Cancer Set Me Free—Glenn Sturm

This is a story of human strength. There is nothing quite like cancer. The word is toxic and the reality is soul crushing. Glenn Sturm got the call on cancer in 2009. The message of the call is straightforward: you have cancer . Millions of us have received that message. Our brains shut down. We hear static. What Glenn has done since he got “the call” is more than survive. His journey and his message is for anyone who has cancer, anyone who knows someone with cancer and, by the way, anyone who faces tragedy. So, that’s everyone. From the day Glenn learned of his cancer he took a different approach. The goal was not just to survive but to get better at life. This story paints a picture of the world of living with cancer . The diagnosis, the waiting, the treatments, the doctors, the disappointments, the triumphs, the pain, the intensity. But this story is about much more than cancer. It is about the emotional lessons learned throughout a fascinating life and how those lessons sustain Glenn in the everyday challenge of living with cancer.

We can all learn. We should know ourselves and know our doctors. Specifically understanding our own condition, treatment and effects can save our lives. Glenn’s attention to being a smart patient probably saved his life. But being a patient is not Glenn’s profession. A central message of the book is that rather than shrink from life and the joy of living, Glenn made it his job to learn new things and get better. How about running a marathon, becoming a renowned photographer, getting his golf handicap down to two? These are not the actions of sick person seeking refuge and sympathy. Glenn has been a lawyer, soldier, son and father. He draws on each of those sources for strength. The strength and wisdom from his father and mother and the lessons of toughness and persistence from the military. Glenn draws strength from family. And cancer forces some introspection. The realities and talk of mortality tend to do that. He says that introspection made him a better father.

Instead of shrinking from cancer, embraced the emotions and insights it brought. A message that we as Cancer patients, survivors or humans must take from this book is that we must open our eyes to joy and discovery - now. We are not defined by cancer. Self-pity is debilitating and as Glenn says we must “give up hope for a better yesterday.” The remarkable life experiences and messages that Glenn intersperses with his long cancer journey are more incisive because the lessons are made more vivid by the cancer experience. Persistence in life and in a cancer journey are indispensable. Cancer is persistent. It does not take a day off. Glenn’s journey personifies persistence, determination and courage. His journey includes an understanding of the various parts of the cancer experience that, as it turns out, mirror the trials of life. How painful is the uncertainty of delayed diagnosis?

How disturbing is the knowledge that you will get chemotherapy for the rest of your life? Well, it depends. No self-pity. Work out every day and schedule joyful things to do. Climb a mountain. Photograph a solar eclipse in Patagonia. That is Glenn’s approach. Glenn shares feelings and regrets. He regrets the day he didn’t take a walk around the lake with his grandson. His regret makes us feel and make us think about our own decisions. In 2023 Glenn faces squarely his next challenges. He is committed to improving his golf game and playing in the British Amateur. He is committed to a better tomorrow, and that is the lesson this book teaches each of us who are survivors of life. Tomorrow is a joyous opportunity. Take it.

About the author

Glenn W Sturm earned a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida, where he was named to the Order of the Coif. During law school, he served as a fellowship instructor of legal research and writing and as executive managing editor of the Florida International Law Journal. Mr. Sturm served in the U.S. military as a commissioned officer on active duty and in the reserves for well over 30 years. He practiced law and served on his firm's board, and as its Corporate Chairman for most of his legal career. He founded Netzee Inc., an Internet banking company that he took public in 1999 as its CEO. He also served on the corporate boards of directors including InterCept Inc. (ICPT), Goldleaf Financial Solutions Inc. (GFSI) and WebMD Inc. (WBMD). In his other lives, Sturm is a photographic artist, a philanthropist, and strives every day to make the lives of others better while continuing to navigate his way through over a decade of life with cancer.