victory.  It certainly was.

As you all probably know by now, Eric did not advance to the finals  of the 200 m  breaststroke.  In spite of swimiming his personal  best time, ( and he has cancer )  he came in 10th.  He was of just .013 out of the 8 that advance.  Just goes to show you how tight these races are.  While I am sure we hoped that he could advance to the finals, lets take a look at the big picture here.

1. Eric was one of the 10 fastest swimmers in the WORLD  in the 200 m Breaststroke.  top 10 in the WORLD at the 2008  Bejing Olympics !  That is remarkable, especially considering everything else.

2. His dream was to compete representing  the United States of America in the Olympic games despite his disgnoses of Testicular Cancer a short time before.  Just making the team and being there is also remarkable. It showed his determination, skill,  and his fight. Eric had this to say afterwards

"It was absolutely worth it," he said. "I am so happy I came here and did this. It's been an amazing experience. It's everything I hoped it would be. Now I've got to take care of my life."

Since going public with his diagnosis, Shanteau has heard from cancer survivors around the world who are rooting him on. The disease had already hit home for Shanteau, whose father Rick is battling lung cancer."

3. So he did achieve his dream, inspite of the fact that he is facing another battle , and at the same time , his father is in the same fight.   You can certainly see  where he gets alot of the strength and courage, and fight .  His father said this after Eric called him with the news

" I told him you can look at it one of two ways," Rick said. "You have cancer or cancer has you."

Eric chose  the former. That is what all of us who know been through or have been touched by this disease called cancer.  He is going to attack this disease, and not allow it to define him. It is just another hill in life.

I know just reading the messages of support from all of you , how much it has touched me, and Eric has spoken about it time and time again, what hearing from  you, and all the people who wrote or e-mailed with messages of support meant and will continue to mean as his crosses  into the next part of the Journey. .  We know it gives a feeling of togetherness, strength through unity.

 I wrote Eric at the beginning that it was the start of something that most people don't understand , and that the Angels will come to him in force. Strangers, friends , families, and survivors and the people that support those touched by cancer.  All of you have proven  it true. As he progresses thru the next few weeks, that will even grow stronger.

All of us that did have cancer, had cancer.  It did not have us.  The same will be true for eric as it is with his father.

So , there was no losing here, there was no defeat. This was a total victory  for Eric.  I think I can speak for all of us, ....... Eric, we are proud of you !

Over the comming weeks, even more angels will appear. I hope everyone will continue to send him their hope, prayers, and most importantly your stength.   Eric will win this battle also.

So I am going to leave this open, and I hope that everyone will continue to send him messages of support.  He will be an important voice in the battle of this disease called cancer.  This young man has proven that anyone can do anything inspite of the mountains placed in front of them.  You can.  As you can see in many of these messages , there is storyy after story who  could have  looked at it as cancer had us, when in fact we had cancer. He will win this race too.

The future is bright, and as many have mentioned, there is a whole different perspective on what our lives are after being touched by this disease.  The future is bright for all of us, if we chose to  have it be.

So, as Eric does a little sightseeing of that beautiful country, I hope that you all will join me , to continue to send him messages of support and share your stories of victory over this disease.

A new member of our family  will get great strength  from you sharing your stories.  During my journey, I will never forget a memeber of my support group Ray, who was very sick.  He always told me to help others.  Even in his last days, anytime I asked him how he was doing, he would always say " no, how are you doing? "    He said" make it all mean something, and help others". I have done that in my 13 years of survivorship, and will always continue to do so.    As many of you do, so will Eric.  at 24, he has proven that anything is possible in life, and that dreams do come true.

So lets continue to support him.

You know, London is a pretty nice place to visit too.  Lance never won the Tour until after his experience.   Eric can do anything that he wants.  he has already proven it. So anything is possible.Anything is posible for all of us.  never lose sight of your dreams.

You guys have been awesome, and I personally thank you.

I titled this " It's Showtime", but from the Lighting of the Torch, it has been a show !!   Wow, that right there, even on Television, was something to see, can you imagine being there?  That right there must have been a big part of the dream to experience.   Also, to walk into the stadium with the rest of the United States Olympic Team  also must have been a poweful moment.   I just sat there, and smiled at the thought of what it would feel like for Eric.

So far, the swimming team is doing  a fantastic  effort.  Looks like we will see another young man fullfill his dream. Did everyone see the mens really last night?  I forget his name, but the guy who really dug down and delived for the US men's was an awesome performance, and what the Olympics are about.

Do you think that Eric has that power inside of him, to do the same thing?  I think he does.

So, we will keep this one short and sweat.  The heats for the 200 m Breaststroke start tomorrow morning ( check you local listings for exact times )  but I believe it is 7:22 am  EST. there are I think 8 heats and I am not sure what one eric is swimming in, but  we will find out.

So, Just want to let Eric know that he has our complete support, and collective power that we are sending to him.  To me he is already a winner, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him  with fire in his eyes.

Good luck my friend, and KNOW that we are all going to be there, cheering you on.  I think I can speak for everyone and say we are very proud of you.  You are already a Champion.

Our hearts and spirit will be there with you and your family. You have done it, you have made your dream.

so I hope everyone will take  a chance today, and send eric your vibes and strength.  Power thru unity is everything.

I saw a little clock yesterday, counting down the days, minutes and seconds until the games begin. I am excited!  I don't know why, but I really didn't pay much attention to Athens , but this one really interests me.  Obviously, being a Testicular Cancer survivor, and  watching Eric go for his dream is a big part.  It was when I read the imtial  article about his diagnoses that really caught my eye.  As someone who has been an advocate to the cause of TC dectection, early treatment  that first caught my eye enough to track him down, and write a letter to him really worried about the message and of course his physical health. I wanted to protest. I wanted him to  go and get treated. The more I learned about the story though, I really began to understand where he was coming from. I wrote a letter to his manager, and he assured me he would make sure he got it.  He understood my concern and promised  he would make sure he got it.  Evan was true to his word ( a sign of a great person these days, and a good excellent manager ! )  Eric wrote me back, and as you saw, he understood my message, and shared with me the dream. That dream, and the fact that he had done everything right as far as seeking the right medical advice, I began to think of the dream.

The years of hard work, a goal that formed early in his life. The sacrifices his family , I am sure made to support  him in the goal.  Giving his Mother and Father a chance to watch and share the dream of their son. The family members, near and far. Other people who are battling this and other cancers, showing that life, and dreams do not take over dreams. It really made me think, and want to do something to show  him support, as many others have. Just to be one voice of someone who has been there, who with the milllions of others around the world , can show the power of the strength of this new " family" .    I know how powerful  it was for me, and as Eric has expressed ,  to hear the stories of individuals from all over, who have faced this battle, in their own way, it has touched him

Cancer is an emotional disease. It is a scary word in itself.  One of the first things I did was join a support group in Atlanta, and it is to this day, one of the best things I ever did.  I thought I knew life, but being with this group of people, I learned  I knew nothing. The strength, love, understanding,  and will gave me a gift that has never left me.  I am a stronger person because of not the cancer, but the people  that touched my life during it.  I call them the Angels, and they were everywhere.  Why could I not see them before ?  I mean I had good people in my life, but in total strangers, I  became very blessed. It opened my eyes to what was really important,  and that was that I could have peace, and from that I had great strength  from these Angels.    From peace come strength. From peace comes spirituality.   I always had it but  just the challanges I had trying to get thru my cancer ( which were many, and not of the medical kind)  taught me that in even the toughest situation , there were people there to put out thier hand and pull me up.

I am not one who thinks one has to "see" spirit", it is felt, but maybe for a reason it was shown to me.  It was everywhere.  It put my whole life in persepective.  I remember  lying in an Atlanta hospital, after a major surgery that SOMETIMES goes with TC.  On the television, was the news story of these young kids in Rowanda I believe, who were walking back and forth, back and forth,  up to 200 miles, eating tree bark or whatever they could find. There was a war going on, and these little kids were walking back and forth looking for their parents. I remember, lying there, having found out that my cancer was indeed advanced, and all I could think about was these kids.  I knew instantly, I didnt have a problem at all. These kids did. Their parents were casualties of the war, and yet, they kept looking in hope of finding them.    I will never forget that.

I will never forget the strangers who would stop by my room, and just ask me how I was doing. That simple act gave me strength. I had a High school girlfriend, who I knew was a Nurse  at Emory, and I would hide.  No such luck , I ran into her, and she became  one of my rocks of support. 

I has a lady, who I would speak to once or twice a week, as again, I lost my insurance because of some fine print even a lawyer couldnt understand, and This lady Kaye, who was a LCSW who worked with men with urological  cancers, and she kept me sane thru all the problems.  I had always meant to write her and say thank you, but you know, people get busy and such.  I looked her up last week, and wrote a letter  after almost 13 years , telling her how much her time had meant to me, and she was THRILLED to hear from me.

I am sure this is rambling a bit, but the point is that this is the power that one gets from the 'family" and why I decided to even write this blogg. It was a first and probably the last, but I wanted to have a non intrusive way of  giving people a way to pass their support to Eric .  That power is something that will stay with him for many many years to come.  It only gets stronger.

So, as the games approach, and the time is short until Eric and many other of the worlds best Athletes will walk into a pretty cool looking Stadium , as a representitive of the United States of America, and their respective countries.   I think how proud his parents will feel watching this, his family, his extended family. I can only imagine what they will feel to see this dream fullfilled. Just  making the games, and walking into the Opening ceremony is a total victory, for him, and the other athletes. This young man will feel a power that will only enhance his years of hard training and sacrifice, and when it comes time for the events, This power will serve him well.

To his parents, family , I can tell you have raised a great young man, and I know you are proud of him.  I just marvel at the whole thing and I am glad you are able to attend, and be there with him physically , and in his heart as i know he is in yours.

Eric, you have millions of people around the world behind you.  Just being there, you remind them that they too can live their dreams, and the many that will come during  everyones lifetime.

Just know, everyone you know, and the many you dont know, we are all there with you. Thank you for allowing us to be.Your future is very bright, and what you have gained thru not only the Olympic experience, but the TC expereince, will only grow  stronger everyday, for the rest of your life.

I think I can take a chance and  speak for alot of people, and say, you are already a Champion to all of us. Again, thank you for allowing us to share in the experience.